Municipal Elections 2018
With civic elections looming, the Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of BC (APBC) remind voters that municipal representatives play a critical role in the decisions being made about healthcare services in their communities.
Our Province is as diverse as it is vast, and with no two communities the same the healthcare needs of British Columbians are dynamic and mounting. As our population in all communities grow and age, our healthcare system must evolve to overcome the challenges it faces. BC Paramedics are a key part of BC’s healthcare team and with pressures like the opioid crisis it is imperative that timely access to high-quality paramedic service is a priority for community leaders.
On October 20th, it is important that voters elect leaders willing to work with the Provincial Government to ensure their communities have access to the highest level of prehospital care available: BC Paramedics. Municipalities should not feel the need to duplicate services provided by BC Emergency Health Service (BCEHS) at the burden of municipal taxpayers (as duplicating services means duplicating taxes).
When municipal leaders work collaboratively with the Provincial Government, they can cultivate innovative solutions for the healthcare needs of their community as evidenced by the development of the Community Paramedic (CP) Program. Over 99 communities in BC now participate in the CP Program and have seen how BC Paramedics can provide enhanced patient care that reduces the strain on the health care system at large.
When heading to the polls, BC Paramedics and Dispatchers want voters to consider:
- What is your candidate’s view of the current paramedic resourcing levels in your community?
- What is your candidate’s stance on the move to an evidence-based approach to medical call response (such as the Clinical Response Model recently introduced by BCEHS that has improved paramedic response times)?
- What is your candidate’s stance on the municipality taking on a greater role in medical first response at a cost to municipal taxpayers (i.e. training fire fighters to EMR level)?
- What is your candidate’s stance on the on-call staffing model for paramedics and the problem with recruitment and retention it leads to?
- What is your candidate’s stance on further development of Community Paramedicine positions in their community?
- What is your candidate’s stance on paramedic high workloads, as wells as, high rates of mental and physical injury?
- Does the candidate support advocating action from the provincial government on all of these issues?
The Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of BC strive to provide all communities in BC with the highest level of care possible and embraces the opportunity to work with municipal leaders to ensure British Columbians healthcare needs are met.
For more information on how local government can work with the Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Dispatchers of BC to ensure their community has adequate access to paramedic services check out the links below:
- For information specific to metro and urban areas click HERE.
- For information specific to rural and remote areas click HERE.
Authorized by Ambulance Paramedics of BC, registered sponsor under LECFA, info@apbc.ca.