Families in many communities in southern Manitoba will soon have enhanced access to emergency medical services (EMS) as construction is now underway on a new EMS station in Iles des Chênes. This announcement was made by Health Minister Erin Selby.
“Communities south of Winnipeg, like Iles des Chênes, Lorette, Niverville and New Bothwell, are growing rapidly with more and more families putting down rural roots,” said Minister Selby.
Construction on the new, two-unit ambulance station has just started and should be completed in 2015, Tourism, Culture, Heritage, Sport and Consumer Protection Minister Ron Lemieux noted today while attending the sod-turning event in Iles des Chênes. The 2,000-sq.-ft. facility will be equipped with crew offices and will also include overnight facilities for EMS workers including washrooms and showers.
“This investment will enhance services for residents and paramedics and presents renewed infrastructure in the community,” said Kathy McPhail, chief executive officer, Southern Health-Santé Sud. “This will allow us to improve response times while using our resources more efficiently.”
The median provincial EMS response time in rural Manitoba has significantly decreased to 12 minutes per call from 16 minutes per call in 2011, the minister said, adding it is expected this new ambulance station will provide additional support resulting in more consistent response times, especially in rural areas.
“This investment improves access to emergency services and brings them closer to home, which is so important to families living in these communities,” Minister Lemieux said.
The minister noted this announcement builds on other recent investments in emergency services including:
- replacing the entire ambulance fleet of 160 vehicles since 1999, replacing 140 of those units again since 2009 and adding 18 new ambulances to bring the total fleet to 178 from 160 in 1999;
- training more paramedics by introducing a new advanced-care paramedic program which will begin next fall at Red River College and expanding a primary-care paramedic program at the Red River College main campus and at three rural and northern sites this year in Portage la Prairie, Thompson and Brandon;
- transitioning 25 part-time EMS positions to full-time positions by spring of 2015;
- introducing the southern air ambulance inter-facility transport initiative, which covers the cost of flights to Winnipeg for medical testing and treatment for patients who would otherwise face an ambulance ride longer than two and a half hours to Winnipeg;
- providing $9.7 million to purchase and retrofit a replacement Lifeflight jet for life saving medical care and transportation from isolated rural hospitals and nursing stations to care centres in Winnipeg; and
- providing an estimated $11 million each year to fund the full patient cost of inter-facility transports.
For more information on emergency medical services in Manitoba, visit www.gov.mb.ca/health/ems.
