Abstract
[This is an excerpt.] Nearly every minute in Alberta, paramedics are called to a potential emergency that may require the use of medical and pharmaceutical interventions, as well as a variety of psychosocial skills, to save lives and prevent further illness. Hence, paramedics and the work they do on the streets (in ever-changing and unpredictable environments) and off the streets (in hospitals and other facilities) are central to the provision of health care in Alberta. For many Albertans, paramedics are the first point of contact in the health and social care system in the province. Suffice it to say, paramedics are a key component of this system. Prehospital emergency medical services and the workers central to the system — the paramedics — are in a state of crisis in Alberta. This is evidenced by increased rates of paramedic burnout/moral injury, staff retention issues, increased response times, increased number of code reds/red alerts” (which refers to instances where no ambulances are available for emergency calls for a specific community), and paramedics being “parked”/stuck in emergency departments. While SARS-COV-2 (hereafter COVID-19) and the opioid and overdose crisis (hereafter overdose crisis) have exacerbated the challenges experienced by paramedics in Alberta, the root of the current crisis dates back at least to the amalgamation of emergency medical services in the province in 2009. [To read more, click View Resource.]
