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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch ; k, r6 X0 v# n8 A$ D( D3 i' X( A
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
9 Q9 V, [3 p; D$ ?7 a1 {* }% N) ECBC News
- y/ {6 [ I1 V/ H/ i2 g( xThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.( b* [" p% _2 ^% Y( F& }6 F
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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.2 V9 p- w7 B+ I+ B5 C6 y3 A
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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.% f' r/ D+ Y, H- m) _
) T2 w2 V* c) M7 h h- f- \) FEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.& T# W5 z; L# x8 B+ Z1 G) R
. P6 r0 i- E X: i A8 d7 LRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.0 a3 K0 Q4 M, v6 d' K
3 Z- u8 Y1 P! ~3 J1 r"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. 7 g" J, J' T( J1 x; H% R* t
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He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.3 b# W8 z4 R% ~9 [$ }
% c7 d' J! u9 X2 Q/ [5 nCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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