Committee tasked with providing advice to Minister of Health on solutions to challenges facing Alberta’s emergency medical services system
The RMA has joined the Alberta EMS Provincial Advisory Committee (AEPAC). AEPAC was recently formed by the Government of Alberta to provide advice to the Minister of Health on issues and solutions related to emergency medical services (EMS). The committee has been tasked with providing recommendations to the minister by May 2022.
The RMA will keep members informed of the committee’s progress to the extent allowable under the committee terms of reference. The RMA also looks forward to engaging with members on this issue to better understand key priorities, issues and concerns related to EMS across the province, which will inform the RMA’s participation on the committee.
Additionally, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has released a 10-point plan to address the challenges faced by the EMS system. The five items identified for immediate action are:
- Hiring more paramedics
- Launching pilot projects to manage non-emergency inter-facility transfers
- Initiating an “hours of work” project to help ease staff fatigue
- Transferring low priority calls to other agencies in consultation with EMS physicians
- Stopping the automatic dispatch of ambulances to motor vehicle collisions that don’t have injuries
Advocating for EMS solutions in rural areas is a priority for RMA and participating on this advisory committee is an opportunity for the RMA to share the rural municipal perspective directly with decision makers.
Warren Noga
Policy Advisor
780.955.4079
warren@RMAlberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@RMAlberta.com