Coffee w/MLA Justin Wright - Health Care Discussion - Answer Rec’d

I Asked About the Leaked UCP Plan to Transfer Underperforming Hospitals From AHS to Other Providers
(Such as Covenant Health)

I asked Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Justin Wright 

What was he going to do to make sure that Covenant Health will allow women and MAID applicants to be able access services in Covenant facilities? Covenant is a Catholic operation and will not allow abortions or MAID on their properties.

Wright said MAID is a federally mandated program; if Covenant doesn't offer it, there’s other providers that will.

I was a little shocked. I related my late husband’s story, how at the end of his life he was incapable of walking by himself, that I had to care for him. I told Wright that it would be cruel to ask someone at death’s door to move to another facility to access MAID.

Wright said He wanted to send a request to the minister so he could get me the specific information.

Wright said “it would be wildly inappropriate (for him) to speak for a minister … Given the scope and scale of these specific topics, it would be rather inappropriate for me to speculate.”

I told him that abortion is healthcare, already women have to travel to Calgary to get an abortion as we do not have the staff here.

Constituency Manager Terianne Bowyer said ”There has been nothing in caucus on this (removing hospitals from AHS), everything in the news has come from that town hall.”

I told them I was on the board of the Palliser Friends of Medicare and that this has been a concern for a long time. Covenant Health is a religious organization and it imposes their religious values onto the patients.  (Friends of Medicare) believe that healthcare and religion should be completely separate. If you go into any hospital, you should get the same health care as you would anyplace else.

I revived an answer from Justin Wright

Greetings Kelly,

One of the questions you ask me on Aug 28th,during the coffee open house, and that I replied I would ask the Ministry of Health was regarding Covenant Health and abortion and MAID access.  Based on the information I received from them, here is an answer.

 Alberta's government is committed to improving health care delivery across the province, with a focus on providing better acute care services, especially in rural and remote communities. We recognize the challenges faced by our health care system, particularly regarding temporary or long-lasting closures of emergency departments, and we are actively working with Alberta Health Services to develop strategies to address these issues.

 Our goal is to support and empower our frontline health care workers, enabling them to continue providing excellent care to Albertans when and where they need it. As part of our efforts to refocus Alberta's health care system, we are planning to transition Alberta Health Services, over time, to focus primarily on delivering acute care services. Both Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health will continue to play key roles in health care service delivery, providing acute care to Albertans.

Covenant Health is a vital strategic partner in our integrated public health system, operating 17 facilities across the province. We are committed to maintaining key health partnerships to ensure Albertans receive the health care they need. We continuously evaluate our partnerships to ensure we have the right partners delivering these essential services.

 Regarding specific services such as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) and women's health services, it's important to note that while certain facilities may not offer particular services due to their organizational principles, Alberta's government is not considering any changes that would limit access to women's health services. We are committed to ensuring that Albertans have access to the full range of health services they require within our publicly funded health care system.

 Our focus remains on meeting the health care needs of Albertans while continuously improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our health care system. This approach is about ensuring we have the right partners delivering services, and we will continue to evaluate this on an ongoing basis to best serve the needs of all Albertans.

Why This Matters

Scary Times Ahead if Covenant Health Is Allowed to Deny Care Because of Conscience Rules

“Health care professionals are under no obligation to provide treatment that will not accomplish the goal for which it is intended, that is in conflict with Catholic moral teaching, or that would violate the health worker’s conscience.” Source - Ethics Guide, page 63

Covenant Health does not allow

• MAID - Covenant Health will now allow patients to have a MAID consult on site but previously they forced dying people to leave the property even to have their consults. A man had to leave the Covenant Health facility he had been in for two years to access assisted dying.
  
  MAID providers allow the patient to set the date and time but they can still change their mind at the last minute, they can say no, not today.
  
  Covenant Health forces the patients to be transferred out of their care which makes it difficult for patients to come back if they change their mind on dying that day. 
  
  “Covenant Health recognizes and abides by all legislative requirements and regulatory standards governing access to medical assistance in dying elsewhere, while reciprocally, fully expecting others to respect Covenant Health’s institutional integrity as a Catholic health care organization and the conscience rights of its personnel to not provide or directly refer explicitly for same.” source - Covenant Health policy on medical assistance in dying (MAID)
  
  

• Abortions - are only permitted if it is necessary to save the life of the mother

• Birth control

• Sterilizations (unless there is an underlying pathology), 

• In vitro fertilizations

• Surrogacy

• Gender reassignment

In the case of a sexual assault, the victim must first take a test to make sure conception has not occurred before Covenant will only allow medications to prevent preganancy, they will not allow a sexual assault victim to take an abortifact. (pg 38-39 of Ethics Guide)

 Not everybody reports their sexual assault right away. If a victim is impregnated by this violent act, Covenant Health would force childbirth on an already traumatized person.

If Religious Health Care Facilities Receive Public Monies, They Must Provide All Services

MAID patients must not be forced to leave a facility to access assisted dying, it is cruel and inhumane to do so.

Sexual assault victims should not be prevented from accessing any medications they deem necessary including abortifacts.
This is not the Handmaid’s Tale; Forced Birth is not good health care.