Op-Ed written by Dr. Sayeh Zielke
ALBERTA – Over the last several years, Alberta's health system has undergone a transformation to ensure that healthcare across the province is better connected, easier to navigate, and centered on the needs of patients. Acute Care Alberta (ACA) was created as part of that shift, with a clear mandate to improve acute care by helping hospitals, urgent care centres, emergency medical services, specialty clinics, cancer care, organ and tissue donation, and other key services work together.
Our province is growing fast. People are getting older, health needs are more complex, and more people need care. Alberta has what it takes to build the highest performing acute care sector in Canada: skilled people, unmatched expertise, and dedication. ACA's job is to help bring those strengths together — improving coordination across the sector, strengthening partnerships between providers, and keeping patients at the center of every decision.
ACA is also setting new, clear standards so that patients can count on consistent, timely, high-quality care no matter where they are in the province. Accountability matters, and we are committed to ensuring each service provider in the province not only understands the expectations but also takes full responsibility for their performance.
With that in mind, here is what Albertans can expect from us going forward.
First, it's important to understand that ACA doesn't deliver care directly. Instead, we are dedicated to overseeing the organizations that deliver acute care in a wide variety of settings across the province. Alberta Health Services, Covenant Health, Lamont Health Care Centre, Emergency Health Services, Cancer Care Alberta, Give Life Alberta, and Chartered Surgical Facilities are all accountable to ACA. No single organization can improve healthcare on its own, so our approach is built on teamwork, trust, and shared goals across the system. We use data to measure performance and work with providers to ensure standards are upheld and, over time, that we see real improvement on key metrics like wait times and patient experience.
We are also preparing our system for anticipated demands, like the upcoming respiratory virus season. Every year, illnesses like RSV and the flu put extra strain on hospitals and emergency rooms. Planning earlier, using real-time information, coordinating capacity 2 across the system and having clear escalation plans before pressures peak will help ACA direct providers to meet demand and continue delivering quality care to all Albertans who need it.
We use facts and evidence to guide our decisions, and we are committed to making changes that patients, families, and front-line care providers can actually feel. Thanks to the work already underway across ACA, we are building momentum, and we intend to keep it going. In the coming months, Albertans can expect to hear more from us on these and other topics.
On a personal note, it is a privilege to take on the role of Interim CEO at ACA. I have spent much of my career caring for patients in Alberta’s acute care system, and I know both the extraordinary work happening every day and the frustrations patients and front line workers experience when the system does not work as well as it should. I accepted this role because I believe we can do better—and because I believe Alberta can lead the country in the quality of care we deliver.
Together, we can build a system that is committed to excellence and drives measurably better outcomes for patients and their families.
That's work worth doing.
Dr. Sayeh Zielke, MD, IMBA, FRCPC, ICD.D
Cardiologist and Interim Chief Executive Officer, Acute Care Alberta
