Alberta's health-care workers union wants more done to protect staff during Omicron
The Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA) is calling on the province to act and ensure the success of the public health-care system as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to spread.
In recent months, Emergency Medical Services in Alberta have experienced numerous 'code reds,' meaning no ambulances and paramedics are available in a given region.
“Members from across this province are reporting unfilled shifts, forced overtime or they can't get home at the end of the day, because there are no people available,” said HSAA president Mike Parker.
Alberta Health Services said in a statement that it will use resources from other communities.
“At times, we may temporarily reposition units from other communities or defer non-urgent transfers to address shift gaps, and may also use a single paramedic response units as needed,” said spokesperson James Wood.
“EMS has also brought on additional staff and ambulances and filled 100 paramedic positions across the province as well as working closely with hospital teams to ensure timely flow through our emergency departments.”
As for days off, AHS says vacation is handed out.
“All in-scope paramedic staff requested and are approved for 75 per cent of their annual vacation allotment at the start of the year via the annual vacation selection process,” said Wood.
For calls in Calgary, ambulances have been dispatched from as far away as Sylvan Lake, which is 158 kilometres north of the city.
The union says lengthy response times are due in part to ambulances being dropped or downgraded during shifts as a result of staffing shortages.
“I encourage any member if they want to speak out, if you please flow through us so we can protect them from this predatory employer,” said Parker.
“It is dangerous times when we speak the truth. They know the truth, the employer does, the government does and they are using a heavy hand to ensure that they don't speak out as frontline paramedics.”
With Omicron spreading and more than 1,000 people now in hospital, AHS says staff are not being reprimanded for being sick.
“It is categorically untrue to say staff are being punished for calling in sick,” said Wood.
HSAA represents 28,000 health-care workers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.