By Liam Verster

Air Ambulance Services

AHS reviewing helicopter operations to determine future service options

Jan 9, 2020 | 2:43 PM

Alberta Health Services is reviewing it’s Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS), including those that serve Grande Prairie.

Gordon Bates, the Associate Executive Director of Provincial Air Ambulance Operations, says AHS’s review will look at the helicopter service providers, including Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS), which has bases in Grande Prairie, Edmonton and Calgary, Helicopter Emergency Response Organization (HERO), which serves northeastern Alberta from Fort McMurray, and Helicopter Air Lift Operation (HALO), which is based in Medicine Hat and serves southeastern Alberta.

Bates says over the past 20 years, those helicopter operations have evolved based on what they see as the needs for their areas, and since AHS has taken over the responsibility of air ambulance services, they’ve been trying to catch up and react to the initiatives.

“It’s come to a point, and I think we’re well supported from the current providers, that we look at how we do business around the province, and Alberta Health Services should be determining, where the services are provided, when they are provided. We think there might be places we don’t provide quite a formal process for this. So we just want to look at the whole current situation, and then where we can be more affective, more efficient. The other thing, to be very honest and open, with the current providers, also look at funding models, and there’s certainly some question about whether that makes a lot of sense in today’s world. So we’re going to look at the funding and sustainability of these services that are out there today, and what they should look like in the future.”

The County of Grande Prairie is writing a letter to AHS, asking to be involved in the HEMS review process. The County wants to make sure they are involved in any discussions that revolve around the services provided in the region.

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Bates says working alongside municipalities will allow the County and other jurisdictions to have any of their questions answered.

“Not everyone in the province is very well aware of how the system works, and how it’s integrated into the rest of [Emergency Medical Services]. So when we consider helicopters, we consider it part of our entire system. So we have ground, fixed wing air ambulance and helicopter air ambulance. We look at those integrated when we consider response. So A we want to inform on any questions [municipalities] may have, and B we want to understand expectations from various communities and various areas.”

He adds that most of Alberta’s populations live in big cities, where helicopter service is a rarity, and it’s mostly rural areas that get this service.

“So we need to know expectations. One of our questions that we want to review is ‘what service should we be providing to the population of Alberta?’ So I think we need to ask that question, or get that information, from the elected officials in the communities.”

AHS is also asking for the public’s input on the HEMS review. A newly launched online platform, Together 4 Health, allows the public to access information on various topics, and share ways to get involved and share input about projects.

The review, which began in November 2019, is expected to last through to summer 2020. Bates says it’s too early in the process to determine whether or not any areas will be seeing cuts, or additions to their fleets and services.