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Medevac service enhanced for northerners
 Training for the enhanced Medevac services included practical learned on how to use the specialized
emergency equipment on a specifi cally designated Transwest Air aircraft.
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 Emergency personnel train on the specially equipped aircraft designated by Transwest Air for the enhanced
Air Medevac services.
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Mamawetan Churchill River
Regional Health Authority (MCRRHA)
announced the enhancement
of air ambulance service for northern
Saskatchewan July 19.
The new service was created
through a partnership between the
health region, Transwest Air, La
Ronge Emergency Medical Services
and the Saskatchewan Air
Ambulance Service.
The enhanced service gives
a faster response time for nonemergency
care than would have
happened in the past, said Andrew
McLetchie, director of Integrated
Health Services for MCRRHA in an
interview with The Northerner.
“In the past non-emergency care
would rely on ground transportation
and what this allows us is to have
air transportation for those cases. It
takes four or fi ve hours to drive into
Pinehouse (Lake), where, if you can
fly it takes just over one hour.”
The new system is located in La
Ronge, saving emergency personnel
the time needed to locate resources
in another centre and dispatch them
out to places such as Wollaston
Lake, Southend, Pinehouse Lake
and Sandy Bay.
“It affects those communities that
don’t have an ambulance service
and rely on outside services. They
will simply get there quicker and get
them into a centre where they can
get the medical attention needed.
In some cases there’s some kind of
comfort. You can imagine laying
in the back of an ambulance for
four or fi ve hours during a ground
transfer. It’s less stressful for them
(to be flown).”
The service is co-ordinated
though the Provincial Aeromedical
Coordination Centre (PACC) and
will be based in La Ronge. Rather
than call a fl ight out of Saskatoon,
it can be sent from La Ronge, which
is closer.
“It’s going to be a dedicated,
24-hour service with pilots, EMS
crew and a dedicated aircraft. The
plane has been suited with medical
equipment.”
If needed, Transwest Air will
pull another aircraft into action if
there is multiple calls. EMS may
have to supply medical equipment
for a second aircraft, but, “the one
dedicated aircraft should be more
than suffi cient to meet the needs of
the majority of times.”
The program technically started
10, training was underway
Mon. July 19 to bring all parties up
to speed on the new program.
“For patients it will seem quite
seamless. There will be a period
of adjustment. Like any signifi cant
program like this, it takes a bit of
time to get things going.”
In preparation for the new system,
Transwest Air, La Ronge EMS
and Saskatchewan Air Ambulance
personnel gathered at the La Ronge
Airport for training into the use of
equipment for the new service.
The training began with a classroom
session to go over the initiation
of the program. The participant
learned about the process
PACC will use to dispatch the
Transwest Air pilots, how the
airline, La Ronge EMS and the
Provincial Air Ambulance will
form a team to transport the
patient in a “safe and efficient”
way, said Cindy Seidl, manager
of Saskatchewan Air Ambulance
in Saskatoon. The practical training
included “teaching La Ronge
EMS, Transwest Air how to use
the “new patient loading system
to load the patient from the road
ambulance to the aircraft and
going through their equipment to
make sure they have the equipment
they need.
Heather McGonigal, director
of Flight Operations for Transwest
Air, provided the theory part
of the training.
Eric Bell, owner of La Ronge
Emergency Medical Services,
said the enhancement is a result
of some visioning and discussion
between La Ronge EMS and
Transwest Air.
“Pat Campling and myself have
been working on this about 15
years to get a system in place.”
“La Ronge EMS has the contract
and Is responsible to look
after patients. Saskatchewan Air
Ambulance is responsible to coordinate
al the flights and do all
the medical triage, look at what
level of care the parties need and
they will call Trans West Air and
La Ronge EMS to activate the
system; they will call PACC.
PACC’s responsibility to priorize
the care needed and once that
is determination has been made,
they will call TWA, La Ronge EMS
to activate the Medevac service.
This is a more co-ordinated effort
between all agencies involved
and makes for more efficient services.”
Valerie G. Barnes- Connell
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