AHS wants the public to help develop the future of emergency care

Alberta Health Services says it wants to hear from you about how it can improve a number of the issues facing the province's emergency care services.

Starting Thursday, interested parties will be able to register online to access information and a survey filled with questions about what is and isn't working within EMS.

"This service plan will reflect how EMS integrates into Alberta’s health system and provide the vision and direction for EMS in Alberta for the next five years. It will also set out a clear roadmap on how to get there," AHS said in a release.

The survey, which is open until April 8, is only expected to take between five to 10 minutes to complete.

Earlier this year, Health Minister Jason Copping announced a plan to alleviate the pressure on Alberta's EMS system that was brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as staffing and equipment issues.

The committee will also be looking at EMS response times in an effort to address the "red alerts" – situations where there are no ambulances to respond to critical situations – in both Calgary and Edmonton.

Last week, the government also announced it was spending $64 million to add more ambulances and paramedics to AHS' network.

The budget for EMS in Alberta is approximately $587 million, more than 12 per cent more than it was in 2021.

AHS plans to wrap up its long-term service plan by Sept. 30.