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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
/ ?2 ?1 ^) n9 q# E+ pLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST
! Y3 E) I1 w1 K2 D+ N; O1 qCBC News . @9 p' N) N/ v" h- s- }
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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m$ a0 P: R4 r, N"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.# A" |- [( e3 \" H% `
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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.
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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. " i# {6 b. C+ L, d- l, ?! F- `! b; N
$ A) v+ U! M& J v1 XHe says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.; N6 ~. i; T- G5 P
* C) l( a. m8 O7 w" h5 gCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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