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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
- H! ~3 r3 {; [4 _. ULast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST& Q1 X! n+ S: E8 p: R
CBC News $ Z1 U% ^4 r5 K# ~) 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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0 |; t" a% C% O0 p% d/ y) B; uLast 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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2 Z# ?0 Y! T$ j7 C- {9 @EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon./ e |; F$ ?# D& u* v
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.. _$ t6 C3 v" w' |- X
0 E4 P2 z2 o- h; j. o+ N"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 D" R& o% b5 |# [/ aHe 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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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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