I urge everyone to follow the links & put it in writing. If any of you have had yourselves or loved ones stuck waiting in hospital hallways under EHS care until a space finally becomes available will understand how stretched all aspects of healthcare have become. This strike is not just about fair wages, we are badly understaffed & demand for our services has skyrocketed. Our response times have suffered because all ambulances are occupied or must choose between priority calls putting less urgent calls on hold. Sometimes those "less urgent" calls get bumped multiple times resulting in very prolonged response times. This is a maddening situation for us as frontline workers. You can imagine the burn-out and moral issues. We do not like to see people suffer and despite what the politicians may claim, that is exactly what is happening. Outrage is not an unreasonable term for it. We implore everyone to put their anger in writing. Our strike is but a symptom of a much greater systemic problem, a problem that is being held at bay on the backs of ALL frontline healthcare workers, not just Paramedics. This is not just a GVRD issue, throughout the province the stories are the same, in many cases rural B.C. has it much worse due to the fact resorces may not be just occupied, they simply may not exist at all. Pass the word, and thanks to everyone for the support we have recieved thusfar.
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