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Edmonton suffers ambulance crunch 5 I4 h" N( r5 Z
Last updated Jan 31 2006 08:26 AM MST6 k" l# Q$ b# j
CBC News ( j) }& e: L3 p
There's been a big jump in the number of "red alerts" in Edmonton this year.0 `4 e! C, L: M( h
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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.8 n% h' q6 N! h% i* L
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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.- @2 ]6 k& Z1 U! e$ d+ M
& i8 g4 y) k, e5 ~7 tRandy Littlechild, head of the union that represents paramedics, says things are getting worse.
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5 r$ u5 K9 g. l+ O6 b, y"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.) e2 o; b) W1 p. U! C& O* @( ]) z; W( D
$ {$ b+ }, s" |" a" q4 K& |Capital Health says it will look into making changes to that part of the system. |
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