New emergency medical services (EMS) stations totaling $3.8 million have opened in Crystal City and Portage la Prairie as part of Manitoba’s commitment to building a stronger service that meets the needs of residents in those communities and the broader Southern Health-Santé Sud region.

“These new stations support enhanced emergency care for patients and underscore an ongoing commitment to develop a more effective and integrated emergency response system in the province,” said Health Minister Audrey Gordon. “This is a major upgrade to stations in rural Manitoba and demonstrates our commitment to build a more responsive, reliable and sustainable EMS system in Southern Health-Santé Sud and across Manitoba.”

The new EMS stations will act as operational hubs for paramedics, who are repositioned across the region using a flexible dispatch model that uses computer modelling and predictive deployment to ensure timely emergency response in all areas of the region, noted the minister.

“Emergency response teams, local health-care staff and residents of Southern Health-Santé Sud will all greatly benefit from these new facilities,” said Jane Curtis, CEO of Southern Health-Santé Sud. “Workflow out of these stations has fundamentally improved to better support the delivery of emergency services across the region and provincially.”

“The new station in Crystal City is a significant investment for now and for the future sustainability of this critical service in this area,” said Alison Fijala, CEO of Rock Lake Health District. “We are very appreciative to the province and Southern Health-Santé Sud for partnering to construct this modern and well-equipped station that will be advantageous for retention and recruitment of EMS professionals and is beneficial to so many people.”

Staff based in Portage la Prairie responded to nearly 3,100 calls last year, making that station the fourth busiest in the province outside of Winnipeg. The new 5,834-sq.-ft. facility, which replaces a station located in an old fire hall in nearby Southport, was constructed on the same site as Portage District General Hospital and includes a five-bay garage, offices, crew space and an area for training and meetings.

The station located in Crystal City is 1,800 sq. ft. and provides EMS staff with a larger station that has ample office space and staff areas, as well as vehicle space that meets modern requirements for emergency service vehicles.

“We now have more modern facilities that provide more suitable space for staff, training and vehicles, which benefits staff and everyone in the region who will be served through these stations,” said Scott Noble, regional director of EMS, Shared Health. “We are thankful for this investment that will enhance service for people in this region, particularly at times when they need help the most.”

Today’s announcement follows last summer’s announcement of a new $283-million hospital in Portage la Prairie. The combination of the new EMS stations and a new hospital, which will offer more inpatient beds, expanded capacity and an improved emergency department, underscores Manitoba’s commitment to ensuring residents and communities in Southern Health-Santé Sud can access a high level of care closer to home, noted Gordon.

The new EMS stations also build on the government’s commitment to invest in emergency services and enact recommendations made in the 2013 Manitoba EMS System Review including:

  • investing $4.2 million in a new EMS station in Selkirk to serve residents in the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority;
  • purchasing 65 new ambulances, which represents a refresh of approximately one-third of the province’s overall fleet, at a cost of approximately $10 million;
  • reducing ambulance fees by approximately 50 per cent to $250, making emergency care more affordable and accessible;
  • creating an additional 149.2 full-time equivalent (FTE) paramedic positions since 2016; and
  • declaring paramedicine to be a self-regulated profession.

For more information about emergency medical services in Manitoba, visit gov.mb.ca and sharedhealthmb.ca.