Eastern Health is adding to its emergency service in the metro area.
The health authority is acquiring three new ambulances, two satellite ambulance stations and 14 new full-time paramedics. One ambulance is an addition to the current fleet and two are replacement ambulances. A satellite ambulance station was set up at Major's Path in February and a second station is planned for Mount Pearl later this year.
"The provincial government's capital investment of $450,000 last year for ambulance services has allowed us to strategically locate our emergency teams to respond quicker and provide timely patient care and transport during an emergency," CEO Vickie Kaminski said in a news release.
"In addition to this investment, Eastern Health has increased its operational funding in the paramedicine program to hire 14 full time paramedics to support the added services."
On average, in the metro area, paramedic services respond to 21,000 patient transports each year and 70 per cent of those calls are emergencies.
"The goal for Eastern Health in the metro area is to have a paramedic at the patients' side within 10 minutes of a life-threatening emergency call to 911," said Pat Coish-Snow, vice-president, regional acute care, medicine, emergency, and paramedicine program.
"The ambulance satellite stations are geographically located for a faster ambulance response. For life-threatening emergency calls, our aim is to meet the national standard response of 90 per cent compliance. This means that nine out of 10 calls for life-threatening emergencies will receive a response time of 10 minutes or less."
Corey Banks, division manager and EMS chief, paramedicine and medical transport, said that with the introduction of advanced care paramedic (ACP) practice, Newfoundland and Labrador joins the majority of Canada in providing a more advanced level of clinical care.
"ACPs can administer a wide range of medications, insert breathing tubes and can start hospital-level of care for many heart and breathing problems. Essentially for many emergency medical conditions, ACPs bring the emergency room to the patient,"?Banks said.
The announcement of the enhancement of emergency services in the metro area is being made during national emergency medical services week. Within Eastern Health there are approximately 100 employees providing emergency services including primary care paramedics, advanced care paramedics, emergency medical dispatchers and medical flight specialists.
In addition to the 21,000 patient transports annually, these employees perform approximately 1,100 air ambulance missions and co-ordinate approximately 25,000 patient transports annually throughout the province.
Eastern Health adds to ambulance service
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Published on
May 20, 2010
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Staff ~ The Telegram
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Comments
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- robroy
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:04:51
thanks amazed your your vote about the homes needing their own transportation but i don't see anywhere in my comment stating the ambulances wern't being utalized to the fullest of their potential
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- bruce
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:59:18
using our air ambulance money for st.john,s again
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- robroy
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:54:32
If I am not mistaken somewhere in the past Mr Williams said that the government were looking at giving the nursing home's their own transport system? For some reason I am thinking this is something that should have been put in place. I have seen staff at various hospitals waiting up to three hours for an ambulance .This is staff and money tied up. Why is it that eastern health didn't address that. I can promise the people of the St. John's area this would give you better access to emergency ambulances
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- amazed
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:50:56
RobRoy; br the last part of your post of your post suggests you think ambulances aren't being utilized to their fullest. br br This is staff and money tied up. Why is it that eastern health didn't address that. I can promise the people of the St. John's area this would give you better access to emergency ambulances
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- amazed
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:44:24
robroy; While I agree nursing homes should have a way to transport patients, I can promise you that ambulances do transport calls when there are no emergency calls. Transport calls are at the bottom of the priority list which is exactly why you see nursing home staff waiting long waits sometimes for the ambulance. The ambulance is busy doing what is is most needed for.
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- robroy
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:54:26
thanks amazed your your vote about the homes needing their own transportation but i don't see anywhere in my comment stating the ambulances wern't being utalized to the fullest of their potential
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- bruce
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:46:44
using our air ambulance money for st.john,s again
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- robroy
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:40:16
If I am not mistaken somewhere in the past Mr Williams said that the government were looking at giving the nursing home's their own transport system? For some reason I am thinking this is something that should have been put in place. I have seen staff at various hospitals waiting up to three hours for an ambulance .This is staff and money tied up. Why is it that eastern health didn't address that. I can promise the people of the St. John's area this would give you better access to emergency ambulances
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- amazed
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:34:04
RobRoy; br the last part of your post of your post suggests you think ambulances aren't being utilized to their fullest. br br This is staff and money tied up. Why is it that eastern health didn't address that. I can promise the people of the St. John's area this would give you better access to emergency ambulances
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- amazed
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:23:18
robroy; While I agree nursing homes should have a way to transport patients, I can promise you that ambulances do transport calls when there are no emergency calls. Transport calls are at the bottom of the priority list which is exactly why you see nursing home staff waiting long waits sometimes for the ambulance. The ambulance is busy doing what is is most needed for.
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