Health Minister Jason Copping said EMS hired 341 paramedics in 2022.
The Alberta Emergency Medical Services Provincial Advisory Committee and third party review of the province-wide dispatch system was announced a year ago. Health Minister Jason Copping said the province has accepted each recommendation from the two reports, some of which are already underway, like two pilots in Spruce Grove.
The second allows firefighters to respond to non-urgent calls and see if they can address the issue at the scene. If they can, they will, and they’ll let the ambulance know it doesn’t need to come.Spruce Grove fire chief Robert Kosterman gave the example of a cancer patient in their sixties who needed urgent pain medication. The firefighters were able to attend the call, administer the meds, and let the paramedics know the ambulance wasn’t needed.
Copping said the two pilots were seen as a success and they’re looking at how to implement the practices across Alberta.Other actions include transferring patients between facilities using a taxi or homecare shuttle instead of an ambulance, allowing paramedics to assess if a patient needs to be taken to hospital or can be treated on scene, and speeding up hospital drop-offs by putting less-urgent patients in the waiting room instead of into a hospital bed.
Click to share quote on Twitter: "We've heard from paramedics they don't want to spend their time sitting around in a hospital," said Copping.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Province to provide update on improving EMS service in AlbertaThe provincial government will release an overview of two reports looking into Alberta's troubled EMS system, including a review of ambulance dispatch. abpoli CTVJKanygin
Read more »
Alberta updates EMS policies to address 'tremendous pressure' on paramedicsThe Alberta government is tweaking the way paramedics can assess and transport patients in a bid to free them up for more emergency calls.
Read more »
RCMP respond to several collisions on southern Alberta highways | Globalnews.caPolice confirmed one fatal collision Saturday, and are responding to two separate two-vehicle collisions Sunday in Canmore and Fort Macleod.
Read more »
High levels of stigma experienced by COVID-19 long-haulers, Alberta research shows | Globalnews.caThe survey was completed by 145 patients and cross-referenced with information from their medical records, including number of other illnesses and number of hospital visits.
Read more »
Albertans celebrate Chinese Lunar New Year: Year of the rabbit | Globalnews.caThe Chinese communities in Edmonton and Calgary are getting to celebrate the Lunar New Year for the first time in person in three years.
Read more »