By Charlotte Morritt-Jacobs - (@morrittjacobs on Twitter)

Lethbridge homeless patients to benefit through accessing government ID

Jul 10, 2016 | 9:51 AM

LETHBRIDGE – More vulnerable southern Albertans requiring access to health care – including referral to specialized and followup services, will get the help they need with the local launch of the Alberta Health Services (AHS) ID Program.

The AHS ID Program identifies individuals seeking care at an AHS facility or with AHS community programs and services but who don’t have government-issued identification and/or a health care card.

ID specialists and AHS employees will assist patients in obtaining the documentation needed to prove their identity, residency and legal entitlement to remain in Canada.

“This program helps us to remove barriers to care, decrease lengths of stay in hospital and, for some of our patients, it’s helped them obtain employment and housing. It’s truly making a difference for Albertans,” says Dr. Laura Calhoun, Provincial Medical Director for Addiction and Mental Health with AHS.

The program was developed to help homeless clients in government-contracted shelters and agencies.

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The program’s collaborative approach results in quicker acquisition of IDs and improved access to much-needed follow-up services.

“Without government-issued identification, patients weren’t able to be referred to specialists or access community supports and, at times, they were returning to hospital because their health would deteriorate,” says Dr. Calhoun. “Now we are better able to help them manage their care.”

For some, it can take about an hour to gather all the required identifying information, including supporting documentation.

Once this is completed, the patient finalizes the process with a Service Alberta registry agent and their identification and health care card is typically received within two weeks.

An ID Repository has been established at the Chinook Regional Hospital, where homeless and at-risk patients can store their newly obtained identification and/or health care card until they can secure these documents independently.

Based on their consent, client information can then be shared with health care providers who require it to initiate referrals or follow-up services.

The program is currently run in Edmonton, Medicine Hat and Calgary, where it launched in 2013.

Since then, more than 2,470 homeless, at-risk and recently-housed patients have acquired identification through the program.

Plans are in place to launch the program in Grande Prairie, Fort McMurray and central Alberta over the next year.

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