ELC upgrades a boon for patients

A few dozen smiles greeting you is one thing. When all 85 are STARS Very Important Patients gleaming with gratitude — it’s incredible. Welcome to the STARS Emergency Link Centre (ELC) and its portal of portraits beside the ethos “It’s about the patient.”

When upgrades to the ELC — the logistics coordination hub located at our Calgary base — began four years ago, we knew that phrase emblazoned on the doors since 1996 would not only remain but also anchor every planned improvement inside.

“When the team walk through those doors, it’s a very concrete reinforcement of their ‘why’ and the Link Centre’s rationale,” said ELC director John Griffiths.

He stood beside a new ergonomic desk, outfitted with independent height and climate control to improve our emergency communications specialists’ comfort and performance throughout their 12-hour shifts.

The biggest upgrade, though, is visible in the new ultra-wide displays on top: a modernized computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system custom-designed for STARS.

“Our CAD is patient-centred,” said Griffiths. “Sometimes CADs can be about the resource, but our CAD is really about the patient’s interaction. It’s built around the patient and how we can utilize resources like helicopters, transport physicians, local geographic awareness, and virtual care for them. That’s why STARS has been so successful. We build our systems around our core mission. The values are consistent in the culture and in the technology.”

The new platform is quicker, more efficient, and streamlined, he said, and vastly improves data capture and future-readiness. It’s also the final step in the overall modernization project.

“It all began with our radios,” said Griffiths, noting an industry shift to digital infrastructure and the deep cooperation involved in mutual system integration. “STARS is connected into that network, and that gives improved interoperability with RCMP, fire, EMS, conservation officers, park rangers, government employees — everyone.”

Other upgrades include a dedicated workstation for STARS transport physicians, who have been sitting in the ELC since 2021, and an isolated training laboratory to better prepare new hires before they start dispatching real helicopters.

In his 10 years with STARS, Griffiths has seen a lot of changes. The most recent ones make him beam with pride and excitement.

“The mission has always remained the same. It’s always been all about the patient and the culture here at STARS is, ‘What can we do for these patients?’ People have continually found innovative ways to push the boundaries and harness technology; and so that baseline mantra ‘It’s about the patient’ has spurred us to ensure our technology, communication, and dispatch tools remain equal to the task.”

The new CAD system is expected to be fully online by Fall 2024. The system upgrades are thanks to generous donor funding.