Latest news with #CovenantHealth
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Some Alberta hospitals triaging probable measles patients in vehicles
Some Alberta hospitals are triaging probable measles patients in their vehicles, as the province's outbreak continues to grow. Harkening back to the COVID-19 days, patients showing up at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in south Edmonton with measles symptoms are now being triaged in the ambulance bay rather than waiting for isolation rooms. Janet Laurie, a spokesperson for Covenant Health, said in an email that it expedites the process and ensures patients receive the care they need. She added that the process was in place in many other sites in Alberta. Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital, said the triage system being used adds an "extra layer of caution" that also protects other patients in the emergency department. She said the system has been in place for at least the past couple of months, especially in facilities like the Stollery Children's Hospital, where young children cannot be fully vaccinated. Of Edmonton's total 12 measles cases since March, three were detected at the Grey Nuns. "This is of great concern given how contagious measles is and the risk to children under five and patients who are immunocompromised," Laurie said. "An outbreak on a unit would close it down to further admissions and place additional stress on the system." A spokesperson for Alberta Health Services said the process is used at health-care facilities but it is not used often. "It is used as needed and has been in place intermittently since March, so it is not a new measure," said Kristi Bland in an email. "It is not a response to a significant increase in cases, nor does it reflect an unreported or emerging number of cases." Former Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. James Talbot weighed in as the province's caseload hit 1,246 Wednesday. "It says we're in dangerous territory," said Talbot, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. "What physicians and public health experts have been saying for months now is that the province has been very slow to react to this." "We now have the worst record in North America." Talbot said he is worried growing outbreaks could lead to the country losing its measles-free status. Being stripped of the status achieved in 1998 could have both reputational and economic impacts for Canada, he said. "If the control measures are in place and used properly and properly resourced, we didn't have to get there and we still have the ability to get back to where there aren't any measles," Talbot said. "But the longer it lasts, the more people affected, the more costly it's going to be, the longer it's going to take to get back to zero." Vaccination rates up: province Maddison McKee, press Secretary to Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange, said vaccination efforts are making a difference, including the addition of clinics and extended hours. She said during an ongoing multi-lingual immunization campaign launched in May, Alberta saw immunizations increase by more than 65 per cent compared to the same time last year. "Between March 16 and June 28, more than 75,000 measles vaccines were administered across Alberta—an increase of more than 57 per cent compared with the same period last year. In the South Zone alone, vaccine uptake rose by 126 per cent," McKee wrote. She pointed out that there have been no new cases in Edmonton since March and none that are currently active. Talbot said he wants to see regular updates from Alberta's chief medical officer of health alongside a more robust marketing campaign because of the possibility of exposures over the summer at events like baseball tournaments, summer camps and family gatherings. "That's potential for spread to other provinces," Talbot said. "And then come the fall, we'll see those kids return and go into school. And so then we'll have another wave that we have to worry about."
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Alta. measles patients being asked to wait in vehicles to be triaged
Some Alberta measles patients are being asked to wait in their vehicle to be triaged to avoid exposing emergency department patients to the disease. Covenant Health on Thursday confirmed the process is used at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton when it is safe to do so, 'like many other sites in Alberta,' because of an increase in measles patients. 'The triage process will now occur in the ambulance bay rather than waiting for isolation rooms, as it expedites the process and ensures patients receive the care they require depending on presenting symptoms,' communications manager Janet Laurie told CTV News Edmonton in an email. Grey Nuns and other Edmonton hospitals have been the sites of recent measles exposures. Every hospital's screening process is different according to its infrastructure, capacity and resources, and can 'leverage similar operational strategies for patient management as needed,' Laurie said. For example, a smaller site may only have one airborne isolation room in their emergency department. Grey Nuns' ambulance bay has three lanes, so EMS will 'always' have room, she added. Measles is highly transmissible and can lead to pneumonia, encephalitis and death for vulnerable people. Alberta has the most measles cases in North America on a per-capita basis, with 1,230 confirmed cases since March. Experts worry summer events, like the Calgary Stampede and Edmonton's KDays, and travel could push the number higher. 'The good thing about Stampede is the fact that it's outdoors predominantly, so that does help with things like air flow. But when people are crammed together … it really negates that. So it means when they're that close to each other, there's a high risk for transmission, particularly for a virus like measles that thrives in that sort of a close environment,' said Dr. Dale Kalina Samji, infectious disease specialist and a chief medical information officer in Brantford, Ont. 'The most important thing to keep in mind is that if you've had two doses of the measles vaccine, you should be considered safe. There will be some spillover cases, but it's so important to have both of those doses of the vaccine before you attend any event.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nicole Lampa
CBC
09-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Some Alberta hospitals triaging probable measles patients in vehicles
Some Alberta hospitals are triaging probable measles patients in their vehicles, as the province's outbreak continues to grow. Harkening back to the COVID-19 days, patients showing up at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in south Edmonton with measles symptoms are now being triaged in the ambulance bay rather than waiting for isolation rooms. Janet Laurie, a spokesperson for Covenant Health, said in an email that it expedites the process and ensures patients receive the care they need. She added that the process was in place in many other sites in Alberta. Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital, said the triage system being used adds an "extra layer of caution" that also protects other patients in the emergency department. She said the system has been in place for at least the past couple of months, especially in facilities like the Stollery Children's Hospital, where young children cannot be fully vaccinated. Of Edmonton's total 12 measles cases since March, three were detected at the Grey Nuns. "This is of great concern given how contagious measles is and the risk to children under five and patients who are immunocompromised," Laurie said. "An outbreak on a unit would close it down to further admissions and place additional stress on the system." A spokesperson for Alberta Health Services said the process is used at health-care facilities but it is not used often. "It is used as needed and has been in place intermittently since March, so it is not a new measure," said Kristi Bland in an email. "It is not a response to a significant increase in cases, nor does it reflect an unreported or emerging number of cases." 'Dangerous territory' Former Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. James Talbot weighed in as the province's caseload hit 1,246 Wednesday. "It says we're in dangerous territory," said Talbot, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. "What physicians and public health experts have been saying for months now is that the province has been very slow to react to this." "We now have the worst record in North America." Talbot said he is worried growing outbreaks could lead to the country losing its measles-free status. Being stripped of the status achieved in 1998 could have both reputational and economic impacts for Canada, he said. "If the control measures are in place and used properly and properly resourced, we didn't have to get there and we still have the ability to get back to where there aren't any measles," Talbot said. "But the longer it lasts, the more people affected, the more costly it's going to be, the longer it's going to take to get back to zero." Vaccination rates up: province Maddison McKee, press Secretary to Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange, said vaccination efforts are making a difference, including the addition of clinics and extended hours. She said during an ongoing multi-lingual immunization campaign launched in May, Alberta saw immunizations increase by more than 65 per cent compared to the same time last year. "Between March 16 and June 28, more than 75,000 measles vaccines were administered across Alberta—an increase of more than 57 per cent compared with the same period last year. In the South Zone alone, vaccine uptake rose by 126 per cent," McKee wrote. She pointed out that there have been no new cases in Edmonton since March and none that are currently active. Talbot said he wants to see regular updates from Alberta's chief medical officer of health alongside a more robust marketing campaign because of the possibility of exposures over the summer at events like baseball tournaments, summer camps and family gatherings. "That's potential for spread to other provinces," Talbot said. "And then come the fall, we'll see those kids return and go into school. And so then we'll have another wave that we have to worry about."
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
New Mexico man arrested in deadly shooting stemming from domestic violence
HOBBS, N.M. -- Police arrested a 44-year-old man accused of shooting and killing a 42-year-old man who officials said intervened in a July 2 domestic violence situation. Leroy Smith was booked July 3 into the Hobbs Detention Center on a count of murder in connection with the shooting death of Cruz Aguirre. Smith's arrest stems from a Hobbs police investigation that began after officers responded to Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, where Aguirre was taken for a gunshot wound and later died, according to a Hobbs police news release. Investigators spoke with witnesses who reportedly said Smith and a 33-year-old woman were fighting near the 1000 block of West Roxana and Aguirre attempted to intervene. However, Smith reportedly drew a firearm and shot Aguirre, the release states. Witnesses said Smith forced the woman into a blue 2023 Nissan Rogue and drove away. The next day, officers learned a license plate reader caught Smith's vehicle entering an intersection and officers caught him in the area and arrested him without incident, the release states. Meanwhile, police officials are asking anyone with information about the case to call 575-397-9265 or 575-393-8005. This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Hobbs man arrested in deadly shooting stemming from domestic violence
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bangor man sues hospital, Covenant Health over data breach
Jun. 11—A Bangor man has filed a class-action lawsuit against St. Joseph Hospital and its owner, Covenant Health, over a recent data breach he says compromised confidential patient information. In a complaint filed Monday in Penobscot County Superior Court, Michael McClain says he is suing on behalf of himself and others whose sensitive private information was impacted by a data breach in May. Covenant Health — the nonprofit owner of St. Joseph Hospital, St. Mary's Health System, St. Andre Health Care in Biddeford, and nursing homes in Lewiston and Bangor — disconnected from all of its hospitals' data systems on May 26 because of a "cyber incident" that it said was initiated by an outside group. A spokesperson for Covenant said shortly after the incident that the Catholic organization was working with outside parties to determine what happened and to get its computer systems restored. The lawsuit says Covenant and St. Joseph failed to properly secure private information that was entrusted to them. Because of the breach, access to documents systems, online patient portals and patient services were disrupted, according to the lawsuit. "Unexpected connectivity issues linked to a cyberattack on hospitals and medical facilities serves as a strong indicator that private information stored on the breaching entity's IT network was likely compromised because of the cyberattack," the complaint says. Karen Sullivan, a spokesperson for Covenant, said Wednesday that the organization is aware of the filing but does not comment on pending litigation. The lawsuit alleges that Covenant failed to implement and maintain reasonable network safeguards against threats, maintain data retention policies, train staff on data security and comply with industry-standard data security practices. It also says Covenant did not warn patients about its inadequate data security practices or encrypt private information, and that the organization failed to recognize that its networks had been compromised. The lawsuit says the plaintiff's and class members' identities are at risk because of Covenant's "negligent conduct" and is "now in the hands of data thieves." "As a result of the data breach, plaintiff and class members are now at a current, imminent, and ongoing risk of fraud and identity theft. Plaintiff and class members must now and for years into the future closely monitor their medical and financial accounts to guard against identity theft," the lawsuit reads. The lawsuit claims that impacted patients have incurred financial costs to mitigate the risk of identity theft, have experienced delays in experiencing medical care, and are at a continued risk for further breaches as long as Covenant fails to undertake adequate steps to protect private information. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages, reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs and injunctive relief, including improvements to the system's data security systems, annual audits and long-term credit monitoring. A jury trial has been requested. The plaintiffs are being represented by Portland law firm Murray, Plumb & Murray. A reporter's calls and emails seeking comment Wednesday afternoon were not returned. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
