Official fired after Flames flu shot controversy

Nov 4, 6:23 pm EST

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EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)—A senior staff member for Alberta Health Services has been fired for giving the Calgary Flames swine flu shots while thousands of people waited in line for the vaccine last week.

The board, which reports directly to the Alberta government, won’t name who was dismissed Wednesday and said more people might be punished for their roles.

“I am deeply offended that this circumstance has occurred,” Ken Hughes, chairman of Alberta Health Services, said in a news release. “The decision to allow preferential access to the Flames and their families was a serious error in judgment.”

Hughes said the “most senior staff member involved” was dismissed.

Flames president Ken King said Tuesday the players and their families received their shots on Friday at a private location. He said they believed they had gone through proper channels at Alberta Health Services, the agency that administers health services for the province.

King said they felt the shots were a priority for the players because of their extensive cross-border travel and the close-contact physical nature of their sport. He also said they didn’t want to cause a commotion by having the players stand in line at a public clinic.

However, he didn’t say why that rationale would apply to Flames management and players’ families.

The revelation angered many people who have criticized Alberta’s swine flu vaccine rollout, which was plagued by long lineups before it was shut down Saturday.

Other sports teams in Canada, including the Edmonton Oilers, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the CFL’s Edmonton Eskimos, have said they did not seek or get preferential H1N1 vaccines for their players.

Updated Nov 4, 6:23 pm EST
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59 Comments

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  1. Mike
    59. Posted by Mike Thu Nov 5 11:40am EST

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    The Flames obviously brought the officials with them last night. Cheaters.
  2. Rich
    58. Posted by Rich Thu Nov 5 9:59am EST

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    @ Tynford #49

    36,000 people in the USA alone die of "normal Influenza" each year. "Swine flu" has killed less than 6,000 in the last year, globally. In other words everyone needs to relax, get over it.

    http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease/
  3. JJ
    57. Posted by JJ Thu Nov 5 8:58am EST

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    Money, power, and fame can buy many things... but not preferential health care in Canada.

    If somebody has the money, why can't they buy what they want so they don't have to stand in line with those that are getting it for free (ie. subsidized by those that pay the most taxes)?

    Like it or not, some of the hockey players pay more tax each year than many people pay over their lifetimes. Some of them are paying over $1M a year in tax. So what if they get a perk and someone who pays $10K a year doesn't. Doesn't make sense to waste the time of the most productive members of a society. Get them out there making more money so they can pay more taxes - and keep them alive and healthy too!
  4. Cutie
    56. Posted by Cutie Thu Nov 5 5:40am EST

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    Hahaha that is hilarious. America FTW. Obummer should read this.
  5. Jason
    55. Posted by Jason Thu Nov 5 4:33am EST

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    Government healthcare = garbage.
  6. lily
    54. Posted by lily Thu Nov 5 1:39am EST

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    "having the players stand in line at a public clinic." - Everybody stands in line, WE are all the same. Why Flames can not???
  7. Nikka B
    53. Posted by Nikka B Thu Nov 5 1:30am EST

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    It's the end of the world as we know it...and I feel fine. *cough,cough*
  8. tonym
    52. Posted by tonym Thu Nov 5 12:17am EST

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    people the shot is bogas,meaning fart, gov/control
  9. Dan the Obliviousman
    51. Posted by Dan the Obliviousman Thu Nov 5 12:00am EST

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    What is exactly wrong here?...Does your standing in life dictate whether or not you get this flu shot?

    I see a lot wrong here...but I won't go into that.
  10. Pete
    50. Posted by Pete Wed Nov 4 11:54pm EST

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    Sorry to be late here, but seriously... come on. Someone got fired because of this? So, the Flames got the shot before others. Are they high risk? Probably. Are there others who are high risk also that didn't get priority? Probably. In the mean time, someone who bought the argument that the Flames are higher risk that average lost his/her job for doing what they thought was the right thing. Give the poor person a break here.
  11. Tynford
    49. Posted by Tynford Wed Nov 4 10:36pm EST

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    @Brett

    How many healthy people die of the "normal" flu in this day and age? Of those people... how many are teenagers?
  12. Brett
    48. Posted by Brett Wed Nov 4 10:26pm EST

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    @ Tynford

    Do you realize the normal flu can also kill people?
  13. Tynford
    47. Posted by Tynford Wed Nov 4 10:15pm EST

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    @Biebs

    I'm not entirely sure what your point is. The media (or whomever) made claims that it was H1N1 before a diagnosis was made. Afterwords it was officially confirmed that the kids died of complications related to it. Healthy kids, complications, nasty flu strain. My point was that this ISN'T "just barely worse" than the regular crappy flu or influenza-like-infection. I'm not saying that this is the end of the world as we know it, but it's not something to ignore either. See: two healthy teenagers dying of it.
  14. Mike M
    46. Posted by Mike M Wed Nov 4 9:49pm EST

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    janis j........Have a point about the info being exchanged, but the goverment has to play to the majority of votes to get the control and power .
  15. <i>nelson95</i>
    45. Posted by nelson95 Wed Nov 4 9:42pm EST

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    This panic is costing us $400 million (to GSK) as well as many millions more to advertise and bring in extra public health staff.
    Don't forget aboot the MDs who are calling in anybody to get the shot(which we provide) then bill MSP for it.

    CASHGRAB to the extreme
  16. frankinbolton
    44. Posted by frankinbolton Wed Nov 4 9:40pm EST

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    He or she will be fine. The Flames will hire them for sure now on the medical staff and they'll make more than they did before with the gov't. With all their contacts thats worth a mill at least. As for you looking for the flu shot...well who the heck are you? lol...doesn't surprise me...I'm thinking manilla envelope stuff.
  17. Syd S
    43. Posted by Syd S Wed Nov 4 9:29pm EST

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    Suppressed Medical Records

    St. Catharines, Ont.

    - Privacy Commissioner of Canada (Sect. 25,26,28)

    - C.M.H.A - Brock University
  18. Gary H
    42. Posted by Gary H Wed Nov 4 9:28pm EST

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    wow, there are death panels in canada. the rich and famous get medicine and the common folk wait.
  19. janis j
    41. Posted by janis j Wed Nov 4 9:24pm EST

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    Humm, Red Wings played the Flames on the 31st , & by the 3rd three Wings have the flu ? Could it be information was exchanged and a decision was made ? Just thinking . Are any of the Flames or the employes sick? Firing the official for making a correct decision, makes the Alberta goverment look a little foolish. Who knows who gave who the flu, but since the healthy are at risk seems that senior staff member should have been thanked not fired. But if the good folks of Alberta want to come off looking like they don't give a shist about how many high risk people get infected, so be it.
  20. <i>johnstondj@...</i>
    40. Posted by johnstondj@... Wed Nov 4 9:17pm EST

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    come on folks --- this is a media driven agenda --- what about all the non priority people that showed up and were granted the shot ---- let's not take it out on the sports teams while we look the other way on all those goodie two shoes that forced there way into the line ups --- it's about time the media cools their heels and stops the panic flames
  21. Impeach
    39. Posted by Impeach Wed Nov 4 9:15pm EST

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    Don't forget that it's very, very important that the NHL's token African Canadian gets the shot first!
  22. s0berMaN
    38. Posted by s0berMaN Wed Nov 4 8:50pm EST

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    i find this hilarious lmaoo how the flames players get their shots before everyone else while they wait in lines r0fl
  23. Jennifer
    37. Posted by Jennifer Wed Nov 4 8:29pm EST

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    People seem to be forgetting that the swine flu is the reverse of the regular flu... it hits younger, healthier people harder. The players being in good shape and having healthy immune systems doesn't help them here.

    I'm not so sure about the families and management, but I can understand the players, coaches, and trainers that travel getting the shots. They are at high risk, because they do have a high chance of being exposed; some players have already gotten sick. And they still shop in grocery stores, have kids in the school system, etc, so they can pass it very easily if they are carrying it. As long as they went through acceptable channels to get their shots, they didn't do anything wrong. Alberta Health could have denied them, but they didn't.

    Bear in mind that if a player wasn't vaccinated, got sick, and then their kid brought it to school and got a whole bunch of other people's kids sick, the outcry would be that they DIDN'T get the vaccine.
  24. cjw
    36. Posted by cjw Wed Nov 4 8:08pm EST

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    the decision should have been left up to the players, if you want the shot go get on your own time.
  25. R.I.P.
    35. Posted by R.I.P. Wed Nov 4 7:52pm EST

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    Lets punish all the low risk people that used up our vaccine
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