Adult Mental Health Service

Offers psychotherapy for adults, 18 years of age and old, with mental health problems, who are appropriate for 8 to 12 sessions.  Services include:

• one-to-one therapy
• couples therapy
• family therapy

Cardiology - Electrocardiogram Services

Provides ECGs to diagnose possible heart conditions. Cardiologists and the Internal Medicine department reviews the results and sends a report to the referring / ordering doctor.

Child and Adolescent Addiction and Mental Health Community Clinics

The service offers a wide range of psychosocial assessment and treatment services to children 5 to 18 years with moderate to severe mental health issues, and their families.

Services include individual, family, and group therapy in a community clinic setting.

Community Accessible Rehabilitation (CAR) - Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation

Treatment offered for musculoskeletal conditions that may include:

• hand and upper extremity injuries
• multiple trauma
• amputation
• certain rheumatology diagnoses
• complex joint arthroplasty

Community Accessible Rehabilitation (CAR) - Neurological Rehabilitation

Short term rehabilitation program for adults who recently experienced a neurological event and who benefit from an active rehabilitation program with a focus on self-management skills and community reintegration.

Community Accessible Rehabilitation (CAR) - Pulmonary Rehabilitation

This program provides service to adults with chronic lung disease who want to increase strength, endurance and self-management skills.

Community Geriatric Mental Health Service

Services provided may include:

• assessment, treatment and follow-up
• caregiver support
• one-to-one and group treatment for seniors with mental health concerns (e.g. anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders)
• clinic and in-home service
• education for the client, caregiver, and community partners 

The family doctor and other caregivers are involved in the assessment and treatment plan.

This service does not offer crisis intervention.

Community Health Centres

Community Health Centres provide a wide range of health services, which may include:

• Antenatal Community Prenatal Program (ACCP)
• Best Beginning
• Postpartum Services
• Early Start Parent Information Line 
• School Health Program
• Well Child Services

Community Pediatric Asthma Service

Certified Respiratory Educators:

• teach children and their families about asthma in their doctor’s office or in a community clinic. Children over 6 years of age will also have a breathing test (simple spirometry). 
• available to make group presentations by request. 

For more information, visit I Can Control Asthma

Diabetes Centre Calgary - Endocrinology & Metabolism Program

This service may provide:

• diabetes education / counselling in a classroom setting and on one-to-one appointments with nurses, dietitians, or a pharmacist (topics include an overview of the disease, complications, medications, exercise, and nutrition)
• medication adjustment
• insulin pump therapy (approved site for the Provincial Pump Therapy Program  

Diagnostic Imaging Services

The types of tests provided in Diagnostic Imaging are included below.

Please click on the test you require to see the locations that are being offered:

• Computed Tomography (CT scans)
• General Radiography (X-ray)
• Interventional Radiography/Angiography
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Mammography (Mammograms)
• Nuclear Medicine
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET, PET/CT)
• Ultrasound
• Echocardiography
• Fluoroscopy

Fluoride Protection for Toddlers

Children only need to have a few teeth to start getting fluoride. Applications are given 4 times, once every 6 months. For eligibility information visit our website.

At the appointment:

• The child sits on their parent's lap while staff apply fluoride on the child's teeth using a brush, which takes less than a minute.
• The child can eat and drink right after the treatment.
• The fluoride sticks to the teeth and protects them. It slowly wears off when the teeth are brushed.

If the child has asthma, bring his or her asthma reliever medicine to the appointment.
This provincial prevention service is available in all AHS (Alberta Health Services) zones.

Geriatric Consult Team

The Geriatric Consult Team sees clients with limitations in their homes in community. Homebound clients with physical, mental health and or social resources, needing timely medical care.

Health Information - Access and Disclosure

In accordance with Alberta’s Health Information Act, this is a service which enables the release of individually identifiable health information with or without the consent of an individual.

Health Information / Records Management

Provides patients with information from their health records

Completes patient charts, collects data, data entry and coding, collects patient information, dictates notes, and transcribes inpatient and outpatient charts.

Hemodialysis - Southern Alberta Renal Program

Provides hemodialysis treatments (a process where the client's blood is passed through a special filter that removes waste products and water).

Most people need 3 treatments every week. Each treatment lasts 4 hours.

Immunization - Adult and Seniors Services

This service provides routine immunization for adults and seniors. Suggested immunizations;

• a booster dose of tetanus / diphtheria vaccine every 10 years
• an adult booster dose of pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, often combined with one of the tetanus / diphtheria boosters (dTap)
• annual influenza vaccine - for all Albertans 6 months of age and older
• pneumococcal vaccine - for all adults 65 years of age and older and adults with certain health problems

To find out which vaccines are recommended for you and to book an appointment for immunization, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, you can call Health Link at 811.  Bring any immunization records you have to the appointment, especially if you were immunized in another province or country.

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca or call Health Link.

Immunization - Infant and Preschool Services

Alberta Health Services provides routine immunization for infants and children across Alberta. Immunizations are free of charge for infants and children who live in Alberta.

Immunizations are recommended for infants starting at 2 months of age. Routinely recommended vaccines include: diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), tetanus, polio, Haemophilus influenza type b, rotavirus, meningococcal, pneumococcal, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox), and influenza.

For the routine immunization schedule, go to immunizealberta.ca.

Additional vaccines may be needed depending on your child’s health conditions or other risk factors.

Immunization is effective. Other than providing safe drinking water, no other health intervention works as well as immunization to reduce disease and death rates. Immunization protects whole communities. The more people who are fully immunized in a community, the safer everyone is.

Immunization is safe.  It is much safer to get immunized than to get the diseases that vaccines protect against. 

For more information, and to book an appointment, call your nearest community/public health centre. If you are not sure where your nearest community/public health centre is, call Health Link at 811. Bring your child’s immunization record to the appointment, especially if your child was immunized in another province or country. 

For more general information about immunization, go to Immunizations at myhealth.alberta.ca, or call Health Link at 811.

Immunization - School Services

This program provides routine immunizations to children in Grades 1, 5, and 9 in school. Before immunizations are given, records are reviewed to see what immunizations each child needs. A consent is then sent home. No immunizations will be given without consent from a parent or legal guardian. Immunizations in this program include:

• Grade 1: for children who have not received routine preschool immunizations, which includes diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella
• Grade 5: Offers Hepatitis B, human papilloma virus (HPV) and varicella (chickenpox) immunization to children who aren't immunized or have NOT had Hepatitis B or varicella disease. In August, 2014 HPV vaccine started being offered to grade 5 boys and girls. There is also a catch-up program for the grade 9 boys and girls who did not receive their vaccine in grade 5
• Grade 9: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and meningococcal vaccine is offered

Laboratory Services

This service provides a comprehensive range of routine and specialized lab testing and clinical consultation, services may include:

• blood and body fluid sample collection
• biochemistry and toxicology
• urinalysis
• transfusion medicine
• hematology
• coagulation studies
• microbiology
• serology
• surgical pathology
• cytopathology
• autopsy pathology
• student practicum training for medical lab technologists and medical lab assistants

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields and radiowaves to form images of the body.  The technique is widely used in hospitals for medical diagnosis, staging of disease and for follow-up without exposure to ionizing radiation.

Used for many exams, including: head, spine, heart, bone / joints, and abdomen.

Mental Health Urgent Care

Offers mental health crisis assessment and psychosocial interventions on a walk-in basis.

Urgent Mental Health conditions may include:

• depression
• anxiety
• thoughts of suicide or harming oneself
• overwhelming stress
• addictions
• other situations that cause a person to be in crisis

Mental Health Walk-in

Walk-in therapy on a single-session basis is offered to clients of all ages.

Neonatal Transition Team, Postpartum Community Services

This community-based specialized service provides:

• support for the family following infant discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit;
• information about the infant's health, abilities and special needs;
• regular assessments of the infant's health, growth and development;
• guidance to enhance infant nutrition;
• liaison with the infant's physician and specialists;
• referrals to other services and community resources, as required.

Newborn Jaundice Screening Program

This program provides comprehensive screening for jaundice in the newborn in both hospital and community locations in Calgary. Identifying babies early and reliably provides a high level of safety for newborn infants and reassurance and convenience for parents.

As part of this program nurses in the hospital and community use a device called a Transcutaneous Jaundice Meter to measures how yellow the baby is. This device uses a flash of light and the procedure is accurate, safe, quick and painless. If the reading on the device is high, a blood test will be done.

Nutrition Counselling - Pediatric

Services provided for:

• optimizing growth
• allergy and food intolerances
• iron deficiency anemia
• inappropriate diets for age
• eating and feeding difficulties
• nutrient deficiencies secondary to restricted diets

Parent Drop-In (Babies 2 months and older)

This service offers health information on:

• infant feeding;
• infant growth and development;
• vaccination;
• parenting adjustment;
• variety of health promotion topics.

Simply drop in at the most convenient time and location for you. Sessions are offered on a weekly basis.

Patient Information

Services offered:

• responding to patient location inquires
• providing direction on a patients whereabouts

Postpartum Community Services - Urban

Services include: 

• newborn assessments including checking for jaundice
• postpartum assessment for new mothers includes physical and psychosocial assessmetns including domestic violence
• support with infant feeding including lactation consultants to help with breastfeeding
• parenting information
• information about newborn care, safety, growth, and development
• referrals to social worker support as needed
• referrals to doctors and community services as needed

Registration

Patient Registration

• registers and pre-registers patients and collects demographic and financial information.
•  registers patients for  inpatient admissions, ambulatory clinic appointment, and  emergency department services

School Health Program

This service offers:

• public health nursing time and support to all schools in the region. Works in partnership with school communities to promote health and develop strong, supportive communities using a comprehensive school health approach.
• health promotion activities and support healthy eating-active living, injury prevention and positive social environments
• teachers, parents and students can consult with a public health nurse for nursing assessment of concerns about physical, emotional or social well-being.
• school aged immunizations through school based programs. Routine immunization programs occur in grades 1, 5 and 9
• public health nurses monitor, report and respond to communicable disease outbreaks within the school community

School Oral Health Services

Services are offered to eligible schools and may include:

• fluoride varnish, provided to kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2
• dental sealants, provided to Grade 1 and Grade 2

A child diagnosed with asthma must have their short acting asthma reliever medication with them to receive service.

Sexual and Reproductive Health - Clinical Services

Confidential drop-in services may include:

• birth control information, prescriptions and supplies
• free birth control for those who qualify
• emergency contraception (e.g., morning after pill, Plan B, Ella, Copper IUD)
• STI, HIV, and syphilis testing
• STI treatment
• pregnancy tests
• pregnancy options decisions support (parenting, adoption, abortion)
• post abortion check ups
• Pap tests
• care after a sexual assault
• HPV vaccine information and prescriptions

Note: starting Dec 1, 2016 For Calgary Clinics, some appointments will be available for routine services. Contact the clinic directly. 

For more information visit our website.

Southern Alberta Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Prevention Program

Submission of the Risk Assessment form by a health care professional is required to determine a child's eligibility for palivizumab. Risk Assessment forms available on the RSV Prevention Risk Prevention Program website.

Switchboard

These services include:

• answering incoming telephone calls
• transferring telephone calls and
• giving out authorized telephone numbers

Traditional Wellness Counselor Services

Alberta Health Services has a policy to allow spiritual ceremonies. Ask your healthcare provider, traditional wellness counselor or spiritual care services for more information.

Service includes:

• smudges
• Elder services
• healing circles and formal ceremonial healing events

Traditional Wellness Counselors also gather traditional medicines, educate about ceremonial protocol, and are available to healthcare staff for consultation on a diverse range of Indigenous patient issues.

Tuberculosis Testing

Offers free tuberculosis (TB) skin testing to eligible Albertans. The Mantoux skin test is not recommended to diagnose TB.

Testing is done at public health centres throughout the province:

• North Zone
• Edmonton Zone
• Central Zone
• Calgary Zone
• South Zone

If you are not eligible for free testing but still need to be tested there will be a charge for the test.

For travel or work related TB testing contact the Travel Health Services in your area. With the exception of Edmonton, you would contact the Immunization Business Unit to have school or work-related TB skin testing done.

Urgent Care Services

Urgent care services are for people who have unexpected but non-life-threatening health concerns that usually require same-day treatment. Some examples include broken bones, sprains, lacerations, asthma, dehydration, pain and infections.

All patients are according to the urgency of their health condition, with the sickest patients being seen first.

For more information please call Health Link by dialing 811

In case of emergency dial 911

Volunteer Resources

Our volunteer roles share a commitment to improving the quality of the patient and family experience.

Volunteers are:

• way-finders who help guide patients and families around our busy facilities,
• friendly visitors who spend time with our socially isolated patients,
• patient and family advisors who provide input and direction to AHS on numerous committees,  
• supporters of our volunteer retail operations - where the proceeds are returned to AHS to provide patient care and comfort.

For general information about volunteering with AHS please visit our website.

Well Child Services

Provide appointments for:

• routine vaccination (2, 4, 6, 12, 18 months and 4 years of age)
• health education, health promotion and support for parents related to adjustment to parenthood, breastfeeding, infant feeding, nutrition and healthy eating, normal growth and development, etc.
• health assessment and screening to identify health concerns
• information and referral to community services, and community partnerships

There are 20 Community Health Centres (8 urban and 12 rural) across the Calgary Zone.