Medavie Health Services West responded to a record number of emergency calls in 2021.
Medavie Health Services West Public Affairs Director Troy Davies said the past twelve months were the busiest in the company’s 45-year history in the Saskatoon region. The company was formerly known as MD Ambulance.
Davies said in addition to record call volumes, paramedics also administered unprecedented amounts if Narcan to combat drug overdoses.
Paramedics also had to deal with constant changes to Personal Protective Equipment requirements and shortages of equipment due to pandemic-related supply chain issues.
The company also put more ambulances in service and hired 24 additional paramedics in 2021.
“COVID has been a challenge for everyone in the EMS industry,” said Davies. “We are still not through this pandemic and we have seen it takes its toll on residents in the communities we serve.”
Davies provided the following statistics:
* 39,836 total EMS responses (compared to 34,533 in 2020) , marking a 15% increase.
* 604 doses of Narcan administered in 2021 (compared to 460 in 2020), an increase of 31%. This is not including patients who received Narcan prior to paramedics’ arrival . Some patients required multiple doses.
* Two 24-hour ambulances added to the fleet due to increase in call volumes over several years.
* One 12-hour ambulance now in operation to help with response times to the cities of Martensville, Warman and other communities in the region north of Saskatoon.
* 24 paramedics hired in 2021.
* One full-time paramedic for the Saskatoon Tribal Council Health Bus (serving First Nation communities).
“The stress of being a paramedic has never been higher,” said Davies. “With higher call volumes, increased pressures with COVID and calls associated with the pandemic, including mental health and drug abuse, our staff have never been busier.
“We want to thank the Ministry of Health and Saskatchewan Health Authority for the increase in ambulances which has allowed us to hire 24 more paramedics in 2021.
“We don’t anticipate our call volumes reducing anytime soon so the additional ambulances has made an impact with our staff and our response times.”