Re: "NDP releases FOIP documents on ambulance shortages in Airdrie, Cochrane," article, Airdrie City View, Aug. 18, 2022
Dear editor,
I was shocked and disappointed to learn that over the last three years, ambulances have been pulled out of surrounding communities into Calgary more than 30,000 times.
As a resident of Cochrane for the last 17 years, I have never questioned that an ambulance would be here when we need it until this current government started a war on our health-care system. Now, under the chaos created by the UCP’s complete mishandling of healthcare, our communities are at risk. Residents in Airdrie and Cochrane are unable to rely on getting an ambulance when they need it, and even worse, are sometimes being turned away from urgent care centres in their own communities. Many people are unable to find a family doctor.
While campaigning for the NDP, I have heard directly from people at their doors who told me they choose to drive themselves to a Calgary hospital, rather than deal with the uncertainty of waiting for an ambulance that may not arrive. I also recently read a story of an Airdrie teen who was told it would take more than half an hour for an ambulance to reach her after she dislocated her knee. When EMS did reach her, she was told they could not admit her at the local urgent care centre, as no new patients could be admitted after 8 p.m. because of the overnight weekend closures as they dealt with staffing shortages. This teen arrived at the urgent care centre at 8:02 p.m.
The residents of Airdrie and Cochrane deserve elected officials that will advocate and work strenuously for solutions to what ails our public health-care system, including EMS. The UCP, including MLAs Angela Pitt and Peter Guthrie, appear more distracted by their own UCP leadership drama.
It’s unacceptable, and we deserve better. It is time to elect a government that will make public health-care a priority in Airdrie-Cochrane. As the Alberta NDP candidate for the riding, I can assure you the Alberta NDP understands the pressures facing our public health-care system and can be trusted to ensure that everyone has access to public healthcare and to implement effective solutions to the EMS crisis.
Shaun Fluker
Airdrie-Cochrane NDP candidate
