The province has put legislation in place that requires that all sharps must be safety engineered devices (SED’s) by July 1, 2010. These medical sharps – including hypodermic and subcutaneous infusion products, scalpels, phlebotomy devices, insulin pens and intravenous catheters – are specially designed to minimize the risk of needle stick injuries. They will help protect our members from exposure to life-threatening diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

All the products chosen are being used somewhere in the province now. 80% of AHS sites have been using SED’s already. Though, some former regions have no SED’s in place.  Hypodermics are the one product that will change for just about everyone. Some of our members will have a steeper learning curve than others. AHS has plans in place to help ease employees through the transition. In-service sessions will be held to learn about the products.

Injuries don’t just occur with the original user but can include the patient, cleaning staff and waste disposal staff. Needle stick injuries often occur when employees:

• Dispose of needles
• Administer injections
• Draw blood
• Recap needles
• Handle trash and dirty linens

These products will help ensure the safety of our members. As you learn about the new products and use them please share your experiences. There will be opportunity to give feedback after the new product roll out.

* Submitted by HSAA’s OHS&W Committee

As HSAA’s Communications Officer, one of my most important responsibilities is media relations – to cultivate key sources within the local, provincial and national media.

One of those “key” sources was Calgary Herald Journalist Michelle Lang. As a journalist, Michelle consistently displayed a high level of tenacity and curiosity, attributes that only a select handful of successful journalists boast, and demonstrate, on a daily, story-by-story basis.

Lang seemingly realized the craft of journalism wasn’t always today’s news, something frequently forgotten by members of our electronic media, always anxious to be first out of the gate with a story. Michelle and her editors, however, understood that laying the foundation over the long haul with sources was an investment worth making that often had the greatest impact on the communities they serve.

I spoke with Michelle in early December, prior to her journalistic deployment to Afghanistan, to make plans to meet for lunch in Calgary. AHS’s proposed privatization of Outpatient Pharmacy Services from Calgary Hospitals and numerous other cutbacks, were top of the agenda.

Sadly, Michelle was killed on her Afghanistan media tour with four of our Canadian military personnel last week, when a road-side bomb exploded. Having spent 20 years as a full-time print and electronic journalist, I’m well aware of the inherent risks that journalists frequently face with the hope of “impacting change” within their respective communities.

Today, I would ask each of you to remember Michelle Lang, who kept Mr. Stelmach, Liepert and company on their toes, demanding transparency from a government used to ignoring its constituents.

She will be missed.

Scott Pattison
HSAA Communications Officer