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Alberta releases helicopter emergency services report
Jun 22, 2021 | 2:21 PM
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EDMONTON, AB – A report on Alberta’s helicopter emergency medical services has been released and looks at existing services, gaps in coverage, best practices and procedures, and funding models.
Alberta is evaluating the report and is consulting helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) providers before making any final decisions.
The 11 recommendations from the province are:
- AHS negotiate a service performance-based contract with STARS to provide HEMS throughout Alberta, with government providing 50 per cent of STARS’ annual operating costs in Alberta. Minister establish an air ambulance regulation under the Emergency Health Services Act that includes standards on HEMS and fixed-wing air ambulance.
- Integrate HEMS dispatch with EMS dispatch for ground ambulance and fixed-wing air ambulance, and integrate other clinician online consultation resources with EMS dispatch. Implementing this recommendation would be part of a larger policy shift that may involve re-imagining the 911, 811, and Referral, Access, Advice, Placement, Information, and Destination (RAAPID) systems in order to integrate EMS care.
- Develop qualifications for ground and air EMS emergency communication officers.
- Determine the provision of ALS and Critical Care based on patient and community need, not mode of transport.
- Multidisciplinary teams must be developed to support patient needs, call type and location. The composition of these teams would be determined in the context of available supports in a given community.
- Integrate rural and remote ground ambulance with ALS and Critical Care Paramedics – using full scope of practice for
paramedics. - Establish a provincial EMS advisory committee that includes all ground and air ambulance.
- Ensure that accreditation standards for HEMS air ambulance align with Accreditation Canada standards for EMS and IFTs.
- HEMS education, evaluation, and metrics should be similar across all air/ground ambulance environments for the scene and emergent/urgent access and transport and care of critically ill patients to higher levels of care.
- Identify best practice in educational programming and continuing competency across the EMS system.
- Work with municipalities to integrate rescue as appropriate for zone needs.
