Dear Neighbours,
I am pleased to report that help is on the way for Albertans needing emergency healthcare.
As part of the Healthcare Action Plan, Alberta’s government is working with Alberta Health Services to improve EMS response times and open acute care beds in emergency departments faster.
Your government values and recognizes Alberta’s paramedics. Government aims to ensure their skills are being used in the best way possible, while also ensuring Albertans are not left waiting after a call to 911. The plan proposes only using ambulances for patients who require medical support during transport. For patients who do not require medical support during transport, AHS will arrange for alternative transportation options like community shuttles and wheelchair accessible taxis. This means more ambulances on the road and available for emergency calls instead of being needlessly tied-up when medical care is not needed.
This new program is one of several actions underway designed to better serve Albertans. AHS has an aggressive plan to reduce pressures and improve system performance. This also includes reducing wait times for surgeries and improving overall patient flow and capacity.
Government is also working with AHS for additional action. This includes adding a triage physician to emergency department waiting rooms to support patient offloads and allowing paramedics to assess and treat patients without having to transport them to hospital.
I would also like to provide some good economic news. A new TD Economic report projects Alberta’s economic growth will lead the country in 2023 with Alberta outperforming all other provinces. In 2023, oil production is still expected to grow, as well as oil patch spending, driving optimism among banks and businesses. Further, the $21.4 billion Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project is expected to be completed later in the year.
Job numbers reveal that 88,800 new jobs were created in December alone! Since 2021, Alberta has created 221,000 jobs. Policies matter, and we are putting the right policies in place to grow and diversify the economy.
Your government is taking action on healthcare and the economy, and I am working to make sure my constituents of Calgary-Currie are supported.
Sincerely,
MLA Nicholas Milliken
MLA – Calgary Currie Nicholas Milliken proudly serves the following Communities: Bankview, Currie, Glenbrook, Glendale, Killarney-Glengarry, Richmond-Knob Hill, Rosscarrock, Rutland Park, Scarboro, Scarboro/Sunalta West, Shaganappi, Spruce Cliff, Sunalta, Westgate
