So millions of $$ has been raised & a cross-Canada truck convoy organized to protest supply shortages that haven't even happened. And yet we are understaffed in hospitals & schools everywhere. Where were these truckers for HCWs & teachers during 5 waves of #COVID19? 1/5
Where were the GoFundMes to raise money for masks & rapid tests for teachers? Where were the truck convoys to support nurses, doctors & HCWs being strained to their limits across the country?
So don't tell me this protest is for the public good or our groceries.
Don't you dare say it's about rights & freedoms
Because if it was, you would have showed up a long time ago
3/5
Nurses, doctors & HCWs have laid down their lives for Canada for the last 2 yrs. We have done nothing but work brutal shifts & long hrs with no respite to save Canadians. We have given everything for COVID. Some of us died.
Why is it important to decriminalize minor drug offenses? Why do I support this #harmreduction discussion that @CityofEdmonton is going to have in only a couple days?
I'm no storyteller like @drdagly and I'm not an expert like @ehyshka.
Aka: this is heavy. Welcome to my job. This is addiction med front lines. Come see what I see.
2/x
It's 2:30pm. I haven't eaten since 8am. I'm tired but we are pushing hard to admit as many as we can. We know the ERs are overloaded w/#COVID. If we can take a few of the patients off their list, maybe it will help just a bit.
@CMOH_Alberta: I didn't think I could reach a point where I would be more angry with you but here we are. By telling everyone to report their positive RATs to their Family Doctor, you have thrown us under the bus medicolegally. I have confirmed with CRA today. Read on
🧵1/10
I just had a patient test positive for COVID on a home RAT. She contacted fed EI and she is eligible for the Covid illness benefit but only if she gets a "medical note from her doctor verifying she has COVID"
So, Dr. Hinshaw & @jkenney, how do I legally prove this? 2/10
Anyone could download a picture of a positive RAT. They are practically memes right now. A photo means nothing. And yet, I'm legally responsible to verify this? If I verify they have covid simply by their self report over the phone, & they are lying, that is fraud
The very public mistake that @CMOH_Alberta made with the 14yr old who passed of cancer, not COVID, earlier this week is not a minor event that she can simply apologize for.
This was a really stupid error, and as someone who works in palliative care, I'll tell you why
🧵👇 1/11
First & foremost: What a horribly public way to disrupt a family's grieving process. I hope they find a way to forgive Dr.Hinshaw & public health, because holding resentment can be toxic to healing, but I wouldn't blame them if they were angry for a long time.
2/11
I have filled many death certificates. They are not easy. But in this pandemic, all MDs in this area of work know how important it is to distinguish causes of death from COVID. See @noelgibney 's excellent examples of how in this article:
Hey Twitter, today was particularly hard with angry, rude & demanding patients with strong anti-vaxx views. I didn't hold it together very well today and snapped at one. I feel very bad but I am giving myself space b/c I know I'm being pushed to my limits everyday.
Please be kind to your doc. We really want the best for you. If we are showing that we are upset, realize you might be pushing us too far. We are human too. Please leave when we say the visit is over, don't keep pushing. It's better to end the convo and come back to it later.
Feel free to post photos of fuzzy animals/pets below. I need a smile after that day. I am going to need to have some serious introspection & self-reflection later about the encounter, but right now, I just need to cool down for the evening so I can think clearly later
"Effective immediately, AHS is postponing non-urgent surgeries and procedures across all zones...AHS will maintain urgent and emergent procedures, as well as prioritized cancer surgeries."
2/x
"In the North Zone, surgical postponements up to 60 per cent are expected next week"
3/x
I've heard lots of people, including the UCP Caucus Chair, say we just need to "let #COVID19AB run its course" and "learn to live with it"
What would that look like? Let me try to make some suggestions as an Albertan doc
Thread 👇🧵 1/x
1. We need field hospitals & field ICUs because currently our hospitals do not have capacity for a 4th wave. Also, we are Alberta, not California, so it needs to be field hospitals that can handle winter. This costs $$ but we know @jkenney hasn't used all his fed funds yet. 2/x
2. We need more nurses, doctors, RTs and other HCWs to staff these hospitals. We can no longer just rely on their good will, they are burnt out. So we are going to need to exponentially increase pay for everyone to work in field hospitals, with better benefits & paid leave 3/x