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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
R" C9 [4 }. b JLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST, @2 a7 }5 H: q% r1 p7 T0 \
CBC News f6 _$ b7 ^( @9 d& {3 `
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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$ F9 k1 |. O& B, ?2 k& w"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.# W& t6 V' o* |2 d; q% P4 J7 j
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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.0 M1 R' C: S: }6 O! z+ ^% @/ U
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.2 ]/ e$ O* U5 r
! L- H1 ?; f. Z$ T, G- W/ NRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.5 i( ]! _4 Z& ?6 B9 m
- F, ]0 Z/ n6 Q# q7 y"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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, c" E6 M/ X6 q! ?He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.9 Z& O7 @, }# D
/ _) M' v' H; r. n t9 Y0 ^' FCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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