Emergency Health Services–Alberta Transitions to ALTA Paramedic Health

Modernization of services strengthens and expands care provided by paramedics

CALGARY – Emergency Health Services–Alberta (EHS-Alberta) is now ALTA Paramedic Health (APH), Alberta’s publicly funded provider of Emergency Health Services (EHS) across Alberta.

“The transformation of EHS-Alberta into ALTA Paramedic Health signals a renewed commitment to modernization, stronger accountability to Albertans, and delivering high-quality, timely emergency care.” says Matt Jones, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services.

As ALTA Paramedic Health, the organization will continue to manage all aspects of Alberta’s EHS sector, including air and ground ambulance services, interfacility patient transfers, and province-wide dispatch operations. This includes services previously delivered by EHS-Alberta and contracted and system partners across the province, while also expanding and evolving the type of care delivered such as using alternative transportation methods.

“This is our opportunity to not only continue to deliver reliable, high-quality emergency health services to Albertans where they are, but also to expand and enhance those services, bringing more care options to patients and matching the care delivered to what the patient actually needs,” says Les Fisher, Managing Director and Chief, ALTA Paramedic Health.

The transition to ALTA Paramedic Health supports a broader modernization effort aimed at ensuring the right level of care is delivered at the right time and in the right setting. Key areas of focus include:

• Modernizing dispatch processes by adding Advanced Care Paramedic clinicians in dispatch to conduct clinical evaluations over the phone to improve responsiveness and system coordination
• Smarter resource utilization such as adding six new non-transport Health Evaluation and Linkage Paramedic Units (HELP-U), matching patient needs with the appropriate level of practitioner
• Piloting alternative transport and destination models, such as using taxis to take low acuity patients to appropriate care settings, freeing ambulances for emergencies and improving patient pathways

These initiatives are designed to improve efficiency, enhance patient and provider safety, and ensure emergency health resources are deployed where they make the greatest difference for communities across Alberta.

Ambulance response and emergency services remain unchanged for the public during the transition. Modernization of services aims to improve and enhance how we respond to low acuity patients by adding more options for delivery of care.

A key focus of this transition is also workforce sustainability, including prioritizing the health, safety, and mental well-being of both staff and patients.

“Caring for Albertans starts with caring for the people who serve them,” said Anne MacDonald, Chief, Operations, ALTA Paramedic Health. “Supporting practitioner wellness, professional development, and pride in public service are essential to delivering reliable, high-quality emergency care across the province and they are things that we, as ALTA Paramedic Health, will focus on.”

The ALTA Paramedic Health name and identity were developed through a structured process that included consultation with frontline staff, support teams, and leaders from across the province. Feedback gathered through virtual engagement and in-person focus groups helped shape and refine name options. The name and identity position the organization for the future, reflecting the evolution of a modern paramedic health service for all Albertans.

Through purposeful modernization, strong public service values, and shared accountability, ALTA Paramedic Health is strengthening Alberta’s emergency health sector and continuing its commitment to serve Albertans now and into the future.