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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
. J9 _9 ]( L* U; b2 v+ L7 H% q# nLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
; L. T& K4 S. F" g; |* O l" lCBC News
3 k% M J3 `/ s/ N7 L$ @There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.0 X5 }- n% V% i6 X6 ~
# Z9 C2 O2 \3 E2 a$ u8 [3 y3 R6 X"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.' g& G1 _3 ?' `' N
# M9 }( y3 B H1 i7 D; dLast 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.$ d9 w/ N. V& [* ?. k
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.4 c; s3 m& z5 p
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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9 \. S; \& N7 |" a* y9 l: f/ h"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. * w/ ?7 \2 L3 ]; R6 V' M }; {
) @9 n5 N+ f# O O; {+ P# WHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.- M( J( n6 K7 x# | R
# S* y. Q! ^" A) L. Y7 CCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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