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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
$ ^1 i9 T9 q [. d3 q# b4 KLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
* m" H0 v$ ?1 }CBC News
7 O1 m( y! C; y( {: [4 ]There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.$ h I5 E! J6 J$ @& L) j
! \% c1 m: Y: ~1 b" r"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.
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EMS 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.1 B% \3 Y' B. _9 z8 q2 `
0 x/ M! N7 q* {# |% }" U$ g4 Z"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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7 {; V/ k8 n4 k1 p3 pHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals./ v4 i. `% \" V: N0 T4 o
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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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