Danielle Smith says Alberta’s health care system has been too complex and uncoordinated for too many years, leading to ‘unacceptable’ wait times.

Premier Danielle Smith has announced sweeping plans to restructure Alberta Health Services (AHS) into four high-level units that she says will address long wait times and inadequate staffing.

Under the reorganization, AHS’s single service provider model will be replaced with one where four organizations provide care in the areas of acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction care.

Acute care includes delivery of hospital and emergency care, while the primary care unit will oversee day-to-day patient needs like visits with physicians and nurse practitioners, and care for chronic diseases.