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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
, D' Y! X1 f2 _; Y; x1 ELast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST m0 m4 E) b( I- W1 _
CBC News - {+ ]/ H8 Q" I# I2 E
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.
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8 b$ m- A! |" s. ]"Red alert" is the Emergency Medical Services term for the situation when there are no available ambulances in the entire city.: n }5 I. d0 x1 S
; C8 J; k& e) SLast 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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9 e! y& H% b, r) h Z"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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He says it has come to the point where there has to be an increase of rooms and beds in Edmonton hospitals.# y5 i3 V1 B4 w' D1 h- ], ]
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Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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