Call 1-888-886-2834 to improve ambulance and emergency service in Alberta

Calgary – Official Opposition Health Critic David Swann has been following the Code Red crisis – the dangerous shortage of ambulances, paramedics, and backlogged emergency rooms– very carefully. The stories from paramedics and other front-line staff coupled with today’s response from the Minister of Health have prompted the Official Opposition to activate a hotline so that Alberta’s health care professionals and their patients can share their stories and help convince the government that urgent action is required to fix the system

Swann points out that Minister Horne’s announcement of more staff only brings staffing levels up to where they were previously before burned out workers left the system. The other announcements regarding station openings were already part of the EMS Five Year Plan. Swann insists that Albertans deserve this matter to be taken seriously and not have their concerns brushed off by a PR exercise.

“I’m inspired by the courage of the EMS workers who’ve risked their jobs to inform the public about this crisis,” Swann says. “However, the fact remains that the government is not taking any new measures and nothing is being done to reduce the bottlenecks in emergency departments.”

Emergency department wait time performance for admitted patients in adult hospitals in both major cities is down to 20-42%, and where they were once prominently posted on AHS’ website front page, they have now been hidden three levels deep.

Swann says a lot more needs to be done to shorten ambulance response time, and once the ambulances get to hospitals, to transfer the patients and get back on the streets to serve their home communities. He’s asking health care professionals or anyone who’s waited dangerously long for an ambulance or for hours with paramedics in emergency to phone 1-888-886-2834 and leave a message telling their story. The Official Opposition can then take those stories to the Legislature and present them to the government so that the premier and health minister understand the real impacts the Code Red crisis is having on Albertans.

Those who would rather leave written comments can visit www.fixhealthcare.ca for more information and email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Swann has also written an open letter to Health Minister Fred Horne and Alberta Health Services CEO Chris Eagle that describes the potential impacts of the crisis.

“When someone is having a stroke or heart attack or they’ve been in a car accident, time is of the essence. A few minutes’ delay in response can mean the difference between life and death,” Swann says.

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Attached: Swann Letter to Horne

Open letter from David Swann, AHS Weekly ER wait times

For further information, contact:

Earl J. Woods, Senior Communications Advisor
(780) 904-5430

Denis Lapointe, Director, SALCO
(403) 860-4330

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