Province makes changes to improve ambulance response times
SHARE ON: Photo of BC Ambulance (Vista Radio Stock Image)
After an unprecedented number of deaths related to the recent heat wave, the province is overhauling B.C.’s ambulance service..
Provincial funding will go towards 85 new full-time paramedics, 30 full-time dispatchers, 22 new ambulances, and converting 22 rural ambulance stations to 24/7 ALPHA stations.
Six are scheduled to be running by this October. Plans for up to an additional 16 stations will be ready around the same time.
Health minister, Adrian Dix, says this will quicken response times while relieving pressure on first responders.
“This immediate action on operations, as well as stronger leadership and increased investment at BC Emergency Health Services, will deliver a more effective ambulance service for patients and families depending on it,” Dix said. “And of course we have to support our workforce: our ambulance paramedics (and) our dispatch
Minister of health Adrian Dix made the announcement Wednesday, assigning former Vancouver police chief Jim Chu as the new chair of the BCEHS board.
In addition, the current chief operating officer of Providence Health Care, Leanne Heppell, has been appointed as B.C.’s new chief ambulance officer on an interim basis.
Dix says the board of directors will now focus solely on ambulance services to ensure direct leadership of services, with the board reporting directly to the minister.
“When we call for help, we need to know help is on the way, and that it will arrive quickly,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health.
B C ambulance service overhauled to improve response, job security timescolonist.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timescolonist.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stronger leadership at BC Emergency Health Services will include the appointment of former Vancouver police chief Jim Chu as chair of a board focused on the ambulance service and Leanne Heppell as the new chief ambulance officer. Heppell is a clinical nurse specialist with 20 years of experience in senior leadership at Vancouver Coastal Health and the BC Ambulance Service. A new standard will be set to improve service for patients and families along with greater support for employees, including in rural communities where more permanent full-time and part-time jobs will be offered to replace casual positions, Dix said. The idea is to create, in smaller communities, jobs where people do other work in health care and serve as ambulance paramedics, he said. That s the direction that we ve been going now for three years and we ve seen some transformation, and we re going to have to see more.
B C government strengthening ambulance system mynelsonnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mynelsonnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.