Ambulance and hospital wait times seeing massive delays in northern Alberta

If you need emergency medical care Wednesday afternoon in North Edmonton, the average wait time is over three hours.

However, it was worse Tuesday night, as an ER doctor took to Twitter to share how long wait times were at nearly 3 a.m.

https://twitter.com/rajsherman/status/1481206855741640708

Alberta Health Services is extremely concerned about the increasing number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19, but for patients, it’s also a question of wait times for ambulances to get to the hospital.

“An hour wait for a paramedic to get through your door is an extremely long time and has a significant impact on the outcome of your disease process,” said Mike Parker, Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) president.

#HSAAEMS #REDALERT #EDMONTON #yeg #SherwoodPark #shpk #FortSaskatchewan #Fortsask #StAlbert #StonyPlain #SpruceGrove #Leduc #Calmar #Beaumont #ableg #ABHealth #AHS #yourEMS pic.twitter.com/URe8Qejl4d

— HSAAlbertaEMS (@HSAAlbertaEMS) January 12, 2022

The union which represents a large number of paramedics has been sounding the alarm for weeks about the alarming frequency of ‘code reds’ – when there is no available EMS at a given time – leading to calls for paramedics from surrounding communities to respond.

“There are at least two occasions that I am aware of that Lloydminster has been dispatched as the closest ambulance to Edmonton,” added Parker. Meaning the closest ambulance called to Edmonton was over two and a half hours away.

AHS also confirmed to CityNews, wait times are up in recent months, but they continue to get to the vast majority of calls in time.

But the union is concerned about staff burnout and sick leave due to COVID, as we head into a new wave of Omicron patients.

Seeing an increase in days where there are more calls to 911 than staff are able to answer, “meaning they have to disconnect or hang up on this caller to pick up the next one because the volume is so high, which means they don’t have enough communications officers to answer the calls. We don’t have enough paramedics to respond and this is directly a look at the healthcare crisis we are facing in this province. Because it’s not just EMS, this transcends right into the hospitals,” explained Parker.

AHS is bracing for increased pressure on the system, saying just like they have adjusted in previous waves, the current projected need can be met.

But those on the front line, wondering at what cost. With one simple request to everyone.

“I need our average Albertan to stay safe because I don’t know if we can get to you on time anymore.”

A sentiment shared by AHS, and ER doctors asking you to be safe, mask up and be patient with staff if you do need medical help.