Yellowknife (November 26, 2018) – The Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) in partnership with the Aeromedical Critical Care Emergency Services Specialists (ACCESS - a partnership between Aklak Air, AirTindi Ltd. and Advanced Medical Solutions Inc.) are very pleased to announce the Northwest Territories air ambulance service recently received accredited status from the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS).
Gaining the CAMTS accredited status means NWT air ambulance services have been assessed, through a rigorous examination of operations, policies and practices, against a set of best practices to confirm Territorial patients are receiving inflight medical care that is amongst the best in the country.
The NWT air ambulance service becomes only the third program in Canada to
receive this accreditation, while also becoming the first primarily fixed wing
operation in Canada to be accredited. The NTHSSA was established to help ensure the ability for continuous quality improvement within the NWT health and social services system. Pursuing accreditation for our air ambulance service is part of the ongoing quality initiatives being implemented by the NTHSSA to ensure NWT residents receive the best possible care and services throughout our system.
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“I want to congratulate our partners at ACCESS on this milestone. Accreditation is a very difficult process as evidenced by the select few services which are
accredited. The CAMTS accreditation demonstrates to residents of the NWT our
joint commitment to best practice and excellence in flight medicine.”
- Sue Cullen, CEO of the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority
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“Advanced Medical Solutions (AMS), Aklak Air and Air Tindi have come together
over the last few years to build a strong team under the ACCESS brand which has in turn worked closely with Med Response to make CAMTS accreditation possible. I would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to this great achievement and look forward to providing ongoing Air Ambulance services across the Northwest Territories”
- Alasdair Martin, President ACCESS Air Ambulance
Quick Facts
- Accreditation is an ongoing process of assessing the care and services provided against standards of excellence to ensure an organization is operating in line with best practices.
- CAMTS is a neutral third-party that develops and maintains the standards against which the NWT air ambulance service was measured.
- ACCESS is the third Canadian air ambulance service to receive this level of certification and the only one that operates a primarily fixed-wing fleet.
- Air ambulance is a critical and integral part of providing care and services to NWT residents, each year there are over 1,200 air ambulance transports of NWT patients.
- ACCESS is a partnership between Air Tindi and Advanced Medical Solutions and holds the contract to provide air ambulance services for the NWT. They work in partnership with the NTHSSA’s MedResponse program to deliver this vital service.
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Media Contact
David Maguire
Manager, Communications
Corporate and Support Services
Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority
Government of the Northwest Territories
P.O. Box 1320, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2L9
Phone: 867-767-9107, ext. 40150
www.nthssa.ca