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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
1 b8 E' D4 H$ tLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
' e i; z$ J; u# R: [CBC News 4 e, w4 C7 j/ r$ H/ M0 @3 a# k
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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$ n* m n4 o. Q* Z7 l! m"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.- H2 a8 c+ G! ?$ Y0 V$ W7 E
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.. p8 \, |0 [& }/ B) U
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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. , R) j) L& e7 I9 _
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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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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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