A full time ambulance station for Alstonville will be considered by the Minister for Health says Member for Ballina Tamara Smith MP.
“I have spoken to the Health Minister Brad Hazzard and he has agreed to look at the information I have provided to him about the need for an ambulance station in the Alstonville-Wollongbar area,” says Ms Smith.
“Alstonville and Wollongbar have a combined population of over 8,000 residents, and are reliant on ambulances coming from Lismore or Ballina, a minimum wait time of 15 – 20 minutes when every second counts.
“Towns with similar or smaller populations like Yamba and Maclean have their own ambulance stations and paramedics, so I think the residents of Alstonville and Wollongbar need the same level of care.
“The Fire and Rescue Service Community First Responder Unit at Alstonville do an amazing job in responding to medical emergencies and the community is grateful to have them, but they are not able to transport patients, which means in most cases an ambulance is still going to be called out,” said Ms Smith.
The people of Alstonville and surrounding areas have indicated their support for an ambulance station with more than 300 people signing a petition so far.
The online petition is available at www.tamarasmith.org.au/ambulance