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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
) h2 a) n6 b% xLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST0 D- `( Z( @/ F2 }8 v. z# g: z
CBC News : a) M, N. h# _8 Q; d1 D! t" G \
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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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.
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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." i9 H3 {" |6 h# A' X* V1 g
, E) P% ?, R% E( T' Z1 d% FEMS 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. 8 J f' d6 H4 t* a; e& T( U
+ F* R. t# n. @! D0 ] {He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.3 O4 x R$ ^: h$ _- Z u |; V
& G( |& P# @/ e- s4 _4 X [Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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