Royal Alex a safe place.
New master plan for aging hospital site will be ready by next summer
Every day, patients at the Royal Alexandra Hospital receive effective and timely treatment and care from our dedicated staff and physicians.
The Royal Alex is an aging facility, and has some infrastructure challenges. However, it is important that we reassure Albertans — and particularly, those who receive care at the “Alex” — that the hospital is safe.
Hospital-acquired infections are a challenge in all health-care systems all over the world.
There have been claims made recently that patients at the Alex are particularly susceptible to hospital-acquired infections. Our data do not support those claims.
We carefully monitor and track infections in our healthcare facilities, focusing on several that allow us to gauge how we are doing, in turn allowing us to drive prevention efforts to reduce risk.
For example, we track rates of an antibiotic-resistant bacteria called methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
The latest quarterly statistics from July to September 2014 showhospital-acquiredMRSA infection rates at the Royal Alex were 0.6 per 10,000 patient days, compared with the 2013/14 provincial rate of 0.7 per 10,000, and a national benchmark of 1.73 per 10,000. There has been a significant downward trend over the last three years.
Though we have seen success in this and several other areas, the entire Edmonton Zone has been working hard to limit rising rates of Clostridium difficile infections. This bacteria has been troublesome across North America, with increasing rates seen in southern Alberta initially, a trend that has now shifted north.
The increase in the Edmonton area reflects, in part, careful attention to this problem and better laboratory testing, as well as a shift in strain type. Multiple ongoing strategies are underway to limit the number of infections caused by this bacteria.
In terms of the state of the Royal Alex, AHS and the government of Alberta are in the process of developing a master plan for the site, which is expected to be completed by summer 2015.
We are not waiting for that report before making improvements, however. Since 2010, approximately $18.6 million has been, and is currently being, spent on critical infrastructure upgrades at the Royal Alex.
A further $15.3 million has been approved for renovations to existing space at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to create 18 beds for adult mental health and detox patients. And, replacement of the Active Treatment Centre in-patient tower has been identified as a priority project in AHS 2014 Capital Submission.
The Alex remains a safe place to receive care when you need it. Dr. David Mador and Deb Gordon are with Alberta Health Services, Mador as medical director for northern Alberta, and Gordon as chief health operations officer for northern Alberta.