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H1N1 may force Festival of Trees cancellation
Chris Clegg
for South Peace News
One of High Prairie’s most dazzling Christmas celebrations is facing the very real possibility of being cancelled because of the H1N1 virus.
The Festival of Trees, held in the corridor linking the High Prairie Hospital and J.B. Wood Extended Care, will not be held this year unless the H1N1 pandemic lessens.
“As a preventive measure to help decrease the spread of pandemic (H1N1 2009), Alberta Health Services is asking school boards, kindergarten and other appropriate agencies in Alberta to suspend all organized activities in which children of elementary school age or younger visit hospitals or continuing care facilites,” writes Dr. Albert de Villiers, medical officer of health, Alberta Health Services North Zone.
In effect, such an order cancels the Festival of Trees, says George Keay, chair of the High Prairie and Area Concerned Citizens Health Committee.
That is, unless the ban is lifted.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” says Keay. “It’s province-wide.”
However, with H1N1 expected to last into the foreseeable future, hopes the Festival of Trees will be held are slim at best.
Keay met with Barbara Mader, director of health services at the McLennan Hospital Oct. 20, who delivered the news. Mader is also interim director of health services at High Prairie.
“Please accept our regrets that we cannot accommodate any requests for tours of our facilities this fall,” says de Villiers. “We appreciate it when groups of children are able to visit our facilities and we hope that we will be able to allow visits to resume sometime in the near future.”
The Festival of Trees is an annual event in High Prairie which sees each hospital department decorate a Christmas tree. Housekeeping staff then organize displays, local students are invited to paint pictures on the windows and the health council holds evening open houses featuring a visit from Santa Claus.
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