Ontario is investing over $9 million in Northumberland County to connect more people to emergency care faster and increase the availability of paramedics and ambulances in the community.
In a release, the province says it is increasing land ambulance funding in the region by 10 per cent, bringing Ontario’s total investment in the region to $8,853,094 this year.
In addition, to further reduce delays paramedics encounter when dropping patients off at a hospital, Ontario is investing $163,800 in Northumberland County through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire more nurses and other eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments.
Ontario says the program allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 11 call sooner.
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“This investment of over $9 million demonstrates our government’s continued commitment to strengthening emergency health services across Northumberland County,” said David Piccini, MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South in the release.
“These targeted investments will improve ambulance availability, reduce offload delays at hospitals, and enhance overall system capacity resulting in better health outcomes for patients across Northumberland County. I commend the collaborative efforts of our paramedics, municipal partners, and health care professionals who continue to deliver critical services with professionalism and dedication.”
“Our government is making record investments to protect Ontario’s health-care system and connect people to the care they need, when they need it,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Through these additional investments, we are providing paramedics and emergency departments with the tools they need to connect more people across the province to high-quality emergency care, faster and closer to home.”
“We are grateful for the province’s continued investment in emergency services. The 10% increase to the Land Ambulance Service Grant will help sustain critical pre-hospital emergency care services in our community as we continue to face rising costs. We also appreciate the ongoing funding for the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program, which recognizes the importance of ensuring paramedics can return to the road quickly after transfer of patient care to the hospital. This investment will help to ensure the availability of paramedics and ambulances to rapidly respond to 9-1-1 calls and meet the urgent care needs of our community.” — Susan Brown,Chief, Northumberland Paramedics
