Yahoo Movies Premier promises Trepassey help for precarious ambulance service
Residents of Trepassey are breathing a sigh of relief after a promise from Newfoundland and Labrador's premier to maintain their ambulance service.
Mayor Rita Pennell had a phone call last week with Premier Andrew Furey, during which he promised her the town would have an ambulance after the current operator leaves town in July.
"When you get a call from the premier and he assures you that the people are going to be taken care of — I mean, it made us very happy and it made our seniors very happy," Pennell said.
In an email, the Premier's office confirmed Furey made the pledge.
The town — and neighbouring communities in Portugal Cove South, Biscay Bay and St. Shott's — are currently served by Fewers Ambulance. Owner Bob Fewer gave the province six months' notice in January, saying the service was no longer profitable.
That led to some panic in Trepassey, which is two hours from the nearest hospital, and has no doctor at its local clinic. In an interview with VOCM, Fewer promised to maintain the service until Eastern Health could take over. Pennell said that's what Furey indicated the province is looking to do when the contract ends in July.
Pennell said the service needs to be staffed with primary-care and advanced-care paramedics — highly trained medics who can administer essential aid on the two-hour trip to St. John's.
"We really need the right people here to take care of people where we're so far from the hospital," she said.
In the meantime, Trepassey is left with one ambulance for the next five months. Pennell said it's not uncommon for the ambulance to be called outside the town for long stretches, leaving them to rely on coverage from other areas.
"This is a life-and-death situation we're talking about here. If our ambulance leaves to go to the hospital tomorrow with somebody, this town is left with nobody for eight or nine hours," she said. "People are going to die here unless we have the right service."
