Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) President, Mike Parker reacts to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) delegates adopting a resolution to call for the current government to consult with municipalities and HSAA to address the ambulance crisis.
Edmonton — Delegates attending the AUMA’s annual convention have endorsed a resolution directing its Board…to advocate for the Government of Alberta to immediately consult with municipalities and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, to develop a plan to make urgently needed improvements to the delivery and performance of the ambulance system.
“As we have seen throughout this pandemic, municipalities are providing leadership where the UCP government has failed to act. On behalf of our members, we applaud the AUMA for taking the initiative to address another crisis of health care,” said HSAA President and Advanced Care Paramedic, Mike Parker. “HSAA members are the paramedics that respond when people call for help. We are the experts, and we are eager to partner with AUMA to fix this problem.”
Just yesterday afternoon, Calgary and the communities surrounding it were hit by rolling red alerts (no ambulance available to respond). The wave of red alerts hit Calgary, Didsbury, Carstairs, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, Black Diamond, High River, Priddis, Chestermere, Canmore, Banff and Olds.
Red alerts also impacted Medicine Hat and Wheatland County including Strathmore. Medicine Hat, Olds and Linden were each already down an ambulance, due to lack of paramedics.
“A decade with no investment in EMS and the massive amount of people waiting for care due to delayed procedures and diagnosis means that what could have been preventative care is becoming a health emergency, and overwhelming our incredibly stretched ambulance services,” Parker concluded. “The only solution that will bring immediate change is to invest in more paramedics and fill the over 1,000 vacancies for health-care professionals across the province.”
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AUMA Resolution:
“AUMA advocate for the government of Alberta to immediately consult with municipalities and the Health Sciences Association of Alberta, to develop a plan to make urgently needed improvements to the delivery and performance of ambulance system where municipalities are recognized and compensated for the role they play in the support of the provincial health care system.”
HSAA is 28,000 health-care professionals dedicated to protecting the public health system and the health of Albertans who rely on it.
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Media Inquiries:
Myles Curry, HSAA Communications Manager
587-991-9445 | mylesc@hsaa.ca
