A union of B.C. paramedics is sounding the alarm over increasing ER closures and the strain it puts on ambulance services.
The Ambulance Paramedics of BC (APBC) CUPE Local 873 issued a statement Monday warning the public about a “growing number of temporary ER closures” throughout the province ahead of the busy winter season.
The union says more than 250 B.C. emergency departments have seen temporary closures this year.
“As these closures increase, the weight on paramedics grows heavier. Our members are being asked to fill gaps across the system that continue to widen,” said APBC President Jason Jackson.
He says that with every additional closure, the system becomes harder to maintain.
“When an ER goes dark for a night or a weekend, that pressure doesn’t disappear—it lands squarely on the backs of our paramedics.”
Communications Director Ian Tait tells 1130 NewsRadio that the union is getting nervous, anticipating a typically busy holiday season.
Tait wondered, “Can we get paramedics across the province to these locations? Can we find the staff? And are we going to be able to continue to manage these gaps in these communities for the rest of the year?”
Around the same time as the APBC issued its warning, the Interior Health Authority announced the Similkameen Health Centre in Keremeos will indefinitely change its emergency services hours.
Effective Monday, the centre will only offer emergency care on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.
“When the health centre is closed, patients should call 911 or proceed to the nearest available hospital for care,” said the health authority.
Tait says any ER closure in a rural community, for however long, means the paramedics “become the health-care system” for the time.
“The issue is we’re already struggling to keep ambulances staffed on a regular, good day. Now, with increasing transport times and trying to bring patients to other communities and other hospitals, we’re nervous about how much longer we’re going to be able to keep this afloat. “
When ambulances have to cross great distances to reach the nearest open emergency room, Tait says, “minutes count.”
“Time can play a huge factor in certain health care things, whether you’re having a stroke or a heart attack, or god forbid, a cardiac arrest.”
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The provincial government has faced a lot of criticism over the closures. In response, it’s ramped up efforts to recruit and retain health-care workers provincewide.
In September, Health Minister Josie Osborne announced that 140 U.S. health-care workers had accepted job offers in B.C. since the start of a campaign in May.
“This includes eight allied health professionals, 80 nurses, 16 nurse practitioners and 38 doctors,” Osborne explained.
She said B.C. has received nearly 1,400 applications and nearly 3,000 health-care workers have expressed interest at the time.
Tait says he accepts that the province is doing “absolutely everything that they can” and is collaborating with the union.
“We’re currently in contract negotiations with the government. We’ve brought a lot of different options and solutions to the table about how to fix this. How to use paramedics more. How can we recruit? How can we retain more paramedics? How can we train more paramedics?”
He says B.C. paramedics are in a great position to step up when needed, but what the province needs is a long-term solution.
As winter storms, holiday traffic, and increased medical demand approach, Jackson says British Columbians, especially in communities that have experienced ER disruptions already, need to be prepared.
“Know your nearest available ER, be aware of weather conditions, and understand that transport times may be longer during these closures. When in doubt, call 911, and know that our dispatchers and paramedics are working around the clock on your behalf.”
—With files from Srushti Gangdev