Local resources available to reduce pressure on EMS

Medsource owner/director Mike Klapey has a conference call today with two high-level Alberta Health officials in hopes of continuing a discussion that abruptly ended last winter on providing non-emergent transfers to Calgary hospitals.

Yesterday, Medsource held a grand opening at its 221 Railway St. E. headquarters to create public awareness of the extent of its emergency medical services. They teamed up with the local EMS citizens group (CAG) in calling upon the government to follow through on its decision to utilize private operators for non-emergent transfers.

Over a year ago, Alberta Health Services announced it would pursue other avenues of transportation for non-emergent transfers, including private operators. Klapey says they were turned down early in the process by health officials and to his knowledge no private operators have been recruited as of yet.

"We did get a thank you, but no, thank you early on in the process, and it was a bit frustrating to me because it really didn't seem like they dug deep into what our capability was," says Klapey. "So, from what they read on paper, they made a decision without digging into it further, but it's their decision to make."

In today's meeting, he intends to reiterate the message that operators like Medsource can play a valuable role in easing the pressure on Alberta's EMS and 9-1-1 system.

"If companies like ours can take care of these non-emergency transfers, that relieves a lot of stress on the frontline services and systems. It reduces fatigue of the medics and allows those services to be accessed more freely and faster in the community."

He says Alberta Health generally handles its non-emergent transfers through its 911 system, which is already backed up with emergency calls. 

"There are options available that can help fix some of the problems. We can't fix it all on our own, but if we work together, as several operators, we can make things better," says Klapey.

CAG chair Brian Winter spoke at yesterday's opening with Medsource owner Brian Klapey at his side.

The idea has been endorsed and promoted by the local EMS CAG committee as one of their four pillars. The others are ending the flexing of local ambulances to other communities other than in exceptional circumstances, ending hospital wait times, and ensuring ensure ambulance crews return to base at the end of their shift 95 per cent of the time.

READ: EMS action items presented to province's top EMS officials

"Pillar number 3 is why we're here," said CAG chair Brian Winter.  "Mike and his company have purchased a building, he employs staff, he pays taxes, so we're here to promote him to AHS so he can actually do calls."

"AHS needs Medsource more than Medsource needs AHS."

Retired paramedic Don Sharpe, expert advisor to CAG for the last two years, says AHS has done some things correctly but has lost the plot.

"AHS has abused their staff, abused their emergency paramedics. They've asked them to do more than is necessary between waiting in the hallway, doing extra non-emerg transfers, getting back late, not being able to eat, rest, or receive any training, and that's enough.

"We've lost a lot of staff, we had a lot of staff leave and go into other industries, and it's a shame because these are good people who did good work."

Sharpe says they continue to FIOP EMS data.

"I can tell you Cochrane EMS crews are out of service far too often. They have ambulances here they can't staff on a regular basis, and that's unacceptable."

"Calgary Zone has 70 supervisors and managers, and yet they routinely can't staff 10 or 20 trucks. So, I don't think that unreasonable to ask that AHS step up and get this thing done. They promised this would be done last June. It's now February."

On average there are 30 non-emergent transfers from Cochrane to Calgary each month.

It may not sound like much, but there are other factors to take into consideration when estimating the time that takes.

"You could say, well, maybe an hour, maybe two, but what if they get stuck in a hallway? Then you add it to the fact that when they clear the hospital, they get flexed to Calgary to do another call. So, they may not get back here for eight or nine hours."

Medsource has been based out of Cochrane for 12 years and provides emergency medical services and safety services to private industry and government agencies.

Besides Cochrane, they have field crews located in Mayerthorpe, Grande Prairie, and Golden, B.C.