Calgary mother calls for compassion as hospital budgets are tightened

Gemma Fox wants Alberta politicians to know that sometimes apple juice and cookies are more than just a snack.  

In the chaos of an emergency department, that simple offering can bring comfort and calm, according to the Calgary mother.

Fox's seven-year-old son, Lochlan, has severe epilepsy and has been in and out of hospital all of his life.

Three years ago he was rushed to the Alberta Children's Hospital because he stopped breathing after a major seizure.

As health care staff worked to stabilize him, a nurse took Fox aside — offering her fresh scrubs, an apple juice and cookies.

"It was a nurse just taking a minute to care for me when everybody else was caring for my son," she said.

"I know it's just apple juice and a cookie but it meant so much to me."

It was a moment that grounded her.

"It's that connection…When you're going through traumatic and heavy things, those connections mean so much to you."

Those simple hospital snacks have become a flashpoint in Alberta.

Alberta Health Services [AHS] announced on Tuesday it was backtracking on a plan that doctors worried would result in cuts to food supplies in ERs and some outpatient hospital clinics.

In a news release, Tuesday, interim president and CEO, Andre Tremblay, said AHS approved changes in September. 

And while the new policy was supposed to take effect on Tuesday, it has now been paused.

"The proposed policy was not meant to deprive patients of food. What was meant to change is how food is stored and delivered to patients in an effort to reduce waste that is occurring in our hospitals," Trembay's statement said.