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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch - @$ V3 F& ^6 s* K( B5 ^
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST7 s) I0 l3 e* K9 Q7 ]$ I; t
CBC News 8 g7 a( b/ B4 O
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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( {: h( P, g' H' B6 I3 J% l"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.
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Last week, a red alert led Capital Health to admit that hospitals can't keep up, meaning ambulances have to wait at emergency until the hospital can take the patient.
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.$ ~9 j) h$ P1 U" x3 R
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.+ z; i8 H: `6 o8 Q
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"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says.
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He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.
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1 x# o/ o9 i2 `$ t1 zCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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