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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
, G5 {, H3 Z$ u3 T$ ]( J0 P( vLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
% k8 H. @; t) u" W' NCBC News
0 x$ ^* L' W2 ]: f3 ^( NThere's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.; n, Z, M5 H, ^$ t5 S; }4 [
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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. V. c- v( n9 ?7 S) L& a0 M+ \
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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.
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.3 s9 n* @% x9 ?; W+ R: g
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.* X1 |2 l/ q: `% N' W- a6 H
$ @" B \8 N, `& r9 C/ b"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. ( I4 D8 ?* d- x/ @! S. b
) H/ {: b9 K0 o' \, NHe 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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7 L0 X* o( A1 I: t# hCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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