Systemic and significantly worse health outcomes for First Nations members are widely reported in both acute and chronic medical conditions. Issues involving urgent medical transport for First Nations members’ are widely reported within the media. Complicating matters further are jurisdictional differences between funding and service providers, such as the Province, First Nations, and the Federal Government, which impact emergency medical transportation for First Nations individuals. 

In collaboration with First Nations partners, Provincial Emergency Medical Services (EMS), academic researchers and health authority staff. This project looked at First Nations experiences with and perspectives on EMS in Alberta.

This project describes the perspectives of First Nations regarding transitions in care involving paramedics, as well as the viewpoints of paramedics in serving First Nations communities.

In July 2021, the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre facilitated four sharing circles virtually via Zoom. Data gathered from the sharing circles was analyzed using a Western thematic approach and later reviewed by researchers of Indigenous background.

This project is led by the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre (AFNIGC), in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS) EMS, the AHS Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs), and the University of Calgary.