Ambulance sounds alarm about the future of Medicare

B.C. Medicare campaigners hand off ambulance to Alberta health care workers tomorrow in Pouce Coupe The "Save Medicare" ambulance wraps up the 9-day, 22-city, B.C. leg of its western tour when the crew of three hands off the emergency vehicle to their Alberta counterparts in Pouce Coupe later tomorrow. The ambulance is staffed by front-line health care workers and sports a visually striking paint job that calls attention to the threat privatization poses to our public Medicare system. The ambulance is one of three from across the country that will converge on Edmonton later this month when Ralph Klein is expected to introduce legislation that would legalize private hospitals. On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the ambulance will visit: Dawson Creek - Rotary Manor, 9225 19th Street at 10:00 a.m., Dawson Creek & District Hospital, 11100 13th Street at noon; and Pouce Coupe - Pouce Coupe Community Care, 5216 - 50th Avenue at 2:45 p.m., with hand off to Alberta CUPE members at 3:30 p.m. The health care workers will encourage citizens in B.C. communities to put pressure on federal politicians to make a dramatic and permanent boost in health care funding to the provinces in the upcoming federal budget. They're also calling for Ottawa to take whatever legislative actions are necessary to prevent Alberta premier Ralph Klein from legalizing private hospitals. The tour is sponsored by the Canadian Union of Public Employees — the ambulance will be staffed by members of the CUPE Local 873 — the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. — and the Hospital Employees' Union — CUPE's B.C. Health Services Division.