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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch + ^4 L5 k, p; B$ H
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST) \9 I. S. T E6 Q# S& V
CBC News ) @4 ?/ e! E2 A" p
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.& e b$ s0 S3 V: H g; C
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"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.9 q+ c4 t8 f9 ?6 u
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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." e" P0 I( D& h) [% @
9 ?( R1 @( }. _/ BEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.1 |# O* B' {% y/ g! N1 H
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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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.5 t2 W4 m+ [: m8 P: T. H
b1 ?7 Y, ?; j, t7 Z+ a# @Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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