The Editor, Re: "Ambulance response times up by 10 minutes," News, April 4. I'd like to clarify a number of inaccurate statements.
The article claims that BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) downgraded 74 different call types from a lights-and-siren response to routine. In fact, only 39 call types have been changed to a routine response; eight calls were upgraded to a lightsand-siren response.
The article also implies that many serious calls no longer warrant a lightsand-siren response.
BCEHS only changed the response for some of the calls within these categories, and only in cases where a patient's illness or injury is not time sensitive.
Last year, BCEHS reviewed the ambulance and first responders resources assigned to 868 different patient conditions.
A committee of physicians and others reviewed over 630,000 records and decided that some calls should be designated as "routine" because the patient's condition does not medically require a lights-and-siren response or first responder assistance.
BCEHS aims to provide the right care, to the right patient, in the right time while using public resources efficiently.
Dr. William Dick, Dr. William Dick, MD, MSc, FRCPC Vice president, Medical Programs BC Emergency Health Services
