Alberta motel care case agency to be removed from AHS housing options

Article content

Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says a non-profit organization will be removed from a provincial list of potential housing providers after a stroke patient was discharged to a motel south of Edmonton.

At an announcement in Edmonton Thursday, LaGrange said she didn’t know who compiled and approved the list, and the government doesn’t track how many patients might be discharged to motels.

Article content

Article content

“This is a terrible situation that has come to light. I am sorry that the individual at the centre of this situation feels that the service that he was going to get was misrepresented to him and his family. Going forward, we’re going to do better. We can only acknowledge that there is an issue here that needs to be addressed,” said LaGrange.

Her comments come after a 62-year-old patient was moved from the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton to a TraveLodge in Leduc, south of the city, where he was provided fast food and faced accessibility challenges — instead of the long-term care facility that he said he expected to go to.

Paralyzed on his left side after a stroke, Blair Canniff uses a wheelchair. The details of his discharge were first reported by the CBC, who said after a week at the hotel, he was readmitted to the hospital.

The health minister said the list of housing options for those being discharged is being reviewed by her ministry, Alberta Health Services (AHS), and the Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services, which is responsible for housing.

“We’ve now identified a problem that probably has existed for quite some time, we’re all on it, and we’re going to make sure that we clear this up,” said LaGrange, adding that the social worker involved “worked diligently” to find housing options, but the patient ultimately chose where to go.

Article content

Article content

A letter released by the Opposition NDP Wednesday indicates another patient was offered personal care from the same non-profit, Contentment Social Services, but the letter did not clearly identify the location of its supportive housing program as a motel.

“For the agency not to have told them up front that this is an actual motel, so that they could actually make the decision to say yes or no — because some people do choose to live out of hotel rooms — that’s unacceptable. And so, from here on in, we will not have that agency on our list,” said LaGrange.

“This particular agency is being inauthentic and not transparent with its clientele.”

Postmedia has reached out to Contentment Social Services for comment but did not immediately receive a response Thursday.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos said during discharge, a diagnosis is made determining what ongoing supports might be needed before options are presented to patients without endorsement.

“There are a lot of different entities in the non-profit sphere, and I think our folks do a really good job to try to stay aware if there are any issues,” she said.

Article content

“Those options are presented and ultimately, the individual has a conversation with the provider and looks at that themselves and makes their own decision.”

Earlier this week, LaGrange said the government is conducting a review of AHS’ discharge procedures, and that the non-profit is not contracted with or accredited by AHS, Alberta Health, or Seniors, Community and Social Services.

Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon told reporters in the legislature Thursday his department has no role in patient discharge, but has now been asked to support Alberta Health and AHS in the review of housing providers.

The province’s public guardian was dispatched to investigate, and Nixon said the office so far found only one client in one of the non-profit’s facilities, but the individual is being well cared for.

Nixon said he’s also tasked his department with looking to see if there is a regulatory or legal gap in being able to regulate or monitor housing providers.

Article content

“We’re going to be doing everything that we can to be able to make sure that everybody ends up in a safe place as they leave the health-care system and receives the services that they need,” he said.

Opposition NDP calls for investigation

On Thursday morning, Lori Sigurdson, NDP critic for seniors issues, continuing care and homecare wrote to the Health Quality Council of Alberta, asking them to investigate how patients are being discharged to motel rooms without proper care or nutrition.

“Albertans deserve to know their parents, grandparents, partners and loved ones have the best care and appropriate accommodations and will not be abandoned by Danielle Smith’s motel medicine,” she wrote in a statement Friday morning.

NDP deputy leader Christina Gray told reporters that it was “outrageous” LaGrange was dodging accountability.

“She wouldn’t apologize for what’s happened in this case, and even worse, she wouldn’t commit to making sure that there weren’t other patients in motels, which we know from media reporting is happening today,” said Gray.

“It’s a complete dereliction of duty.”

lijohnson@postmedia.com

Article content