The entrance to the emergency department at Peter Lougheed hospital is pictured in, Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Emergency Health Services-Alberta (EHS-Alberta) is launching a new six-month pilot project that will provide free taxi rides for certain 911 callers in Calgary and Edmonton who don’t require an ambulance but still need in-person medical care.
Announced Thursday, the program expands the existing 911 Shared Response initiative between EHS-Alberta and Health Link 811 that began in 2023. That program diverts low-acuity, non-life-threatening 911 calls to registered nurses at Health Link for triage and guidance.
Under the new pilot, eligible patients assessed by Health Link 811 and advised to seek care within 24 hours may now be offered a no-cost taxi ride to the nearest emergency department or urgent care centre if they don’t have another way to get there.
EHS-Alberta said in a release, “by working together with our partners at Health Link 811, we are improving patient care while protecting ambulance availability for the patients who need us most.”
According to EHS-Alberta, more than one-third of the 50,000 redirected 911 calls ended up being transferred back for non-emergency ambulance transport, a use of resources the new pilot aims to reduce.
To qualify for the free ride from their location, patients must be over 18, able to walk unassisted, and not require treatment from paramedics. Return trips, however, will be the patient’s responsibility.
The pilot is fully funded and will run in both Calgary and Edmonton. If successful, the initiative may be expanded to other communities across Alberta.
EHS-Alberta oversees ambulance services, medical transfers, and emergency dispatch across the province.
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