Medical Communications Centre Receives New Management

Nova Scotia's Medical Communications Centre in Bedford will be managed by Emergency Medical Care Inc. (EMC), the primary operator of ground ambulance service in the province.

EMC will operate the facility as part of an agreement in the ground ambulance contract that the company signed with the Department of Health earlier this year. Since 1995, the Medical Communications Centre has been managed by NovaStar. Paramedics working in the facility will not be affected by the change in management.

The Medical Communications Centre monitors and dispatches all ambulances in Nova Scotia, as well as the air ambulance, first responders and the trauma team. Paramedics in the centre also provide medical advice over the telephone while emergency medical care is on the way.

"It is a significant and positive step forward to move ambulance dispatch resources into ground ambulance operations," said Dr. Mike Murphy, executive director of the Emergency Health Services division at the Department of Health. "The improvements we've made to pre-hospital emergency medical care in Nova Scotia during the past several years will be further enhanced by this transition."