Steinbach MLA and Health, Seniors and Active Living Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced that a new, one-bay emergency medical services facility was officially opened in St. Laurent, Manitoba.
“People living in communities like St. Laurent need to have access to high-quality emergency medical services,” said Goertzen. “This new facility will be a modern workplace for area paramedics while ensuring people in the area can get the care they need.”
The facility includes space for one ambulance, and has an attached crew area with a washroom, kitchenette, work rooms and large multi-purpose room. The province invested $680,000 to build the new station.
“Our paramedics are often the first members of our health-care teams to attend to medical emergencies, and we know they encounter complex and demanding situations every day,” said Ron Van Denakker, chief executive officer, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority. “This new station provides another appropriate home base for these teams when they aren’t on our roads delivering and connecting people with the care they need.”
The minister noted the Manitoba government is committed to ensuring quality and affordable emergency medical services are available across the province.
“When someone is critically hurt or injured, they and their family need to focus on the care, not the costs,” said Goertzen. “We continue to move forward with our work to ensure these services remain affordable for Manitoba families.”
Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living has formed a working group with representatives from the regional health authorities to continue to implement a 50 per cent reduction of the current average ambulance fee of $500 over four years, Goertzen said.
Ambulance services are outside the scope of the Canada Health Act and costs are the responsibility of the patient in jurisdictions across the country.
In Manitoba, land ambulance services are delivered by a combination of providers including regional health authorities and other service providers under agreement with regional health authorities such as municipalities or First Nation communities.
For more information on emergency medical services in Manitoba, visit: www.gov.mb.ca/health/ems.
