University of Alberta students advocate for Edmonton’s Houseless ICU

Article content

A group of graduate students from the University of Alberta advocated the creation of Edmonton’s first intensive care unit (ICU), tailored specifically to unpopular people.

The proposed facility is designed to provide professional, surround medical services while alleviating stress in the overwhelming emergency department.

A growing crisis

Student Advocates (SAPH) highlighted the horrible state of the Edmonton healthcare system, where 77% of unflirted people rely on emergency services, 8.5 times the average population, with about $7.5 billion in Canadian healthcare system each year. At Royal Alexandra Hospital alone, more than 9,000 cases involving patients without fixed addresses are treated each year, and this number continues to increase.

Article content

“These people often experience disinfection problems, trauma, addiction and mental health challenges such as financial difficulties, stigma and discrimination,” public health student Imrose Bhullar said in a press conference Tuesday.

Bhullar notes that despite Canada’s universal health care system, limited access to primary care has led to EMS calls and hospitalization, exhaustion of resources and burnout among health care workers.

To break this cycle, students presented a 24-7 homeless ICU that integrates health care services with addiction recovery services, mental health support, rehabilitation, counseling and transitional housing.

How the suggested ICU model works

A set of Adfoates also outlines the logistics of the proposed facility, which could serve as an extension of the Royal Alexandra Hospital or within the existing structure, possibly a reshaping of the warehouse to cut costs. The facility will have at least 90 beds and a multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurses, social workers and occupational therapists to meet the complex needs of unwelcome patients.

Article content

Article content

A key innovation in the proposal is to refer to the integration of AI technology as “Joan,” a multilingual AI chatbot that will help patients by guiding patients to intake issues, providing critical information to medical staff before contacting directly, and providing critical information to patients in terms of bed availability and tailor-made services.

The ICU will also introduce a structured admission process to alleviate congestion in EMS and emergency rooms. First, EMS personnel will evaluate whether patients require ICU-level care or hospital admission. Upon arrival, the patient will immediately de-stress and stabilize before obtaining a personalized care plan that may include addiction support or transitional housing solutions.

“This ICU is not only a solution,” said Muskan Kang, a MPH student, “but a system that can care without judgment, rest can happen without fear, and patients can carry a tailored path to recovery.”

The proposed project offers “real, tangible solutions,” said Dr. Louis Francescutti, an emergency physician at the University of Alberta, former president of the Canadian Medical Association and founder of the Bridge Rehabilitation Program.

Article content

“We’ve been treating them so far and it’s not the best thing. What ends up happening is that there are a lot of moral troubles within our staff, especially in the nurses we see a lot of mistakes.”

What brought the idea of ​​this initiative?

The idea comes from discussions in public health courses for Royal Alexandra Hospital A and the doctors’ faculty and members. Throughout the semester, students interact with a variety of stakeholders, including medical professionals and outreach workers, to refine their concepts.

Although the ICU is still in the advocacy stage, students are optimistic about getting financial support.

“Bridge Healing recently received $2 million in funding, and we hope this initiative will gain similar appeal,” Kang said.

The bridge healing model has shown financial viability, reducing the return on every $4 spent on hospital recidivism, SAPH said.

Bryan Kenny, a provincial collective outreach worker in Alberta, advocates for healthier communities and has personal experience with homeless people, and he has expressed support for the initiative.

Article content

“I deal with people every day and they share the experiences they face when they are in the emergency room. They don’t hear, they don’t feel respectful, they don’t get listened to, and they feel they’re not seen in an unintentional way,” he said. “This project, coupled with the rehabilitation of the bridge, will provide them with the help they need to understand their environment.”

Kenny stressed the need to include people with life experience in the development of the project, noting that there are no textbooks that can replicate first-hand understanding.

He said: “Listen to people. Listen to what they want. Don’t think you know what they need. Listen to what they tell you.”

What is the future like?

While details like location and funding are still being identified, students believe the initiative can significantly improve health care outcomes for Edmonton’s unpopular population. By alleviating emergency room strain and providing long-term care solutions, homeless ICUs could be a model for other cities facing similar crises.

Article content

“If we can prove that this works here, maybe other communities will follow,” Kenny said.

Francescutti added that the model has attracted national attention and a doctor in Ottawa wants to replicate it.

“It’s a Pan American issue. Yes, it’s easy to scale, and that’s a fraction of the cost of solving this problem right now,” he said.

He said about 30,000 visits to Canada’s emergency department every year, with the goal of significantly reducing those numbers and reducing future costs.

“Every time you make a chart in an emergency, it’s about $2,000. Every time you have an ambulance, every time you have an ambulance, it’s $800. You start adding those costs, and we’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars,” he said, noting that if we can treat them correctly, what we’re seeing is, what we’re seeing is, these men and women become tax burdens, these men and women become taxpayers. ”

cnguyen@postmedia.com

Article content