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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
2 t2 R, q5 Q- k! W `Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
`: |$ H" t: H# FCBC News G/ ?' `2 e* s1 u$ J. `
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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5 j- D6 H1 d6 T+ P9 Z" I( ~! KLast 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.5 B1 {8 F7 T; D' L+ R
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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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7 V N. t* {5 S1 g, bRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.; c9 K7 T0 Z! y. P4 J
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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. $ f6 z- A. Q+ p/ k5 {
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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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" K4 B: U. ~1 fCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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