Time for H1N1 Leadership. A shared responsibility.
Saturday, October 31, 2009 at 11:51AM We respect our elders, mostly, and that is a good thing. Especially since as a parent, I hope to maintain some semblance of hierarchal order in society. I want the system to hold-up at least long enough until I can get a discount on my breakfast, or free coffee refills at my neighbourhood fast-food restaurant.
So the recent H1N1 vaccine has us turned on our heads a bit. The pandemic, if it is that, is picking up steam and spreading faster than the public is able to consume the information required to help us defend against it. What I mean by that is that I think our FRONTLINE healthcare system is doing an admiral job in spreading information, promoting best practice, and trying to allocate the available vaccine to those at risk.
But there are two segments of the population I think need to take more accountability in managing the hype and panic spreading across our region. Government and Healthcare leadership and those of use who are not considered a great risk for contacting and being harmed by the virus.
The concept of free access to healthcare does not equal the public’s feeling of entitlement to its unmanaged distribution. We must consider that like all complex issues, there needs to be a complex management of said issue. According to the Alberta Health website, these are the people who should be prioritized to receive the vaccination:
- People under 65 with chronic health conditions;
- Pregnant women;
- Children six months to less than five years of age;
- People living in remote and isolated settings or communities;
- Health care workers involved in pandemic response or the delivery of essential health care services; and
- Individuals in households and care providers of persons who cannot be immunized or may not respond to vaccines.
My guess is that there are thousands of Albertans who fall outside of these categories, blocking the effective delivery to the at-risk communities. So if that was the case, then there are three things that should be done immediately to manage the risk.
1) If you are not at risk, get out of the line. We all would have a hard time trying to tell a respected, healthy senior, to get out of a line-up. But they need to be told and I think we underestimate them as practical citizens who understand complex issues. The next point talks to who should be telling them.
2) We need our government and healthcare officials to get in front of the same media that is spreading the hype, and be bold enough to say it as it is. Where are our Premier, MLA’s, Mayors and healthcare management? Now is the time to forget scripted press releases and appear on radio stations, television, newspapers and the social media spaces, imploring low-risk Albertans to stay home and make room for those above mentioned communities. Not in a week, but NOW.
3) Once these two things are done, the third would come easy. That is give our frontline workers the authority to refuse service to those who are clearly not at risk.
If we were all standing on a sinking ship, I hope we would still subscribe to the Women and Children first honour code. Let’s see some of that, knowing what we know about this virus, and get help fastest to those who need it.
Don’t get me started on the political upside available to our Premier if he started to apply his authority on this issue. He is largely accepted as a pragmatic and trusted individual. Now more than ever he should be exerting his reputation to the benefit of his Province. I know that this is not a time for politics, but is it fair to say that it is a time for leadership, and his will be tested in a week?
UPDATE - October 31st, 5:30pm_____________________________________________
Tonight Alberta Health Services announced that they are suspending all H1N1 Clinics until early next week, and upon re-opening will be addressing the needs of the most at risk, including:
- pregnant women,
- children aged six months to five years,
- and those under 55 with chronic health conditions.
iNews880 coverage with Audio of the press release here.
Edmonton Journal coverage here.
So, since it looks like I have gotten my wish, I should recognize that the Government and AHS are at least making the best of a bad situation. There are many great points to be debated, and in particular the lack of planning that went into this in the first place, but I will leave that to the pundits.
If this was a strictly political decision by our Premier Ed Stelmach ater reading this blog post, and assuming that he is in a reflective mood, perhaps Ed can call me and schedule a lunch. I would LOVE to talk with him about Bill 44.
