MEDICINE HAT – Albertans will soon be allowed to be transported by paramedics to certain care facilities, other than hospitals, that are equipped to deal with urgent but not life-threatening issues.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro made the announcement from Medicine Hat Tuesday morning, saying the current plan of taking every patient to the emergency room leads to wasted time for EMS and longer waits for patients.
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“We have seen far too many times ambulances lined up at emergency departments with non-critical patients waiting to receive care. Often, these patients don’t need emergency services and would be better served at other healthcare facilities,” he said in a release.
“Albertans requiring EMS should be taken to the most appropriate health-care facility – and ambulances should be back on the road as quickly as possible to reduce EMS wait times.”
The province says between 2017 to 2019, ambulances responded to about 90,000 non-urgent events where directing patients to alternative care sites could have been considered.
Shandro says by end of 2021 paramedics will be able to treat and transport patients to 10 locations across the province other than the ER.
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He says this is just Phase 1 of the project and, eventually, EMS will be able to take patients to more non-emergency facilities.
Shandro says reduced delays for patients and paramedics by diverting resources also ease the burden on the ER.
But he says it’s not about cost saving, this is the work-smarter-not-harder approach that will make the most of what we have.
