Alberta adding more paramedics, acute care staff and ER staff
The provincial government has announced further plans to bolster Alberta's struggling health-care system by adding more full-time staff.
Premier Danielle Smith, Health Minister Jason Copping and Alberta Health Services (AHS) administrator Dr. John Cowell gathered in Calgary on Monday to discuss the announcement.
Additions to front-line staff include:
- 114 full-time equivalent nursing staff for emergency department teams in Alberta's 16 largest hospitals and some of suburban hospitals; and
- 127 full-time allied health staff, such as social workers, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
In addition, AHS will be transitioning 70 current temporary full-time paramedic positions to regular (permanent) full-time.
"These positions will be allocated to all five of our operating zones, with 20 positions in Calgary and Edmonton, and 10 positions in each of our three rural zones," said the government in a news release.
The province says a further 80 full-time regular paramedic positions will be posted "shortly."
The initiatives are part of the government's Healthcare Action Plan, launched in November 2022.
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