Premier Danielle Smith says a non-profit that placed Albertans in hotel rooms after they were discharged from hospital put them in danger of eviction with a $25,000 unpaid hotel bill, and the government had to step in to pay.Government staff are working to find appropriate facilities for 39 people under the care of Contentment Social Services, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
CBC News reported last week that a man who spent about six months in hospital after a stroke was discharged and moved to a Travelodge in Leduc, just south of Edmonton. The program was run by Contentment Social Services. In an interview Thursday, Norton Smith, the president of Contentment Social Services, defended the care being provided to patients, and said putting clients in hotel rooms is a temporary measure.Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said this week that Contentment Social Services will be removed from the list of housing providers that health workers can present to hospital patients when they're being discharged.
"There's still some work we need to do to understand why were recommended in the first place," she said.