Latest news with #GreyNuns
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Alta. measles patients being asked to wait in vehicles to be triaged
Some Alberta measles patients are being asked to wait in their vehicle to be triaged to avoid exposing emergency department patients to the disease. Covenant Health on Thursday confirmed the process is used at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton when it is safe to do so, 'like many other sites in Alberta,' because of an increase in measles patients. 'The triage process will now occur in the ambulance bay rather than waiting for isolation rooms, as it expedites the process and ensures patients receive the care they require depending on presenting symptoms,' communications manager Janet Laurie told CTV News Edmonton in an email. Grey Nuns and other Edmonton hospitals have been the sites of recent measles exposures. Every hospital's screening process is different according to its infrastructure, capacity and resources, and can 'leverage similar operational strategies for patient management as needed,' Laurie said. For example, a smaller site may only have one airborne isolation room in their emergency department. Grey Nuns' ambulance bay has three lanes, so EMS will 'always' have room, she added. Measles is highly transmissible and can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis and death for vulnerable people. Alberta has the most measles cases in North America on a per-capita basis, with 1,230 confirmed cases since March. Experts worry summer events, like the Calgary Stampede and Edmonton's KDays, and travel could push the number higher. 'The good thing about Stampede is the fact that it's outdoors predominantly, so that does help with things like air flow. But when people are crammed together … it really negates that. So it means when they're that close to each other, there's a high risk for transmission, particularly for a virus like measles that thrives in that sort of a close environment,' said Dr. Dale Kalina Samji, infectious disease specialist and a chief medical information officer in Brantford, Ont. 'The most important thing to keep in mind is that if you've had two doses of the measles vaccine, you should be considered safe. There will be some spillover cases, but it's so important to have both of those doses of the vaccine before you attend any event.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa
CBC
09-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Some Alberta hospitals triaging probable measles patients in vehicles
Some Alberta hospitals are triaging probable measles patients in their vehicles, as the province's outbreak continues to grow. Harkening back to the COVID-19 days, patients showing up at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in south Edmonton with measles symptoms are now being triaged in the ambulance bay rather than waiting for isolation rooms. Janet Laurie, a spokesperson for Covenant Health, said in an email that it expedites the process and ensures patients receive the care they need. She added that the process was in place in many other sites in Alberta. Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital, said the triage system being used adds an "extra layer of caution" that also protects other patients in the emergency department. She said the system has been in place for at least the past couple of months, especially in facilities like the Stollery Children's Hospital, where young children cannot be fully vaccinated. Of Edmonton's total 12 measles cases since March, three were detected at the Grey Nuns. "This is of great concern given how contagious measles is and the risk to children under five and patients who are immunocompromised," Laurie said. "An outbreak on a unit would close it down to further admissions and place additional stress on the system." A spokesperson for Alberta Health Services said the process is used at health-care facilities but it is not used often. "It is used as needed and has been in place intermittently since March, so it is not a new measure," said Kristi Bland in an email. "It is not a response to a significant increase in cases, nor does it reflect an unreported or emerging number of cases." 'Dangerous territory' Former Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. James Talbot weighed in as the province's caseload hit 1,246 Wednesday. "It says we're in dangerous territory," said Talbot, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. "What physicians and public health experts have been saying for months now is that the province has been very slow to react to this." "We now have the worst record in North America." Talbot said he is worried growing outbreaks could lead to the country losing its measles-free status. Being stripped of the status achieved in 1998 could have both reputational and economic impacts for Canada, he said. "If the control measures are in place and used properly and properly resourced, we didn't have to get there and we still have the ability to get back to where there aren't any measles," Talbot said. "But the longer it lasts, the more people affected, the more costly it's going to be, the longer it's going to take to get back to zero." Vaccination rates up: province Maddison McKee, press Secretary to Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange, said vaccination efforts are making a difference, including the addition of clinics and extended hours. She said during an ongoing multi-lingual immunization campaign launched in May, Alberta saw immunizations increase by more than 65 per cent compared to the same time last year. "Between March 16 and June 28, more than 75,000 measles vaccines were administered across Alberta—an increase of more than 57 per cent compared with the same period last year. In the South Zone alone, vaccine uptake rose by 126 per cent," McKee wrote. She pointed out that there have been no new cases in Edmonton since March and none that are currently active. Talbot said he wants to see regular updates from Alberta's chief medical officer of health alongside a more robust marketing campaign because of the possibility of exposures over the summer at events like baseball tournaments, summer camps and family gatherings. "That's potential for spread to other provinces," Talbot said. "And then come the fall, we'll see those kids return and go into school. And so then we'll have another wave that we have to worry about."
CBC
25-02-2025
- General
- CBC
St. Boniface Museum, Winnipeg's oldest building, gets funding boost for renovation
A major renovation to Winnipeg's oldest building is getting a nearly $2-million boost from the federal government with hopes the doors to the St. Boniface Museum will reopen by 2026, in time for the 175th anniversary. The museum, which has operated in the former Grey Nuns convent and mission house on Tache Avenue since 1967, closed its doors in June 2024 for the $4-million undertaking. In the meantime, it is running a gift shop and Louis Riel-related exhibit inside the old St. Boniface City Hall at 219 Provencher Blvd. The renovation project involves strengthening the roof structure, upgrading energy systems, including a new HVAC system, restoring windows, replacing damaged exterior finishes, refurbishing the lobby and reception area, resurfacing the floor, and building an accessibility ramp, said a news release from the government of Canada, which has committed $1,916,573 to the work. This is the first major infrastructure project since 1991 at the museum, which is the largest oak log structure in North America. The City of Winnipeg has pledged $300,000 toward the project. The renovation will create "a more functional, welcoming and accessible space for staff and visitors. It will also ensure the ongoing preservation and protection of the museum's extensive collection of historic francophone and Métis artifacts," the news release says. Construction of the building began in 1846 and was completed in 1851, almost two decades before Manitoba became a province. In addition to being a nunnery, the building has also served as an orphanage, a school, a seniors' home and the first location of the St. Boniface Hospital. As a museum, it is home to 30,000 artifacts, many connected to Métis leader Louis Riel, including strands of rope said to have been used in his 1885 hanging and the coffin that carried Riel from Regina to St. Boniface. Although Riel was hanged for treason, he is now recognized as the founder of Manitoba. It also houses the first bell to ring in the Red River settlement, a 100-pound chime that was commissioned by Lord Selkirk and cast by the same foundry in London, England, that cast Big Ben. It is stamped with 1819, the year it was molded and transported across the ocean to be installed in the first mission that would later become St. Boniface Cathedral. The project will create a more functional, welcoming and accessible space for staff and visitors. It will also ensure the ongoing preservation and protection of the museum's extensive collection of historic Francophone and Métis artifacts.
