The idea of Healthcare 101 came from Albertans who wanted to know about the health system and how it works. Alberta patients and families worked together with healthcare providers to bring this information together to help Albertans understand their healthcare system. There are many ways you can help our project such as providing email feedback, focus group, and participating as a volunteer committee member.
Get Involved.
People from the organizations and departments listed below helped support this project along with many volunteers and members of the public.
Co-design is different than just getting feedback or consulting. It is an equal partnership between healthcare providers and citizens affected by or solving problems. One key point of co-design is that users are 'experts' of their own experience.
Healthcare 101 has been co-designed by Albertans for Albertans.
IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health
IMAGINE Citizens Collaborating for Health is about Alberta citizens joining their voices together to improve our healthcare system. And it is our healthcare system; something that’s not reflected in the influence we have on how that system operates. We’re committed to changing that. As a collective voice, citizens can share their knowledge and experiences to help shape our system into one that we can rely on and be truly proud of. Add your voice and IMAGINE the possibilities. IMAGINE is an inclusive and independent group of Alberta citizens. We hope you will connect and join in on the conversation with us, as we work to have a strong positive impact on Alberta’s healthcare system that will deliver the best possible experiences and results for Alberta’s patients and families.
Alberta Health Services (AHS)
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is Canada’s first and largest province wide, fully-integrated health system. AHS is responsible for delivering health services to the over 4 million people living in Alberta, as well as to some residents of Saskatchewan, B.C. and the Northwest Territories.
Alberta's Strategic Clinical Networks™ (SCNs™) – Strategic Clinical Networks™ (SCNs™) bring together people who are passionate and knowledgeable about specific areas of health, challenging them to create innovative ways of providing higher quality healthcare for every Albertan. SCNs involve: patients and families; healthcare professionals; researchers and academic partners; community groups; and policy makers. They are engines of innovation to address system wide and local issues from a patient, family, provider, research and evidence perspective to ensure better quality, better outcomes, better patient and provider experience and better value for taxpayer’s money. The goal is that every Albertan is part of the SCNs.
AHS Engagement and Patient Experience (EPE) – Patient and family members volunteer as partners to provide their perspectives and wisdom in the work of Alberta Health Services in a variety of different areas, including hospital councils and provincial groups such as the Strategic Clinical Networks™ (SCNs™). There are multiple levels of volunteering from providing email feedback, sharing your healthcare story, sitting on focus groups, participating as a committee member, and being actively involved in groups such as SCNs, Advisory Councils, and Patient and Family Advisory Networks to help introduce innovation and service redesign into the system. If you are interested in learning more please contact us by:
MyHealth.Alberta.ca – MyHealth.Alberta.ca is your resource for non–emergency health information. The site was built by the Alberta Government and Alberta Health Services to give Albertans one place to go for health information they can trust. Healthcare experts across the province make sure the information is correct, up to date, and written for people who live in Alberta. MyHealth.Alberta.ca is home to valuable, easy-to-understand health information and tools made for Albertans.
Health Quality Council of Alberta (HQCA)
The Health Quality Council of Alberta gathers and analyzes information, monitors the healthcare system, and collaborates with Alberta Health, Alberta Health Services, health professions, academia, and other stakeholders to translate that knowledge into practical improvements to health service quality and patient safety in the healthcare system.
The Alberta SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Patient Engagement Platform
The Alberta Strategy for Patient Oriented-Research (SPOR) Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit (AbSPORU), Patient Engagement (PE) Platform provides services to patients and researchers to meaningfully engage together in health research. The goal of the PE Platform of AbSPORU is to support a shift in the culture of health research in Alberta to one that is more patient-oriented in Alberta, that values all stakeholders, and that leads to an enhanced health system and improved patient outcomes.
The PE Platform focusses on promoting engagement of patient/public members on research teams, at a range of levels. For more information about the PE Platform and to become engaged in research initiatives, please go to:
Alberta Health Advocates (AHA)
The Office of the Alberta Health Advocates is where you will find information about Alberta’s Health Advocate and Mental Health Patient Advocate. The Advocates provide education about the Alberta Health Charter and patients' rights set out in the Mental Health Act, and connect people with health and mental health services, programs and resources. The Advocates are here to listen to any concerns or complaints about healthcare experiences which may result in an investigation or a referral to the appropriate complaint resolution process.
Ward of the 21st Century (W21C)
W21C is a health systems research and innovation initiative based in the University of Calgary and the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services. W21C serves as a research and beta test-site for prototypical hospital design, novel approaches to healthcare delivery, human factors research, and innovative medical technologies.
Are you interested in collaborating with W21C?
Tell us about your project idea to get started.
Patient and Community Engagement Research (PaCER)
PaCER is a group of patient researchers, trained in qualitative health research, who are creating a new collective research voice with, by, and for patients. PaCERs are citizens with a variety of health conditions who are trained to use their engagement skills to conduct health research. Working in collaboration with medical researchers, health systems, and community organizations, PaCER is committed to finding better, stronger and more creative ways of engaging patients in healthcare. This means building new partnerships and roles for patients.
Integrative Health Institute (IHI)
The Integrative Health Institute (IHI) at the University of Alberta is based on the concept of health in its broadest sense as defined by the World Health Organization: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Integrative Health recognizes both the rigorous and systematic science of conventional medicine and the values and traditions of complementary therapies such as acupuncture, herbs, mindfulness, among many more.
ActionDignity
ActionDignity is a community-based organization that facilitates the collective voice of ethno-cultural communities towards full civic participation and integration through collaborative action. ActionDignity provides a platform for ethno-cultural communities to amplify their voice and provide a diversity lens in shaping policies and systems towards greater social inclusion and equity.
