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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
6 X' S* }! t0 u- i4 p2 B9 TLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST0 ]0 |/ H" R' Q0 ?/ i
CBC News
2 A2 x- p% C, b8 i8 t7 r/ ]( OThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year./ {. @2 r. g+ X+ y- ?
5 `/ S- V- @2 m5 ]"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. V* {6 D. M2 c# z2 W
0 o% A( c' Z' r, M9 VEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.
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0 L- m4 a7 K/ Q2 CRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.+ d0 { J$ x% E5 i
/ M8 b* Q& k: i/ e"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. % m% C% Z* B. o2 F
h2 J; b- V4 N8 GHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.& {6 ^2 R, E/ B& ~
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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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