Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley said childbirth should be an exciting time for families. But when the new babies’ lives are at risk, Notley said it can be terrifying. “Yesterday, healthcare workers in Edmonton’s NICUs (neonatal intensive care units) issued a dire warning,” said Notley in a Wednesday speech during Question Period in the Alberta Legislature. “Families might not be able to rely on neonatal care in this city when their brand new babies most need it.” Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said she was unaware of the problem. However, healthcare workers claimed LaGrange had been warned at least three times. Notley asked if Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was satisfied with LaGrange’s response and if Albertans should be. Smith responded by saying she recognizes the letter was alarming, which is why LaGrange directed Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services to look into the concerns and report back. “And we are relieved to have learned there is still capacity within our NICUs,” said Smith. “As of noon yesterday April 16, there were nine NICU beds available in Edmonton Zone, 14 in Calgary Zone, seven in Red Deer, seven in South Zone, and three in Grande Prairie.” Should capacity become limited, she said it will “take action to make sure these infants are cared for.” Notley called telling healthcare workers their concerns are invalid “absolutely not the right answer.” “And yesterday the minister’s answer was don’t worry, if we have to we can send these tiny babies away from their families and out of the province,” she said. “In a province as rich as ours, NICU families should not be shipped away from the support networks they need.” If NICU babies are shipped away from their families, she said the consequences can be devastating. She questioned if Smith will not gaslight healthcare workers and admit LaGrange has failed on neonatal care. While babies could be shipped away, Smith said the last time it happened was in 2017 when the Alberta NDP was in power. “And we have the ability to take care of our NICU most vulnerable infants with the capacity I had mentioned,” she said. “We always have instances where because of a complicated birth, because of an illness, the capacity is going to be needed because that is sadly one of the realities we have.” She praised healthcare workers for providing great care to these babies. Although Smith praised these healthcare workers, Notley said they warned her about the crisis in 2022, 2023, and February. “Their response was slowwalk and then cancel the new Edmonton hospital, including what would have been 20 new NICU beds,” she said. The Alberta government has picked fights with healthcare workers and blew up the healthcare system while denying a problem exists. Doctors have said babies are at risk because of these measures. She demanded Smith try to make the situation better. By prioritizing a standalone Stollery Children’s Hospital, Smith said it will provide focused care for young people. “Right now, the Stollery, which is a world-class operation, is spread out over four different facilities,” she said. Once these facilities are consolidated into a single space, she acknowledged they will free up more hospital beds and allow resources to be focused in one place to deliver better care. While the NDP could have built up the Stollery, she pointed out it did not. Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association President Dr. Mona Gill and neonatologist Dr. Amber Reichert said on Tuesday vulnerable babies are at risk because of the healthcare crisis. READ MORE: UPDATED: Edmonton healthcare group says babies could die over lack of resourcesGill and Reichert said the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in Alberta are in crisis. A safe capacity for NICUs is 80% to 85% occupancy to allow for emergencies. “However, the Edmonton units have been frequently working at 95% to 102% capacity (30% of the time in the first three months of 2024); practically, this puts babies at risk,” said Gill and Reichert.
