Latest news with #ChinookRegionalHospital
Global News
10-07-2025
- Global News
Fatal Lethbridge motorcycle crash renews calls for safer driving
On Tuesday afternoon, just before 5 p.m., Lethbridge Police responded to a multi-vehicle collision involving a motorcycle and pickup truck at the intersection of Crowsnest Trail and 30 Street North. Police say a 62-year-old from Lethbridge, Alta., the lone rider on the motorcycle, was seriously injured. The victim was taken to the Chinook Regional Hospital where they were pronounced dead. Officers have not released any information on the condition of the driver or any potential passengers from the pickup truck. According to the Alberta Motorcycle Safety Society (AMSS), this fatal collision marks the ninth of its kind in the province this year. While this is down by two from this time in 2024, Liane Langlois, president of AMSS, says there is a concerning trend appearing. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'What is a little frightening is about the statistics this year is eight out of nine of those have happened within city limits, whether that is Edmonton with the most, Calgary and, of course, Lethbridge,' said Langlois. Story continues below advertisement She says it comes down to cities having more potential hazards, but she says safety is everyone's responsibility. 'For us, we like to make sure that the tips remain mostly consistent between drivers and riders. It doesn't matter how many wheels you have, it's being aware of your surroundings and sharing the road.' While every single loss is a terrible tragedy, Langlois says the AMSS will continue to do their best to create safer roads through education. 'One is too many. Our hearts go out to families who have suffered loss this year and every year before that. All we can do is continue to try and promote proper training, get your proper gear, make sure your motorcycle is sound and ride for yourself.' Riding for oneself, according to Langlois, means not giving into any potential pressures to ride dangerously or outside of your comfort zone. While she pointed out safety tips for motorcyclists, she also says four or more wheel drivers need to pay attention, watch for other vehicles and motorcycles and simply stay safe as well so everyone can make it home at the end of the day. Langlois says education is the start of safer trends in driving for everyone and her podcast, Think Bike, aims to prepare people before hitting the road. As for the collision in Lethbridge, police say the investigation is still ongoing. Investigators are asking anyone with dashcam or video surveillance footage of the scene to contact them.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Lethbridge man's cardiac arrest experience motivation behind golf tournament fundraiser
A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. On April 15, 2020, Amin Iqbal suddenly collapsed outside one of his downtown properties. 'Back when COVID started, some of my properties had gotten broken into, and a week later I had gotten the doors kind of fixed, and then that's when the big event happened,' he said. The then-28-year-old went into cardiac arrest outside that property. He says two men that were near him at the time called 911, and paramedics rushed him to the Chinook Regional Hospital (CRH). 'An embolism from one of my lungs broke off and went to my brain, and as soon as we entered into the emergency, that's kind of when I flatlined,' said Iqbal. 'I went out with a total of four minutes—a little bit more, actually, than four minutes—without a heartbeat.' Iqbal says he was placed into an induced coma for several days before beginning the recovery process. A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. He spent time in the emergency room, intensive care unit and unit 4B at the hospital throughout his two weeks there. 'I couldn't have asked for a better support staff,' he said. 'I still remember my nurses in ICU; they were caring, compassionate—it's just stuck with me to this day.' He began to brainstorm ways to give back to the community. That's when he picked up the game of golf. Iqbal is organizing the first-ever Chinook Charity Open golf tournament to raise money for a cardiac care centre in the city. A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. A Lethbridge man who experienced a cardiac arrest five years ago is turning the life-changing event into a fundraiser for the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation. 'We don't realize how important something like this, especially like a cardiac department, is in Lethbridge until it impacts somebody we're close to or ourselves,' said Iqbal. About 100 golfers will tee off on Saturday afternoon at Henderson Lake Golf Club, hoping to raise $25,000 toward the CRH Foundation's Bringing Hearts Home campaign. 'These funds are forwarded on to some of the greatest needs for health care in our region,' said Oliver Twizell, director of development with the CRH Foundation. The Bringing Hearts Home campaign is aiming to raise $30 million in 30 months to build a cardiac care centre in Lethbridge to serve all of southern Alberta. The tournament follows the closing of the foundation's Val Matteotti Italian Open last year, which raised nearly $2 million in its 30-year history. 'Those acts of generosity really do make the difference between life and death or better health care for the community, so what the community gives, they get back,' said Twizell. While it's the first year for the tournament, Iqbal hopes to make it an annual event—even after the cardiac care centre is built. He says it's his way of giving back to the community that saved his life. 'I like to think of myself as a healthy individual—I used to be in the fitness industry prior to the event,' he said. 'When this happened, it came as a shock not only to me but my family and friends. Nobody expected a healthy individual to go through something like this. 'It was kind of an eye-opener for a lot of people close to me that if this can happen to Amin, this could potentially happen to us or somebody else we love.' Registration for the tournament is still open, but spots are limited. More information can be found at
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Temporary closures at Fort Macleod emergency department this weekend
The Fort Macleod emergency department will see temporary closures this weekend. The Fort Macleod emergency department will see temporary closures this weekend. Starting Friday, the emergency department will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The emergency department will be open overnight. The closures are due to an unexpected staffing shortage. EMS will be rerouted to Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge while the Fort Macleod emergency department is closed. The emergency department will return to 24-hour service on Monday.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Chinook Regional Hospital hospital receives $500K for cardiac care centre
A Lethbridge couple gave $500,000 to the Chinook Regional Hospital to help build a cardiac care centre, as a part of the Bringing Hearts Home campaign. A local couple has made a big donation to the Chinook Regional Hospital. John and Laura Getkate gave $500,000 to help build a cardiac care centre in Lethbridge, as part of the Bringing Hearts Home campaign. The goal is to raise $30 million to help build the cardiac care centre. It's a personal cause for the Getkates. In 2014, Laura began suffering from cardiac issues. She eventually recovered, but she frequently had to travel to Calgary for treatments not available in Lethbridge. The Getkates hope families in the future won't have t go through what they did. 'We're happy to give back—we're very grateful patients and happy to give back,' Laura said. 'We just felt we needed to be a part of it, and we're so happy to be contributing to it today,' John said. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in southern Alberta. The region has a 26.6 per cent higher cardiac mortality rate than the provincial average.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Lethbridge doctors worry about patient safety as ER staffing shortage drags on
Emergency room doctors in Lethbridge are warning that ongoing staffing shortages could make growing wait times even longer. An open letter signed by 16 physician s says the Chinook Regional Hospital has struggled to recruit emergency department physicians and wait times are ballooning as a result. This isn't the first time the public has been alerted about the issue. Last summer, Alberta Health Services issued a notice about the shortage and warned people to expect longer wait times at the southern Alberta facility. "We feel a little bit like we're hanging on by the skin of our teeth some days," Dr. Sean Wilde, an ER doctor who signed the letter, said in an interview with CBC News. "We just want people to be aware that this is a problem that has not yet been solved." According to Wilde, the ER needs at least seven physicians working during a 24 hour period. They're often down to six and are facing periods over the summer where they could be running their ER with only five physicians, he said. "If you look back a few years it was fairly uncommon to have to wait more than four hours in our department to be seen. But there's quite a few days now where we're seeing waits get to six, seven, eight — even nine hours — to be seen," said Wilde. The doctors caution those waits will likely get longer in the coming months. "There are cases we're aware of where people probably did a lot worst than they would have if we'd seen them earlier. We're pretty sure that's the case. The waits have definitely contributed to patient harm in the last year." The sickest patients — including those suffering from a heart attack or stroke — will still be seen right away, said Wilde. But people with problems such as appendicitis, intestinal blockages or those developing a serious infection may end up waiting longer. "They're often not that sick when they first get here but over the time they're going to get worse. And those are the ones we worry about the most," said Wilde. According to Wilde the hospital has lost physicians to retirement and others have left to work in other provinces over the last few years. At the same time, he said, it's been increasingly difficult to recruit new physicians. "This is part of a larger, nationwide shortage of doctors and a decline in the number of physicians choosing to practice in Alberta. This decline is related to ongoing political instability and the steady loss of the previous Alberta financial advantage," the letter states. According to Wilde, the Lethbridge ER has grown dependent on locum physicians who fill in on a temporary basis. "Many [doctors] are choosing to go to larger cities which are now recruiting more aggressively than they did in the past," said Wilde. Some physicians who remain are reducing their hours because of burnout, he added. AHS working to recruit seven doctors In a written statement, Alberta Health Services said it recognizes many physicians are facing pressures in the delivery of health services. According to AHS, Chinook Regional Hospital has 17 emergency medicine physicians and it is working to recruit seven more. "Two new physicians were hired in 2024, and three additional candidates have recently been interviewed and are in the midst of the recruitment process," a spokesperson said in an email. "Despite these ongoing efforts and locum coverage, the emergency department continues to experience shortages." According to AHS, patients at the hospital continue to be prioritized for care based on the severity of their medical condition. "However, those with less acute issues may experience longer-than-usual wait times, despite the hospital traditionally having some of the shortest wait times in Alberta," the email said. "AHS remains committed to supporting recruitment and retention efforts — including in Lethbridge — to ensure patients and families have access to high-quality care." Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, said there are similar concerns across the province. "Emergency room closures are already happening more and more as we head in to the summer," he said pointing to recent closures in communities such as Fort MacLeod. Gallaway is calling for a health care workforce plan to address Alberta's ongoing recruitment issues. "We need a plan that actually maps out who we have, looks at retention, looks at recruitment, connects it to training and actually provides the health care Albertans need," he said. "We haven't seen that kind of approach. And we're seeing that play out in Lethbridge where they're struggling to recruit and keep their facility fully operating." Last year the province said it was working to update a 2023 work force strategy, in response to similar calls from the Alberta Medical Association. Meanwhile, an official with the new Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services said in an email that the overall number of physicians registered in Alberta increased by 4.2 per cent in the first three months of 2025 over the same period last year. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta's latest quarterly report shows the number of fully registered physicians (including those fully certified and those approved to work conditionally who may be waiting for paperwork or work experience) increased by 491 — to 12,123 from 11,632 — during the referenced time period. However, that total dropped by 89 physicians in the first three months of this year compared to the final quarter of 2024 when 12,212 were registered.
