British Columbia Ambulance Service - Governance

Governance

In British Columbia, responsibility for the provision ambulance services is granted to the Emergency and Health Services Commission (EHSC) under the auspices of the Emergency and Health Services Act. Under the terms of the Act, the EHSC is considered an agent of the government and as such, holds all responsibility for the provision of ambulance services across the province. The members of the Commission act as a Board of Directors to the BC Ambulance Service. The commission membership consists of health service administrators, medical professionals, and government representatives. The commission meets regularly to provide direction to the BCAS Executive Management Team. The EHSC is also responsible for the operation of BC Bedline, which assists physicians when it is necessary to transfer a patient to a higher level of care. While the EHSC, and consequently the BCAS, are agents of the government and are able to operate independently, in practice they are closely linked to the BC government's Ministry of Health Services, which provides one-hundred percent funding for operations.