#alberta health services

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Alberta is planning to dismantle its provincewide health provider and may sell off its publicly owned continuing-care facilities, say leaked cabinet briefing documents released by the Opposition NDP. NDP Leader Rachel Notley says the proposal to break up Alberta Health Services would give complete political control over all health decisions to Premier Danielle Smith's cabinet. She says it would also bring chaos to the system and open the door to more privately delivered care. "[The United Conservative Party government] created this crisis, and now they want to blow up our health-care system completely," Notley told Smith and the UCP caucus during question period Tuesday. "What is wrong with you people?"

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada @abpoli

[panicinthestudio]

Patients are losing Alberta’s public-private medical labs battle, November 1, 2023

Alberta’s medical labs have shifted between public and private delivery for decades, often depending on what party is in government, and now the province’s auditor general is investigating. CBC’s Christine Birak breaks down the medical and political saga that’s cost millions and had a negative impact on patient care. CBC News

@allthecanadianpolitics, @abpoli

I had my own brush with DynaLife three times in the last year, wait times and organization were horrendous at a lab that has always been high volume but was much better managed when they were public.

Their waiting room was not just crammed full, the wait times were so long they were paging people on their cell to return from their cars or from the mall across the way--some simply left without a word. Walk-ins alone were looking at least a hour seated wait time.

The single queue to check in was at least 30 minutes minutes standing, crammed in to the point people had to step out of the way of the doors. It included pregnant people, elderly, and others in need of priority with mobility aids and other conditions. Appointments were not immediately separated out from walk-ins or even simple drop off, the only instruction was for everyone to wait for the one person processing. Even when the line extended outside at the same location because of COVID social distancing it moved more efficiently.

There was clearly no regular process for stopping the line and refusing more patients despite this routinely being the case by the summer. While I was there one poor tech was delegated to end intake for the day early because they simply were overcapacity. After scrambling to make a couple signs to tape to the doors, they were completely ignored.

No one enforced a cutoff, the patients that were told they were the it remained silent or continued to open the door for more people. By the time staff reached what should have been the tail-end there was a a full queue again. I learned later that short of actually closing, policy was to continue to accept everyone in line and there was at least another hour after that to finish work and lock up.

This is one lab and next to one of the largest hospitals in Calgary, hospital internal labs and rural/community tests continued to be run by AHS's Alberta Precision (formerly Public) Labs. Only one instance that was relatively easy was right before the Christmas holiday when the transition to private was still new.

The technicians and phlebotomists were clearly struggling to do their best to keep the patients and their own morale up while understaffed and without the resources to preserve quality of service. I do not envy any of them being thrown the privatization curveball by the UCP and ultimately the people that voted to keep them in power, worse still for people that are depending on these services.

***

There is an entire history of neglect and privatization of Alberta's lab services under Conservative governments. Efforts by the Albertan NDP to consolidate, update, and expand the province's public lab services were quite literally bulldozed by Jason Kenney. Through the pandemic and now under Danielle Smith, the UCP has continued with plans to dismantle and portion off health care services, workers, and the facilities and now buying back our own labs, equipment, and employees less than a year later.

[fireladybuckley]

Did y‘all know that Alberta health services doesn’t cover any cost of CPAP machines? You know, those super critical machines to allow people with obstructive sleep apnea to actually breathe?

So unless my insurance through work will pay for part of it (and we can’t even ask them if they will because their workers are on strike), I have to pay nearly $3000 just to be able to breathe properly at night and actually sleep and not have a heart attack. And even if they do cover it, I’ll still have to front probably at least 1.5k.

Fuck AHS. Fuck the UCP’s attempts at privatizing healthcare and defunding everything they can. This is the future the conservatives want, one where the only people that survive past middle age are the ones that can afford to pay for it.

[brianmartinisascammer]

Kyla Barstad is a scammer.

A heavily edited photo, taken from Kyla Barstad's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kyla.barton

Kyla Barstad is a scammer.

Kyla Barstad also uses the names Kyla Barton and Kyla Martin online.

Kyla Barstad is Brian Martin’s girlfriend. Read more about him at: https://www.tumblr.com/brianmartinisascammer/733981373602447360/brian-martin-is-a-scammer

Kyla Barstad is referred to as Brian Martin’s wife, although he is still legally married to someone else.

Kyla Barstad lives in the community of Auburn Bay, in Calgary, Alberta.

Kyla Barstad is a voting shareholder of Boss Earthworks Ltd.

Kyla Barstad’s main job is working for Alberta Health Services at South Health Campus. https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Kyla-Barstad/-1036208703

Kyla Barstad works in the office of Elev8 Landscaping.

Kyla Barstad has access to every email received by info@elev8yyc.com, meaning that she is well aware of every instance Brian Martin stole a deposit.

Kyla Barstad accepts payments from clients.

Kyla Barstad hires contractors for Elev8 Landscaping.

Kyla Barstad advertises for concrete work on Facebook Marketplace.

Kyla Barstad has occasionally done concrete work for Elev8 Landscaping.

Kyla Barstad has a TikTok account with the username kybars31. www.tiktok.com/@kybars31

Kyla Barstad has an Instagram account with the username kbars11. www.instagram.com/kbars11

[remyxavier]

First my psychiatrist doesn't want to see me anymore and I go back on a long waiting list for a psychiatrist, now Alberta is closing neurology clinics so my neurologist just told me this appointment was our last one because they're shutting down his clinic and he's decided to just retire. Onto another long waiting list for a doctor.

I'm so sad and upset. He's been my neurologist for 4 years. He was there for me when the daily migraines for 8 months straight started, he kept trying and helping me find medicine that would prevent them from starting up. He checked up on me every couple of months after the migraines stopped the first time, he reassured me that I wasn't just imagining pain when they started up again but in a different fashion. He's such a good and caring doctor.

Now I have to hope I don't get the guy that was suspended last year for fucking his patient, or a doctor who only cares about making money off of prescribing certain medications, or a doctor who brushes me off because I'm a woman or because I have bipolar.

It's funny, I'm sure Alberta has all the money in the world to give to the police force, but god for-fucking-bid they use some of that money for good and to help people. The world we live in is a fucking joke and I was given a body that's not able to fight against it.

[thearbourist]

Female Erasure now Featured in Alberta Health Services

Female Erasure now Featured in Alberta Health Services

I post this letter written to Alberta Health Services regarding the experience one Albertan woman had in the context of the language being used in a letter to her regarding pap testing.  She has given me permission to reprint her letter in hopes that more Albertan women will also write to Alberta Health Services or the Alberta Public Ombudsmen to tell them in no uncertain terms that erasing…

[youngcrusadetastemaker]

Alberta mental health Services

The Mental Health Foundation is dedicated to building better mental health and mental health care for people in Alberta.

[southcountymedspaandwellness]

Alberta mental health Services

If you any mental health problem. We provide in Alberta mental health Services. who suffer from Anxiety Disorders are not mentally ill and People who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress are not mentally ill.

[9janewspoint]

Sean Grondin dead and obituary, Thoracic surgeon at Alberta Health Services

Sean Grondin dead and obituary, Thoracic surgeon at Alberta Health Services

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons announces with deep regret the untimely death of its past President and respected member of the organization’s leadership, Sean C. Grondin, MD, MPH, FRCSC. In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the then 56-year-old Ph.D. Grondin is a thoracic surgeon at Alberta Health Services and also teaches surgery at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. In 2021,…

[emploimaroc30]

Alberta Health Services au Canada Recrute Plusieurs Profils

Alberta Health Services Recrute Plusieurs Profils AHS is Canada’s first and largest province wide, fully-integrated health system, responsible for delivering health services to the over four million people living in Alberta. Our skilled and dedicated professionals, support staff and physicians come from numerous disciplines, from all walks of life, and from all corners of the world. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our five values – compassion, accountability, respect, excellence and safety – are at the heart of everything that we do Alberta Health Services is now notifying about 7,000 people that the security of their personal health information might have been breached. The provincial health authority said in a news release Thursday that a Calgary doctor used their Gmail account to communicate medical information. That email account was later criminally hacked. The breach was discovered in April, according to AHS vice-president Ted Braun, but patient notification was delayed due to the Calgary Police Service cybercrime unit’s ongoing investigation into the hack, as well as AHS’s own investigation into the incident. AHS also needed to identify the patients who may have been compromised and develop the “appropriate processes” for notification, said Braun. The doctor’s email use violates AHS’s information security and privacy policies, which are meant to stop clinical business from being conducted through personal email accounts. AHS-secure email or encrypted email messages must be used to send personally identifiable health information, said the provincial health organization.

Alberta Health Services Recrute Plusieurs Profils

- Social Worker II - HR Technician - Family Counsellor - Stores I - Supervisor - Mental Health Therapist - Therapy Assistant - Unit Clerk - Food Service I - Mental Health Therapist – Crisis Triage Intake - Psychologist I - Psychiatric Aide - Administrative Support III - Administrative Support IV - Maintenance Worker II - Indigenous Health Coordinator - Client Care Assistant - Workplace Coordinator - Environmental I – Cleaner/Housekeeper - Therapy Assistant – Plastics - Physiological Laboratory Technician I - Registered PCP – Paramedic - Counsellor I – Tobacco Cessation, Health Link - Environmental II - Manager - Officer - Mental Health Therapist – Addiction and Mental Health Helpline - Operating Room Technician – Adult Surgical Suite - Administrative Support IV – Immunization Booking Office - Senior Advisor Read the full article

[allthecanadianpolitics]

A new dental clinic has opened in Red Deer to provide services to uninsured, low-income Albertans.

The AHS Public Health Dental Clinic is a partnership between Alberta Health Services, not-for-profit health and benefits company GreenShield, and Red Deer Street Connect.

Full article

Tagging: @politicsofcanada @abpoli

[panicinthestudio]

The problems with Alberta's decision to dismantle AHS, November 11, 2023

The Alberta government is dismantling its provincial health-care delivery organization, AHS, which will change the structure and decision-making for the entire health system in the province. Dr. James Talbot, former Alberta chief medical officer of health, tells CBC News that it seems like Alberta Health Services is being blamed for decisions made by the government. CBC

[zvaigzdelasas]

Decades after many other rich countries stopped forcibly sterilizing Indigenous women, numerous activists, doctors, politicians and at least five class-action lawsuits say the practice has not ended in Canada. A Senate report last year concluded “this horrific practice is not confined to the past, but clearly is continuing today.” In May, a doctor was penalized for forcibly sterilizing an Indigenous woman in 2019.[...]

There are no solid estimates on how many women are still being sterilized against their will or without their knowledge, but Indigenous experts say they regularly hear complaints about it. Sen. Yvonne Boyer, whose office is collecting the limited data available, says at least 12,000 women have been affected since the 1970s.[...]

In 2018, the U.N. Committee Against Torture told Canada it was concerned about persistent reports of forced sterilization, saying all allegations should be investigated and those found responsible held accountable.[...]

Until the 1990s, Indigenous people were mostly treated in racially segregated hospitals, where there were reports of rampant abuse. It’s difficult to say how common sterilization — with or without consent — happens. Canada’s national health agency doesn’t routinely collect sterilization data, including the ethnicity of patients or under what conditions it happens.[...] In response to questions from the AP, the Canadian government said it has taken steps to try to stop forced sterilization, including investing more than 87 million Canadian dollars ($65 million) to improve access to “culturally safe” health services, one-third of which supports Indigenous midwifery initiatives.[...]

In 1976, the U.S. found that forced sterilizations happened in at least one-third of the regions where the government provided health services to Native Americans. The U.S. government has never formally apologized or offered compensation. Indigenous leaders in Canada say an official apology would be a critical step towards rebuilding the country’s fractured relationship with First Nations people. Only the province of Alberta has apologized and offered some compensation to those affected before 1972.

12 Jul 23

[vague-humanoid]

Just a few days before our interview, Jill’s (Ed: not her real name) immunologist sent her to the hospital to rule out pulmonary embolism, which happens when a blood clot gets stuck in an artery of the lung. In Jill’s case it would be a Long COVID symptom amongst many others she had been battling over the last year: including swelling around the tissue of her heart, memory deficits, sudden heart-rate surges, fatigue and abnormal kidney test results.

By that point, she’d had COVID four times, despite taking stringent precautions. She was born with a primary immune deficiency. And, without a fully functioning immune system she needs weekly injections of human immunoglobulins from plasma donations. A very small viral load can make her sick and she’s at a much higher risk of severe outcomes from COVID than most people.

“Every time I catch it, it adds new layers to my disabilities,” she says. “COVID is slowly killing me.” Her haematologist believes the past COVID infections have further damaged her immune system. She is looking at a possible lupus diagnosis.

Her voice is raspy and soft over the phone. She pauses when I ask how she is doing.

“Well, I got COVID,” she says. “Again.”

At the hospital appointment several nurses were not wearing their masks properly, and one kept pulling it down to talk with Jill, who had to remove hers to get her lungs checked. As someone who is very isolated with her family — everyone works and goes to school from home — Jill believes that the appointment led to her most recent infection.

She’s always been careful with her health but in the past, she worked in the school system. By 2020 she moved to a remote position and at that time still had many options for safely connecting with those around her and she could attend health-care appointments without concern. About a year ago, nearly all restrictions were lifted in Alberta and that’s when she got her first COVID infection.

Three years in, nearly everyone she knows has moved on including — most bafflingly to her — many of the medical professionals she sees. But, Jill says, moving on is not a privilege afforded to people like her.

Recently, PCR testing became inaccessible to health-care providers, who, in the past, were able to test regularly. And while Alberta Health Services (AHS) still requires masks, any health-care settings outside AHS can make their own rules. So, once masking was no longer mandated in public settings, many dropped requirements — this includes many of the specialists seeing immunocompromised people, including those Jill now sees due to Long COVID.

“The variants have been left to run rampant and I have really become more and more scared,” she says.

“Governments are saying: Oh we can re-open because we have all these tools. But they are not available to the immunocompromised population. So, the monoclonal antibodies are no longer effective against the current variants. Because the variants are so immune-based, the vaccines were never particularly effective for immunocompromised people because of the nature of our immune systems.”

As well, Jill says that there are many contraindicated drugs that cannot be taken with Paxlovid, the drug which is used to treat COVID patients in specific circumstances. According to Health Canada, Paxlovid “is used in adults to treat mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in patients who have a positive result from a severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 viral test and who have a high risk of getting severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death.”

She still takes the vaccines with hopes they will help, and while she believes Paxlovid is saving her life with this current infection, she says it is not a guarantee against more Long COVID symptoms. And, for the infection prior to the current one, the drug was not available due to a kidney infection caused by the virus.

“I have to access my medication, my health care. And by people not masking around me, I have no way to protect myself,” she says. “If you don’t want to wear masks as a society then you are going to leave the immunocompromised people behind.” And she says many high risk people are not able to work from home, or have their kids in online classes or maybe struggle to afford masks or air purifiers — many social and financial issues make individual protections far more challenging or impossible. She is currently in a court battle with her ex.

“He wants increased access, in-person school and group extracurricular activities. All things that put me at higher risk of infection,” says Jill.

Recently, she went to her cardiologist to find that no patients or staff were masking.

“I really realize now I have to be my own advocate,” she says.

She has to constantly think ahead. So, she now calls beforehand to see if the appointment can be done remotely or if the staff can mask. She’s also decided to start carrying around a laminated sheet that explains her medical condition as it is often something she needs to repeat at each appointment or in the emergency room. 

Like many others, she’s found ways to navigate her way around a harrowing array of risks. And yet, even with all these precautions, she can not control the actions of others which can directly affect her health.

Holly (Ed: not her real name), is retired and lives in a small community just outside Edmonton. She’s currently thinking about her next visit to her doctor, who hasn’t been taking precautions from the beginning.

“It’s exhausting always trying to get around how there is no protection for us anymore,” she says. “I’m thinking why am I made to feel crazy when my own doctor won’t wear a mask? Won’t acknowledge that it’s airborne?”

But the worst part, she claims, was that he minimized the effects of COVID, saying it was rarely an issue and only affects a certain demographic. Holly does not believe that is true, but regardless it is of little comfort when her husband, who’s in his 70s, has chronic health complications.

“I think patients are rightfully concerned, particularly when they go in for health care,” says physician Neeja Bakshi. “I think the medical community should be doing whatever we can to protect those who are coming in.”

It’s true, she says, that hospitals are no longer overwhelmed, and fewer people are dying; there is less of an acute emergency. But COVID is still circulating, people are still dying, and Long COVID (aka post COVID-19 condition) should be on everyone’s radar.

Recently, the World Health Organization announced an end to the global health emergency. But it also said earlier that “one in 10 infections result in post COVID-19 condition suggesting that hundreds of millions of people will need longer term care.”

COVID can cause organ damage — particularly affecting the heart, kidneys, skin. Plus, there’s risk of brain and immune damage, along with increased risks for cancer and autoimmune disease.

And, while no one knows yet how long that damage could persist, a study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine says 59 per cent of Long COVID patients had organ damage a year later.

In 2022, Bakshi started a Long COVID clinic at her health facility Park Integrative Health, treating patients from across Canada. Every week she completes upwards of 20 disability forms for people who need to take time off work due to the debilitating effects of Long COVID.

While certain health complications make Long COVID more likely, anyone can be affected regardless of the severity of their infection or the state of their health. The indiscriminate nature of COVID is one of the things that’s been most shocking to Bakshi. She’s treated a number of elite athletes who went from performing at a professional level to struggling to have enough energy to brush their teeth.

Many patients struggle with stigma not just from medical professionals but from family, friends and employers. It’s an invisible illness, says Bakshi, so patients may look fine and are often misdiagnosed as something psychosomatic.

“I’m immersed in the world. But I don’t feel like you can deny it exists. And I think it’s a bit of ignorance on the medical community’s part if they say they don’t know anything about Long COVID. There are very specific disease patterns and symptoms,” says Bakshi.

There is also a lack of support. The most proven management strategy for Long COVID or even any COVID infection is recovery and rest, says Bakshi. But that’s not possible for many people. Initially, in 2020, there was forced rest through quarantine periods, but that time off has become shorter, as employers don’t have to pay for employees to be off at all.

“We are not a society that is built on support. We’ve already set ourselves up to fail from a recovery perspective,” says Bakshi.

Jill has found validation in Bakshi’s clinic as one of her patients. But that experience stands out amongst a sea of specialists who have given up on precautions.

“Instead of recommending upgraded masks, air cleaners and UV, or working from home, immunologists that manage my condition recommend wearing a mask if you want and enjoying your life—as short as that may be. I am not sure if this is complacency, or giving up… Either way, education and change need to happen or far too many valuable lives will be lost and disabled unnecessarily,” says Jill.

Savvy AF.  Blunt AF.  Edmonton AF.

[punisheddonjuan]

Pearson Vue GED Testing Service, the company behind the test, is ending service in Canada after this month. "It's ludicrous," Feliciant said about the program ending and the tight deadline. When the end of the program was announced last year, provinces were left to find their own solutions. In the meantime, people who miss the deadline to schedule a test this year won't get another chance — and without any alternative right now in some provinces, such as Ontario, adults wanting to get the equivalent to a high school diploma will face barriers. "We were completely blindsided by that, as were our students … this is just another roadblock for them," said Steven Lobodici, a professor and assessor at Mohawk College, adding he first learned of the change in August 2023. [...] Alternative to GED sorely needed: instructors Jamieson said she was "so sad" to hear the GED is ending. "I know there's so many people who want an education and are striving to do better." Lobodici said there's currently "no adequate replacement" for the GED. He mentioned the Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC), which is still in development in Alberta. He also noted there's an Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) certificate, but it isn't widely recognized across the country.

This is ridiculous. Full disclosure, I decided to pursue a GED instead of finishing high school. Being chronically ill as an adolescent meant I missed a huge amount of school. Some years I totaled over 90 recorded absences (roughly half of the total school days in a year). I couldn't stay in a normal high school, so I bounced around a few different alternative schools over the next few years but never stayed in one place for longer than two years because I simply wasn't there often enough. I even tried online correspondence high school for a year in between two of those alternative programs and that was alright, but by the time I was eighteen I had maybe seven or eight high school credits total, well short of the thirty needed to graduate.

So when I was nineteen I wrote the GED. I passed with perfect or near perfect scores in almost every subject area (except math, I only managed a 75% there) which isn't too shabby when the only studying I did was scanning through the study guide fifteen minutes before the test. Based on those GED scores and the strength of my audition to the music program on classical guitar I was accepted as a mature student to a university with a very good reputation. One change of major later, I wound up graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. (Hons.). Then after earning my B.A. I applied and was accepted into a graduate program at the top university in the country. We all know what happens next (my health takes a nosedive and I have to drop out of grad school), but that any of this was in any way even possible was thanks to being able to get my GED. Not having anything to replace it with is a real travesty, and it's closing the door on so many people, but especially the poor, disabled, racialized, and marginalized.

[gumjrop]

The Weather

While not in the US, an article from CBC News in Canada offers a look into the upcoming respiratory illness season. Data from Internal Alberta Health Services shows that patients hospitalized with COVID passed 900 and “roughly doubled” in a month. Accurate data are hard to find, however, as the provincial government changed how COVID statistics are reported. Cameron Westhead, second vice-president with United Nurses of Alberta, commented, “This government likes to talk about personal responsibility and making decisions that are best for yourself and your family. But we don’t have the data to make those kinds of decisions.” In addition, an outbreak in the community has the potential to overwhelm hospital systems again. Isolation requirements, PPE needs, and healthcare worker burnout are all major concerns with COVID patients. Rather than stripping healthcare of the precautions we need to control the ongoing pandemic, we must advocate for more support for healthcare workers, masks in healthcare, and acknowledgment of the severity of COVID infections.

Wastewater

We continue to wait for Verily, the organization taking over the National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) contract from Biobot, to provide a readable Nationwide representation of the current wastewater levels. According to WastewaterSCAN, COVID wastewater concentration is medium nationally, apart from high levels in the Northeast. As of October 16, 2023, the national average of wastewater levels is 216.9 PMMoV Normalized. Regionally, the Midwest is 317.0 PMMoV Normalized, the Northeast is 589.82 PMMoV Normalized, the South is 152.3 PMMoV Normalized, and the West is 164.7 PMMoV Normalized. We emphasize that Wastewater SCAN has fewer wastewater sites represented as compared to Biobot. Combined with some other caveats, including the difficulty of interpreting their plots, we remain skeptical of Wastewater SCAN’s data.

The above graphic shows the overall trend for the United States. The y-axis is a scale for the quantity of nucleic acids, PMMoV Normalized (x1 million). While concentrations have been trending downward–with a possible recent uptick–we urge the importance of layers of protection. As the Northern Hemisphere enters winter and many folks celebrate holidays, please protect yourself and others with masking, distancing, clean air, vaccines, and other layers of protection. For more on layers of protection, refer to this writeup on PeoplesCDC.org.

Vaccines

NPR reports that parents are finding it difficult to find pediatric doses of the new COVID vaccines for their children. The CDC reports that pediatric doses are available, but several factors are limiting their spread. Faulty websites or outdated information from public and private organizations, shipping delays or errors in the number of doses shipped, and issues with public and private insurance all contribute to a lackadaisical approach to public health. Parents are frustrated at the situation and scared for their kids, especially as we enter flu season. We hope that if you haven’t been able to receive an updated 2023-2024 COVID vaccine, you are able to access a dose soon. If you have questions about insurance coverage, visit the KFF information page here. For children covered under state insurance, see information about the Vaccines for Children program. Uninsured adults may receive assistance through the Bridge Access Program. Please note not every pharmacy or clinic participates in this important program.

Long COVID

An article from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) argues that Long COVID studies in children are lacking. Estimates of prevalence of Long COVID in children range from 1% to 70%. Children may have different experiences with Long COVID from adults, as well as having limited vocabulary to describe their symptoms. Poor study design also contributes to artificially low numbers. Hannah Davis, co-founder of the Patient-Led Research Collaborative, suggests that further studies could use a prepandemic cohort or electronic health record data to serve as controls rather than a cohort defined by negative PCR tests, which could contain false negatives. Additionally, more longitudinal studies are needed. The article highlights a huge range of uncertainty reflecting a lack of research. Children with Long COVID deserve recognition, care, and support.

Take Action

Reminder to either submit a written comment or register to give an oral comment to the CDC’s HICPAC meeting on November 2-3, 2023. National Nurses United provided some guidance on talking points one can use during the oral comments. You can submit written comments to HICPAC@CDC.GOV starting November 1, 2023, with the deadline at 11:59 pm on November 6, 2023. To request time for an oral comment during the webcast, submit your request to the oral comment submission form no later than 11:59 p.m., EST, October 23, 2023.  As the CDC is poised to weaken protections for patients and healthcare workers, please sign on with National Nurses United and demand the CDC be transparent. At the link, you can fill out a form to send an email to CDC/HICPAC leaders that emphasizes the need to post the updated guidelines in full for public review, make meetings and comments open to the public, and use a science-based approach to aerosol transmission.

Notes: 1) The numbers in this report were current as of 10/20/2023. 2) Changes in testing access as well as data reporting have led many federal data sources to become less reliable. 3) Wastewater data are being sourced from WastewaterSCAN and no longer from BioBot due to the end of the contract with the CDC. 3) Check out the links throughout & see our website for more!