BC Emergency Health Services is getting 10 new full-time paramedic positions for the Williams Lake and 100 Mile House areas, the health ministry announced Monday.
The new positions are being created after both communities were identified as top priorities in an ongoing review that saw additional paramedics and ambulances added in Vancouver and Nanaimo.
“With increasing demands on the ambulance service in the Central Interior, these investments will help make sure paramedics are there when and where people need them,” said Health Minister Adrian Dix. “We are committed to improving access to health care, especially for smaller communities where people may need to be transferred to other hospitals because they require a higher level of care.”
An additional ambulance is also being added in Williams Lake, to help with hospital patient transfers.
Many patients in the area are currently transported to health centres in Kamloops and Kelowna and the new ambulance will ensure existing ambulances and paramedics remain available to respond to 9-1-1 medical emergency calls.
Welcoming the announcement, Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb said paramedic services are absolutely critical.
“We are pleased that this investment is being made,” Cobb said. “The addition of an ambulance to help with inter-facility transfers will help relieve some of the stress on our current system and allow existing ambulances to focus on crucial emergency response.”
Of the 10 new positions, four will go into Williams Lake and six to 100 Mile House, bringing the total to eight in each community. The eight full-time positions will be in addition to the part-time on-call paramedics already in place.
Ambulance Paramedics of BC – CUPE Local 873 union president Cameron Eby said the union is pleased with the additional positions.
“The announcement brings good news for our hardworking members — the pre-hospital medical experts — and supports us in providing definitive patient care,” Eby said.