The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Faster ambulance response times are predicted thanks to a larger staff and new renovations for the 911 dispatch centre serving northern rural Manitoba. The NDP government has invested another $1.2-million-plus at the Medical Transportation Co-ordination Centre (MTCC) in Brandon.
It's meant the addition of 10 new employees to dispatch ambulances to emergency calls and arrange inter-facility transfers throughout the province. It's also allowed for a renovated dispatch centre that includes two new work stations. 'MTCC now has more personnel and new equipment in place to ensure, when Manitobans need help, they will receive help quickly, without delay,' said Health Minister Theresa Oswald.
'Whether it's a medical call or help in times of crisis like flooding or winter storms, we have the resources in place that can save lives.' Michelle Gawronsky, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents MTCC workers, welcomed the investment. 'Medical dispatch and co-ordination are highly specialized aspects necessary to the delivery of timely and appropriate pre-hospital care Manitoba families rely on in times of crisis,' she said. Gawronsky predicted the investment will 'no doubt result in better EMS response capabilities and correspondingly will contribute to improved health outcomes for patients.'
The MTCC in Brandon is the primary health transport dispatch and co-ordination centre for all Manitoba communities, other than Winnipeg, that have 911 service. Since it began operations in 2006, it has handled a steadily increasing call volume, processing 109,000 calls in 2012. According to projections, the MTCC could take as many as 114,000 calls a year by 2014. The MTCC opened in 2006 with an initial investment of $7.8 million.
At the time, thenhealth minister Tim Sale said the goal was to take ' a compr ehens ive approach to creating modern emergency medical system where all Manitobans have improved access to emergency medical services.' Flin Flon gained 911 service in March of 2008 following years of discussion. Creighton and Denare Beach also have the service. The need for 911 in Flin Flon reached a crescendo in September 2006 when a previous city council reviewed survey conducted in local schools the previous year. The disturbing results showed that just two of 541 youths knew the numbers to reach the RCMP, fire department and ambulance. The survey also found that only 10 students (1.8 per cent of the total) knew the number for the RCMP, 67 (12.4 per cent) for the fire department, and 234 (43.3 per cent) for the ambulance.
Compiled from Government of Manitoba news release, with files from The Reminder archives
