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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch ( z+ c( {. |& u; q9 ]
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
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& D# O9 k; b [3 \. Q" F s) mThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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, X/ U. Z" z3 d: x+ r/ T"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.( T- G" I, E. G: ?) m+ Y
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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.& }, j4 e: h/ C
0 I6 N4 n+ L% ~8 B3 h8 E/ xRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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0 ~! d; |9 r1 [- @1 I7 N0 i"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. 4 A3 Z0 l1 A4 T( C7 F
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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.
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9 ~) p7 ?/ _0 b5 ?( uCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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