Nearly 40% of EMS calls don’t require transport — new pilot launching in Calgary – DiscoverAirdrie.com

Alberta says new paramedic units will begin responding to some low-priority, low-acuity calls in Calgary later this month as part of a pilot program aimed at keeping ambulances available for life-threatening emergencies.

In a March 12 news release, EHS-Alberta said the Health Evaluation and Linkage Paramedic Unit (HELP-U) pilot will launch March 17, adding six non-transport vehicles to the provincial fleet — three in Calgary and three in Edmonton.

EHS-Alberta says close to 40 per cent of 911 calls to the service do not result in a patient being transported by ground ambulance to an emergency department or urgent care centre.

The vehicles will be staffed by a single Primary Care Paramedic and dispatched to low-priority, low-acuity calls where patients are not expected to require urgent or emergent transport to hospital.

“HELP-U is about ensuring patients receive the right care in the right place,” said Les Fisher, Managing Director and Chief of EHS-Alberta. “By responding to appropriate low-acuity calls with non-transport units, we can keep ambulances available for time-critical emergencies while still delivering high-quality care and connecting patients to the services they need.”

HELP-U paramedics will respond in non-stretcher-capable vehicles equipped with standard paramedic medical equipment. They will assess and treat patients on scene and link them to appropriate care options such as walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, primary care providers, pharmacies, family transport or taxi services.

“The HELP-U pilot is one of several initiatives aimed at supporting low acuity patients through assessment and shared decision-making on scene,” said Anne MacDonald, Chief, Operations, EHS-Alberta. “It will support on-scene assessment and connect patients to appropriate community-based care when safe while preserving emergency ambulance capacity for time-critical events.”

If a patient’s condition requires urgent or emergent transport, additional Emergency Health Services resources will be dispatched to provide advanced care and ambulance transport.

EHS-Alberta says the pilot program will run for 12 months, with the possibility of extending or expanding the units based on the results.

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