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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch 1 O* b$ J: q2 e2 ~# l
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST; t ~8 S0 V0 ^
CBC News / [6 x/ ~( H* [4 @$ O. o
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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" Y2 ~5 B0 W1 t' oLast 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.8 u$ D. W! J4 W
' r7 A8 H+ T" y+ A8 {/ t3 XEMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.% g5 f/ B* L" G
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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9 [- i7 d, }9 Y"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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. h- ?+ ^4 G; e: s, C5 Q# y C# uHe 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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: ]0 j8 T% D9 wCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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