Alberta Health Services presented the Policy and Priorities Committee with an Emergency Medical Services activity report for Rocky View County (RVC), as well as a service update on the STARS Air Ambulance at a meeting Oct. 6.
Alberta Health Services presented the Policy and Priorities Committee with an Emergency Medical Services activity report for Rocky View County (RVC), as well as a service update on the STARS Air Ambulance at a meeting Oct. 6.
The presentation was an opportunity for AHS to provide relevant and up-to-date statistical information, as well as giving the committee the chance to ask questions on emergency medical care being provided by the province.
“Our focus is on better quality, better outcomes, and better value, ” said Donald Allen, director of suburban and rural clinical operations with AHS. “That's the critical foundation for all activity within AHS. ”
According to Allen, EMS has received a $14 million budget for 2015-2016 that will see the provision of 16 ambulances, 16 paramedic response units, and three non-ambulance transportation vehicles, which he said will replace “existing capital. ”
EMS is also following recommendations from the Health Quality Council and moving to a complete “consolidated dispatch ” model, which is still in the development process.
Statistics presented to the committee showed that call volume has remained relatively steady since 2013, but response statistics show a decrease over the past three years for both emergency and non-emergency events, as well as event response intervals for emergency events.
“What this basically means is over the last three years, we are getting a little bit faster, ” Allen said.
The report also indicated some next steps for the 2014-2017 AHS Health and Business Plan, which includes a concentration on providing a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. The plan also aims to ensure purposeful engagement with staff, contractors, community, and health colleagues, and explores non-traditional roles for assisting patients within the community.
STARS has been in operation for 30 years, providing 24/7 service to 249 communities within Alberta. According to Glenda Farnden, STARS will fly approximately 30 missions per year within RVC.
“We currently have 11 helicopters in our fleet now, and we are averaging eight missions per day - five per day in Alberta, ” Farnden said. “We strive to stay on the leading edge of technology, and we are also internationally acclaimed as being a leader in critical care. ”
With only 24 per cent of their funding coming from government grants, Farnden said STARS depends heavily on fundraisers to continue serving the province. Since 1991, she said, RVC has contributed $208,000 to the program, and in 2016, they are requesting a commitment of support at $2 per capita over a three-year term.
“STARS is fuelled by generosity, ” she said. “All of Alberta's municipalities are joining together to provide a complete complement of protective services for their residents. Currently, we have 2/3 of Alberta's municipalities that are supporting STARS and recognizing us as a valued part of those protective services. ”
Farnden requested that the committee consider including STARS in next year's budget, and following a motion from councillor Bruce Kendall, the committee voted unanimously to have the funding request added to their 2016 budget deliberations.
