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Global News
18 hours ago
- Health
- Global News
Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining controversial children's pain medicine
Three years after Alberta's government paid $70 million for children's pain and fever medicine, its front-line health provider says it has worked out a deal to off-load what remains of the controversial stockpile. Alberta Health Services spokeswoman Kristi Bland, in a Friday statement, confirmed the medicine is being donated to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada to distribute to 'vulnerable communities worldwide.' 'Preliminary shipments of products have started to leave Alberta, and additional shipments will happen in the coming months,' she wrote. Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, said the group works with others to ship medicine where it is needed, and that donations of medicine could end up in more than one country. In an email, she said some of the Alberta medicine would be sent to war-torn Ukraine. Story continues below advertisement 1:46 Alberta government looks to recoup $80M from children's medicine shipment The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith's government. It struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Alberta paid $70 million to MHCare Medical for the medication in 2022 during a countrywide shortage. The province only received about 30 per cent of the shipment, and it has sat on 1.4 million bottles since the spring of 2023 after front-line health staff reported problems, including that the medicine's thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes. View image in full screen The government of Alberta paid more than $70 million for 1.4 million bottles of children's pain medicine in 2022, during a countrywide shortage, but was forced to stop distributing the medicine when health care workers raised safety concerns. Government of Alberta At an unrelated news conference Friday, Opposition NDP finance critic Court Ellingson said the government 'refuses' to take responsibility for the medicine and has 'no plan' to recoup funds. Story continues below advertisement 'That somebody is able to make use of this Tylenol somewhere, I'm going to say that that is a good thing, but there are so many other challenges there,' he said. '(Smith's government members) need to acknowledge that they were the ones that made these inappropriate decisions, that we're still on the hook for (product) — that we did not get product, and we don't know if that money is coming back.' Smith hinted in March that her government was working on a deal to send scores of the medication elsewhere. At that time, then-health minister Adriana LaGrange called the medications 'good quality drugs' and said it bothered her that they were going unused. The government has said it's still looking to get its money's worth by working with MHCare to import other medications to fulfill the $70-million deal. 0:40 Alberta Health Minister confirms new procurement of children's medicine will be at average retail price MHCare has since became embroiled in a provincial contracting and conflict of interest scandal after the former head of Alberta Health Services filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the province. Story continues below advertisement In the lawsuit, which hasn't been tested in court, Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she was fired for looking into inflated government contracts awarded to private surgical companies. The lawsuit mentions MHCare multiple times, but the company is not named as a defendant. MHCare has said any allegations of wrongdoing on its part are 'unwarranted and unjustified.' The allegations have prompted numerous internal and external investigations, including by the RCMP.
Hamilton Spectator
20 hours ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining batch of controversial children's medicine
EDMONTON - The Alberta government has reached a deal to off-load what remains of its controversial stockpile of unused children's pain and fever medicine. Kristi Bland, with Alberta Health Services, says they are donating the medicine to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada. Bland says shipments have begun and more are expected in the coming months. Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, says they work with partners to ship medicine where it is needed, and confirms some of the Alberta medicine will go to war-torn Ukraine. The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith's government after it struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alberta paid $70 million to a private provider for the medicine but has since sat on 1.4 million bottles after front-line health staff reported problems with it, including how the medicine's thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
20 hours ago
- Health
- CBC
Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining stockpile of controversial children's medicine
The Alberta government has reached a deal to off-load what remains of its controversial stockpile of unused children's pain and fever medicine. Kristi Bland, with Alberta Health Services, says they are donating the medicine to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada. Bland says shipments have begun and more are expected in the coming months. Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, says they work with partners to ship medicine where it is needed, and confirms some of the Alberta medicine will go to war-torn Ukraine. The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith's government after it struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alberta paid $70 million to a private provider for the medicine but has since sat on 1.4 million bottles after front-line health staff reported problems with it, including how the medicine's thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes.
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Alberta strikes deal to off-load remaining batch of controversial children's medicine
EDMONTON – The Alberta government has reached a deal to off-load what remains of its controversial stockpile of unused children's pain and fever medicine. Kristi Bland, with Alberta Health Services, says they are donating the medicine to the charity group Health Partners International of Canada. Bland says shipments have begun and more are expected in the coming months. Jackie Cousins, president of Health Partners, says they work with partners to ship medicine where it is needed, and confirms some of the Alberta medicine will go to war-torn Ukraine. The medication has proven to be problematic for Premier Danielle Smith's government after it struck a deal for the medicine three years ago to fill a gap during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alberta paid $70 million to a private provider for the medicine but has since sat on 1.4 million bottles after front-line health staff reported problems with it, including how the medicine's thicker consistency risked clogging feeding tubes. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
City council approves final design for new hospital in Stillwater
Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines Officer and man injured during domestic incident in St. Cloud, and more local headlines The Stillwater City Council approved final designs and plans for a new HealthPartners Lakeview Hospital on Tuesday. The finalization of plans comes after months of collaboration with community members and city leaders, say a press release from HealthPartners. The new hospital will boast a six-story campus that will span over 400,000 square feet, including 97 patient beds and will be about two times the size of the current campus, says a press release. A spokesperson for HealthPartners says the new site will allow for future expansion of existing services and new specialty care options with the latest technology and with an environmentally-conscious approach to sustainability. "This investment in our community is about two very important things, meeting the needs of the St. Croix Valley and surrounding areas and providing more care options close to home," said the president of Lakeview Hospital Brandi Lunneborg. "We've been providing excellent care in a welcoming environment for 140 years. We look forward to carrying on that tradition as we grow with the community we serve." Officials say they hope to break ground in July.
