EMS moves from AHS to Acute Care Alberta

By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on March 12, 2025.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

The provincial government is transferring emergency health services from Alberta Health Services to Acute Care Alberta, a move it says will “enhance specialized expertise, improve care and focus, and strengthen this vital component of the health care system.”

Emergency health services under the oversight of Acute Care Alberta “will work to enhance emergency care and improve system efficiency, patient safety and response times in all parts of the province. Emergency health services in the refocused health care system will also be accountable for driving system improvements and meeting performance targets, concentrating on workforce sustainability and well-being for both staff and patients to better serve Albertans,” says the province.

In a media release, the government says reliable and fast emergency care will always remain vital with quick response times and dependable transportation making a difference in saving lives as well as improving health outcomes.

The government says strengthening EMS capacity and supporting paramedics on the front lines of duty is a top priority.

The 2025 budget has increased EMS funding by $56 million, that money which the province says will equip paramedics with state-of-the-art vehicles to provide emergency care quickly and effectively.

And if the budget passes, an additional $40 million will be provided toward a total investment of $60 million over three years to the EMS Vehicles Capital Program to replaced used vehicles that have reached the end of their lifespans.

As of February, the AHS fleet of EMS vehicles included 617 in-service ambulances and 45 support vehicles.

“This investment will support efforts to decrease response times by improving fleet reliability, which will help ensure that patients can be transported quickly to emergency rooms, urgent care centres or specialized care facilities. With upgraded vehicles and equipment, paramedics will be equipped with the reliable state-of-the-art tools they need to continue delivering life-saving care to Albertans across the province,” says the government.

The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, in its own statement, said the announcement is about changing letterhead, not lives.

“Frontline paramedics need better vehicles,” said Mike Parker, president of the association. “They need better equipment. But more than anything, they need backup. They need more on the front lines, in those vehicles, using that equipment. No one calling 911 is worried about whether it’s EMS or AHS or Acute Care Alberta. They’re worried about who is arriving and how long it’s going to take.

Parker added that there were precious few details about the change as well.

“Today, the government could not articulate how many more staff will be added to the system. They don’t know when these ambulances will be ordered, when they will arrive, or where they will be deployed. Emergency services professionals hope that this refocusing will mean more health care professionals but that was not clear today.

“Paramedics are burning out at alarming rate. We’re seeing ambulances called from further and further away. We’re seeing mass casualty stretchers in ambulance bays because emergency rooms are full. So today, I have a recommendation for the report that’s sitting on the Minister’s desk: invest in staff. Pay them better, treat them better. Retain them, recruit them, and above all, respect them,” he added.