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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch
5 h3 j% y' u, i: F2 GLast updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST8 o) V* q( A; x) U& F% i# h
CBC News + i0 d/ K' b* X+ W* ~0 m8 ^/ V
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.* Z2 f6 F: o3 L4 k
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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.( ~4 L0 W# e7 c! V
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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.1 Q2 t( t* U5 x# Q0 J& {( R2 p
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EMS says there were 36 red alerts last year, and nine so far this year – including two Monday afternoon.$ M! c2 S' _" ?' J% k) @% m
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Randy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.( M* k, t. y$ {9 P8 ]7 D' q' [
6 u0 i, v% r6 s, v"We're doing everything we can, but the system is falling apart – really and truly – it's not working," Littlechild says. T8 z1 t0 v! U& s
7 k3 }! n) \# MHe 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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* U2 ~9 h9 z5 UCapital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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