EMS Transport plan ignores real problem in Cochrane, believes HSAA

Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) president Mike Parker says the announced EMS transport plan is nothing new and does not address the real issue in communities like Cochrane.

He says Cochrane continues to have an acute ambulance coverage problem that can only be addressed by adding more resources. 

On July 6, Alberta Health minister Tyler Shandro announced that Albertans requiring EMS ambulances can now be transported to alternative care locations instead of emergency departments so ambulances can get back on the road quicker.

The province says transport by ambulance to many healthcare facilities, such as hospices or community health centres that assist with urgent but non-life-threatening situations, were not previously allowed under government-sponsored benefit programs, and limited EMS ambulances to only transport patients to emergency departments instead of locations that made the most sense for the care required.

Parker says this in fact is already happening and questions just how much benefit it will hold.

"We've been doing this for over 10 years anyway, so there's really no new news here," says Parker, "which means there are no new solutions that help out a community like Cochrane, where their ambulances spend their entire shift doing their calls in Calgary."

He says what is needed is more personnel and equipped ambulances.

"There are over 400 unfilled shifts for the month of July in Calgary. This tells you the level of crisis we're truly in. We don't have the people, we don't have the physical ambulances to put people on, and at the end of it, what we are left with is suburban rural communities like Cochrane left with no coverage. The nearest responding unit could be from, who knows, downtown Calgary or Okotoks."

There have been cases reported of the nearest ambulance responding to Cochrane call arriving from Drumheller, and it's not unusual to see them travel from Kananaskis.

Sources within the profession believe Cochrane EMS is at a breaking point, and the situation has steadily become worse since the province took over the service in 2010. They believe it has come to a point where it seems the lives of Calgary residents matter more than those in rural Alberta.

They also believe the mayor, town council, and residents must continue to push for action. 

Parker confirms there is tremendous pressure being place upon ambulance crews here. He says they are being taxed with mandatory overtime that forces crews that have already been in Calgary for 12 hours to work additional hours because there is no way to bring them back to their home station because the volume is relentless.

He says a community needs to be built around these crews.

"So, invest, get caught up. Put trucks on the road, put people on the road so we can maintain the service level that Albertans expect. Take care of our people that need assistance by maintaining resource levels, ensuring that their mental health is strong, their physical health is strong, and stop running them into the ground every single day."

Alberta chief paramedic Darren Sandbeck participated in the July 6 press conference.

"When asked in an interview how many people are experiencing mental health issues or needing assistance, he had no idea, which tells me the leadership is out of touch," says Palmer.

During that press conference, Sandbeck did discuss the impact of the pandemic on EMS.

"Our staff, like the entire health care system, has been under immense pressure over the last 16 months, and we do utilize staff who are available for overtime to bring in to staff units, and we do have sick calls from people who are unable to come to work," said Sandbeck. "We are also currently evaluating our casual pool of staff and those numbers and looking at strategies to bring on some additional staff to help us through the next little while through this high volume time."

From 2017 to 2019, Alberta Health Services estimates EMS ground ambulances responded to approximately 90,000 non-urgent events where directing patients to alternative care sites could have been considered. Of the 10 alternative healthcare facilities included in the new program, none are in the Calgary area in phase one and only one in the second phase, which in essence starts next year. 

HSAA represents 27,000 healthcare professionals.