Dear @Alberta_UCP voters registering in the thousands for the leadership vote, heed my warning: Kicking out @jkenney will not save this province. Replacing him w/@BrianJeanAB will not undo the damage of the last 3yrs.
If you vote UCP again, there will be dire consequences. 1/7
I watched excellent doctors leave in 2020 due to the UCP fight w/doctors. But these were only the docs who were given opportunities to leave & weren't easily tied to this province. The rest of us stayed behind and fought b/c leaving wasn't so simple & we hoped for change 2/7
However, every doctor I've spoken to, from the wealthiest specialist to the part time Family Doc, has said they have discussed/thought of an exit plan from this province if this govt remains in power. We are too demoralized by how the UCP handled this pandemic & we are done 3/7
Nearly every teacher & nurse I cared for as a doctor for the last 2 years is burnt out. I put more on medical leave than I have in my entire career. Don't kid yourself, they're looking for a way out too. They can't imagine another 4 yrs of UCP incompetence either 4/7
You can eliminate one snake, but the rest of the pit is still thriving, and the rest of us are so tired of being bitten over and over. If you thought the Ralph Klein era exodus was bad, I can promise that a UCP & pandemic-driven exodus from #Alberta will be worse 5/7
And it won't just be the docs, teachers, nurses & other publicly paid professions the UCP loves to beat up on. The youth of this province don't want to be here anymore either 6/7
So beware UCP voters. You're not fixing the problem by eliminating JK. If you want to stabilize this province, you need to get rid of this party altogether. Or else, you may witness all those who are the backbone of public service acting on those exit plans they dreamed of 7/7
Let's talk about the hatred towards Trudeau a little bit here. I doubt this Tweet will get much attention but I want to air this frustration I have, particularly with #Albertans over the age of 50 who are triggered into rage everytime you say "Trudeau".
TLDR: Get over it
🧵 1/x
I grew up in a conservative home, surrounded by those who worked in O&G and saw the fall out of the National Energy Program. I have heard the stories over & over of the economic collapse it created in Alberta.
I have been raised with the dogma that Trudeau = Satan
2/x
Justin Trudeau arrived and this man was doomed from Day 1 in Alberta. How many times have I heard "he's a draaammmma teacher 🙄", and yet these same people voted in a Bible college dropout?
3/x
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?
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