The fact that Alberta’s hospital system is flailing isn’t exactly news.
Most of us have heard a “that can’t be true” story from a neighbour, friend or family member.
Stories of ten-hour waits in the emergency room, and sick kids being sent home because there weren’t enough beds.
But nothing drives home the almost comedic–if it wasn’t so horrendous–nature of hospital workers jogging around from patient to patient, quite like celebrities broadcasting it in real-time.
Alberta’s icon Jann Arden is just the latest “big name” to become the unwilling butt of a bad joke in the awful sitcom that is our provincial healthcare system right now.
Walking the Plank of Healthcare
After an accidental fall, while trying to walk a plank wearing virtual reality goggles (which happens to the best of us), the renowned singer and actor hit her head on an unfortunately very real wall, suffering a huge bump and cut that left her in the emergency room.
“I had the goggles on for 30 seconds…smashed my head so f—ing hard against the wall that I need a bunch of stitches,” she said in a series of videos that documented the whole experience.
After waiting with a friend while still bleeding from the headwound for a few hours, Arden was finally led to a room where she hoped to be seen by a doctor.
But apparently, that just wasn’t in the provincial budget this year.
“Because there’s cutbacks in the medical system here in Canada, they’ve asked us to clean our own head,” she said, giggling at the audacity of it all.
“They had Nigel, my friend visiting from the UK, clean my head. They had four towels and a basin filled with warm water and said to him, ‘Do you mind cleaning this out?’” Arden said in the video. “He didn’t know what he was doing.”
Making light of the surreal scenario, Arden joked, “This is the worst Tinder date I’ve ever been on.”
Now, Just Pull Those Staples Out
But the ridiculousness didn’t end there.
The staff member left Nigel, the bewildered British friend, to “do their best” to clean the head wound – which could have easily gotten infected and left Jan in any number of life-threatening states.
Eventually, another nurse rushes through, not to stitch, but quickly staple Arden’s head wound closed, and then, for the real kicker – explains to her how to pull out the staples herself later!
“Two prongs under the bottom, close the scissor and then lift,” the health care worker describes.
Then, the hospital sent Jann on her way with a pair of whatever these things are called (much like Jann, we’re not healthcare professionals) to be used twelve days later to pluck out the staples.
What an absolute trip.
However, Arden didn’t blame the hospital or its workers for the janky overall treatment.
“Healthcare workers are heroes, in my opinion, and they are being let down miserably by the Alberta government,” she said.
“The folks looking after me were amazing even though they were overwhelmed and understaffed.”
A Bigger Problem?
Hospital workers are on the same page as Jann on this one.
A recent press release by the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) also raised concerns about the healthcare system over a potential 10 percent cut to overtime and agency staffing.
“The impact of such an inflammatory policy will be more burn-out and sick time among front-line staff and will undermine efforts to retain and recruit front-line health care employees,” said UNA Labour Relations Director David Harrigan in the press release.
“The reaction of front-line nurses represented by UNA and members of other unions is bound to be extremely harsh.”
Imagine sending patients home to remove staples from a headwound themselves, putting their well-being and your reputation and conscience on the line because the hospital you work for wasn’t being funded enough for you to provide actual treatment.
A “harsh” reaction seems pretty warranted.
To hear all about Jann’s health care adventure listen to her podcast about the episode.
