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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch ; C, u! U8 }# \; a4 [6 {
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST; x% K: J1 J9 ~6 S
CBC News 5 a/ L9 ?4 l- `- p
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.. w1 \0 T1 I$ y K7 `
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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.
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4 e. b* M# d+ S7 I- X"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. ; @0 r+ K1 [; b2 ]# ^
' X: A2 {7 e1 r8 P1 a2 k( i3 T: _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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2 {; `3 Y! S; s, uCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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