| The Calgary Paramedics Union is worried Calgarians will see a decline in emergency medical services if the Calgary Health Region takes over responsibility of EMS from the City of Calgary as scheduled next April.
Earlier this year, the province announced that all EMS services would be taken over by health regions in order to ensure provincial standards and uniform service across Alberta. Currently, EMS services are governed and funded by municipalities.
Pete Helfrich, treasurer of the union, says the City of Calgary has done a good job of overseeing EMS services and the union is concerned that the transition to governance by the Calgary Health Region could be disastrous.
"It appears that they have some real issues with waiting lists and screw-ups that are going on," says Helfrich.
He says the Calgary Health Region also always seems to be in dire financial straits so he questions how well-funded ground ambulance services would be in the city.
"When the CHR is running in the black, we’ll be more than ready to jump onboard," he says. "We just simply have not received any type of plan (from the health region)…. Of course, our greatest fear is there’ll be huge staff cuts, but we don’t know."
Helfrich says Calgary’s EMS always ranks high when compared to other EMS services in North America and he says Calgarians are currently getting a "Cadillac service." The union would like to see the Calgary Health Region contract out administration of EMS services to the City of Calgary so that the high-quality service continues, says Helfrich. The union is lobbying city council to push for that option.
Kurt Hanson, EMS transition team leader for the City of Calgary, says city council is awaiting additional information from the CHR "on the sustainability of the service level."
"They want some assurance on how long the service level would be maintained into the future," says Hanson. "They really wanted a clear picture back from the Calgary Health Region."
Hanson says he’s hoping to present additional information from the CHR to council before the December 13 meeting when council will discuss the issue. Funding is a concern for the city, says Hanson.
He points out that the province earmarked $55 million for EM S service across the province for the 2005-2006 budget year. The City of Calgary spent $19.6 million on Calgary’s EMS this year.
"(The $55 million) is inadequate. We say that. The health region says that," says Hanson.
Alberta Health and Wellness spokesperson Howard May says all health regions are required to have a transition plan in place by April 1, 2005 to take over EMS services.
"What they’re doing right now is ironing out the details," he says. "The only thing up in the air is the timing."
May says Calgarians won’t see any change in service and the overall goal is for people across the province to see improvements in EMS services.
"If ambulance service is health care it makes sense if it’s under the health-care system," he says. |
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