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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch / O; g+ X% u$ Y
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
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% A+ R6 l1 ]% @ W4 z+ L/ EThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.0 N3 a: G1 n* w% O5 ^
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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.7 }5 K! v" j( e
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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.
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+ n8 c6 l) v' _7 ~( xEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.7 n8 C9 O5 V. u' f, H; E2 M+ x. T
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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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5 R) k. j8 q% j* q$ _3 KHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.
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) m7 a7 U, B5 y$ ?Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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