Illustration of a hand holding up a couple
June 3, 2020

ARTA’s Response to COVID-19

As I write this, the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) situation continues to evolve rapidly; every day brings more news and more promise that we will get through this together.

ARTA is closely monitoring the situation. Beyond public health considerations, we are concerned about the well-being of our members, our employees, our business partners, and our communities, and have taken all steps necessary to protect their health and safety. We have enacted our contingency plan to ensure the continuity of service to our customers. To minimize the spread of the virus, we have taken these steps:

  • Modified our processes and equipped all of our staff to work remotely and have asked all staff to follow Alberta Health guidelines with respect to hygiene, travel, and social interactions.
  • Rescheduled all in-person meetings and have arranged for all committee, board, and executive members to virtually meet with us online. Our dedicated staff continue to manage the day-to-day operations of ARTA using these digital tools to meet and collaborate.
  • Maintained open lines of communication with our members. Our member services teams can meet via virtual conferencing or simply over the phone to help our members with all questions and concerns they may have regarding their relationship with ARTA.
  • Made the following improvements to the Retiree Benefits Plan to assist our members during this pandemic:
    • temporarily suspended the maximum number of dispensing fees allowed
    • introduced an online claims process
    • made allowance for certain paramedical practitioners to provide their services virtually through FaceTime, Zoom, or other electronic means
    • automatically extended medication approvals for drugs manages through Our Special Authorization and Enhanced Special Authorization programs by twelve months, if they required approval between February 1, 2020, and June 1, 2020.
    • provided all ARTA members with access to the SilverCloud stress management program, to help you prioritize your mental health and well-being during the pandemic

Our benefit plan continues to be resilient.

Through our collective efforts, we will get through these challenging times. Until then, know that your ARTA team remains available and we are here to support you as required.

Stay healthy and safe.

Daniel Mulloy,
CEO

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