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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
( _& F8 K3 f$ n4 s& U! x& ALast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST4 N4 ?% T& S$ H
CBC News
% s1 ?' s. ?% P9 p3 b4 A9 ~There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year. B" X$ c7 J5 j0 e3 T
% f, c. s% L/ d7 Z"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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/ W S8 t9 ^9 ^/ c3 v- l/ GLast 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 Q$ _3 U1 k! I# @: P4 w
t% f9 ]1 M: }6 bEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.# v- L/ ?# ?: j6 k
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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' J8 O4 p- K# t/ q"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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6 `$ X' U8 c5 S0 PHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.; `6 y, x2 C* L
* Q. d" S: ^) o& `6 o. BCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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