Westlock will welcome four new paramedics in the coming weeks which will help provide the region with 24-hour coverage.
The new paramedics were part of a Dec. 7 announcement by health minister Sarah Hoffman that will see more than more 100 additional paramedics hired throughout the province.
“I think it’s really good news,” said mayor Ralph Leriger. “I think it’s important to recognize Westlock as the regional healthcare hub, so the additional service is fantastic. Emergency medical services are critical to our citizens.”
“From what I understand the real advantage here with the additional crew is that currently they can time out after so many hours of being on shift, then we’re at a place where for a certain number of hours we had no one and someone would have to come from other communities.”
Westlock firefighters are often called to the same incidents as paramedics and work very closely with them.
“The more resources we have available for these types of things, by all means,” said fire chief Stuart Koflick. “Obviously, there’s a need that’s been identified and I’m very pleased to hear that AHS has recognized that and are trying to do what they can to provide resources to Albertans.”
The announcement is supported through a $29 million increase for emergency medical services that was part of Budget 2018.
By hiring more paramedics and adding ambulances throughout the province, the hope is to alleviate pressures on emergency rooms and frontline workers.
Improving the transfer of patients from paramedic teams to hospital emergency departments, supporting the ongoing expansion of the Community Paramedic program and investing $1 million to support the mental health of EMS workers are also part of the government’s five-point plan to improve health care in the province.
“Albertans want to know that they and their loved ones will be taken care of if they face a medical emergency. That’s why our government is taking action to strengthen emergency services and support frontline EMS workers. With more ambulances on the road and more paramedics ready to respond, Albertans will have improved access to emergency medical care when it matters,” said Hoffman.
The president and CEO of AHS, Dr. Verna Yiu, said the new investments will allow AHS to address key priorities and improve access to care for Albertans.
“This targeted spending provides additional support where we need it most both rurally and in our metro operations, and improves our ability to continue to respond to patients whenever and wherever they have an emergency,” she said.
