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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch , J8 W! x) {! S- E
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST5 o" k1 G! P/ s7 {- c1 ]
CBC News
6 M) `# s& V- G% }6 @There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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: e4 ]- {8 J: B. m6 L1 p& A5 h& P7 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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- D: T2 \0 i# v# i' K$ p. l0 E' sLast 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.: H! r! c6 |9 ]0 w( i
: `+ Y6 Y/ Q2 {6 z: c, AEMS 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.
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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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1 T9 R5 `' [ q4 f2 q! cHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.* t( W$ F( P" J+ O
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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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