With the new school year upon us, AHS would like to remind parents about an online tool to help them manage common childhood illnesses and injuries that don’t require treatment in an emergency department.

 The Health, Education and Learning website referred to as HEAL, offers accessible, reliable information about common minor illnesses and injuries in children, including coughs, common colds, rashes, head injuries and more.

Naminder Sandhu with AHS, helped launched the site about a year ago, and said it’s been a great tool.

 “The traction of the families who know about it, is amazing. We’ve starting to hear people say ‘yeah, we went through the website and went through what you recommended, but then I reached my limit and that’s why I called you and that’s why I’m here.’ There’s only been positive feedback, it’s just a matter of getting enough of the word out.”

Sandhu added parents often head straight to the hospital when there is concern for their children and said it’s not always necessary to make the trip.

“So many patients we see with their illnesses perhaps don’t need to be there at the time we see them. And if the family has some ideas of tips or tricks or things that they could try to do to manage their children, they might be able to avoid the hospital all together.”

The HEAL website also contains videos about the role of emergency staff, as well as what to expect when coming to the hospital to make both parents and patients more comfortable with their hospital experience.

For more information, or to discuss health concerns, parents in Alberta can also call 811 to speak to a registered nurse for health advice and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

To visit the HEAL website, click here.