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Wednesday, January 25, 2012 www.metronews.ca News worth sharing.
Province bolsters Edmonton EMS resources Five additional stations, more than 30 staff, two ambulances to be added to local service Recent survey outlined worker concerns JEREMY NOLAIS
@METRONEWS.CA
The Vancouver Canucks’ Maxim Lapierre lands on Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk after being checked Tuesday night in Vancouver. The Oilers lost 3-2. For a game recap, visit metronews.ca. DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Oilers edged in shootout
On the heels of a survey that raised alarm bells among union representatives, the province has announced new resources aimed at keeping up with demand. Five paramedics and 12 emergency medical technicians will be added to the Edmonton service immediately, and 14 more members will be added at a later date, Health Minister Fred Horne said Tuesday. The minister said he has looked over feedback gathered in a survey conducted by the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, which provides union representation to Alberta EMS workers, but noted it did not factor into the announcement.
“This has been in the works for awhile,” Horne said. “What I will say is the survey was useful to me as the minister because it really gave the frontline perspective of the EMS workers — people asked to work a lot of overtime, a lot of stress reported, high (call) volume.” The survey also indicated twothirds of workers were actively exploring other career opportunities, raising fears of staff shortages within a system already reporting dwindling resources and rising wait times. Elisabeth Ballermann with the HSAA deemed Tuesday’s announcement a step in the right direction. “We still have a lot of work to do,” she added. “This is a problem we are seeing to some degree across the province.” But the Opposition Liberals were
Emergency care Last year, Alberta saw a 14 per cent rise in patients requiring emergency care. Median response times for “lights and sirens” ambulance calls in the Edmonton area have jumped to eight minutes and 13 seconds from seven minutes over the past two years. The Alberta Liberals announced Tuesday a new hotline intended to gather alarming stories regarding ambulance service in the province. Those with something to share are urged to call 1-888-886-2834.
less kind in their evaluation of the ministry’s effort, alleging the additional workers will only replace those lost from resignations associated with job stress.