WHEREAS the current model for providing ambulance service throughout BC is not working in rural communities, resulting in BC Ambulance Service having numerous out of service shifts in rural communities and patients not being able to receive timely, essential health care; AND WHEREAS recruiting initiatives in rural communities have produced only short term results due to unsustainable wages paid to call-out attendants: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request that the provincial government recognize BC Ambulance Service as an essential service and establish a new model for rural communities that would ensure full time ambulance coverage and timely access to health care.
Ministry of Health, BC Emergency Health Services The Province of British Columbia and the Ministry of Health have been clear that improving health care services in rural and remote areas of British Columbia is a priority. Recruiting and retaining skilled workers to rural and remote communities is a challenge that is common to many employers and sectors, not just those that provide health care services. The Ministry recognizes the need for a framework to inform future planning decisions by looking at the short and long-term needs of a communitys health care needs, as well as taking a fresh look at existing supports. The Province is pleased to note an innovative patient care model, aimed at improving gaps in rural and remote health services, is being developed in collaboration with the regional health authorities and BC Emergency Health Services BCEHS called community paramedicine. Community paramedicine is a broad concept and can include many different program models, depending on the particular needs of a community. For example, paramedics might provide home support to seniors and others with specific health care needs, to facilitate patients receiving care at home. The Ministry has committed to an additional 80 full-time equivalent paramedic positions throughout the province over the next five years to help develop community paramedicine programs in rural communities across BC. BCEHS will be engaging with health authorities and other community partners over the next number of months to determine how community paramedicine may provide value and has committed to identifying 3-4 communities for initial rollout to be implemented in the spring of 2015. The Ministry expects this direction to provide better patient outcomes, better patient experience and more consistent ambulance coverage, particularly in rural and remote BC.