Sedans May Replace Ambulances???

According to an article in today's Winnipeg Free Press (Sedans may replace ambulances), Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is considering the use of smaller vehicles to send paramedics to triage and treat non life-threatening calls. "Community paramedics" would be able to respond to certain 911 calls, assess and treat patients in their home and perhaps eliminate the need to transport these patients to an emergency room. Great idea on the surface...I've long been advocating the need to find alternative treatment schemes that reduce the number of patients transported to ERs in an effort to decrease wait times and better treat our patients.

But the Free Press article goes on to suggest that the responding paramedic might "call a taxi" or "strap the patient into the passenger's seat and provide a lift to an urgent-care clinic or even the ER". HUH???

Any system that looks at appropriate options to treat patients and leave them in the comfort of their home, transport certain patients to urgent-care or clinic settings in lieu of an emergency room or recommend patients follow-up with their personal physician to eliminate long and uneccesary waits in an ER waiting room is, in my view, a progressive system. But moving health care into a taxicab or the passenger seat of a rapid response unit is not appropriate.

According to senior city staff, the amount of time a Winnipeg ambulance is actually in use by a patient is "unparalleled in Canada" and much higher than accepted industry standards. Winnipeg has 21 transporting ambulances in service during peak periods. In comparison, the City of Ottawa has 10 Rapid Response Units and 40 transporting ambulances to serve a population base of about 900,000. Introducing "community paramedics" in Winnipeg in combination with an appropriate increase in transporting ambulances would improve unit utilization and provide improved patient care within that EMS system. Transporting patients in a cab or a single staffed paramedic unit will not!

Health Minister Issues "Call to Action"

Late last week, Manitoba's Minister of Health Theresa Oswald called on front-line health care providers to "step forward and share their expertise at vaccination clinics" as the province stepped up plans in preparation for the fall flu season. In a Government News Release issued October 2nd, Oswald urged Manitoba's health care workers to "respond to our call to action". In response to the Minister's plea, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba is encouraging qualified Paramedics to answer the Minister's call for help.

In correspondence addressed to the Emergency Services Branch of Manitoba Health and Healthy Living, sent August 25th and copied to the Minister, the Paramedic Association of Manitoba suggested the province consider using Paramedics to assist with community flu vaccination programs. A significant number of Paramedics are certified by their Regional Medical Directors to perform injection medication administration, and as such would be an excellent resource to assist wherever needed in the community delivery of H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine. Further correspondence has been sent to Minister Oswald advising her the Association will be distributing her request to members across the province.