CHAT News File Photo

By Chris Brown

Province expands eligible ambulance transport locations to reduce wait times, improve care

Jul 6, 2021 | 10:14 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A Medicine Hat care home is one of six health centres in Alberta accepting patients transported by ambulance, something the province says will lead to better care for Albertans.

Health Minister Tyler Shandro was at St. Joseph’s Home Carmel Hospice with Brooks-Medicine Hat MLA Michaela Glasgo today to make the announcement.

The government says Albertans can get better management of chronic illnesses if they’re taken to a location better able to support their needs instead of to an emergency department. In turn, more health-care destinations for ambulances will reduce strain on hospital emergency departments and reduce ambulance wait times.

” This change means that patients can be transported to another location when a hospital emergency department is not the level of care that they need,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro said.

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” For a number of years now we had a recurring problem with paramedics lining up at emergency departments waiting to transfer care of their patients, and it is not the right use of their skills as paramedics and it is not the best care for their patients. EMS and the hospitals do their best to mitigate it with practices aimed at getting crews on the road faster,” said Health Minister Tyler Shandro.

From 2017 to 2019, there were about 90,000 non-urgent events where EMS ground ambulances taking patients to alternative care sites could have been considered. By the end of 2021, 10 alternative health-care facilities across Alberta will be included in the first phase of this change, with many more locations being added by 2023.

Phase 1 facilities already receiving patients being transported by ambulance:

• St. Joseph’s Home Carmel Hospice (Medicine Hat)
• St. Michael’s Health Centre (Lethbridge)
• Bashaw Care Centre (Bashaw)
• Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre (Sylvan Lake)
• La Crete Health Centre (La Crete)
• Rainbow Lake Health Centre (Rainbow Lake)

Additional Phase 1 facilities to be included by Dec. 31:

• Magrath Health Centre (Magrath)
• Piyami Health Centre (Picture Butte)
• East Calgary Health Centre (Calgary)
• Slave Lake Family Care Clinic (Slave Lake)