Ontario Invests Over $910 Million to Enhance Emergency Care Services

The Ontario government has announced an investment of over $910 million aimed at enhancing emergency care services across the province. This funding is intended to increase the availability of ambulances and improve response times for emergency medical services.

Key points from the announcement include:

• An average increase of eight percent in land ambulance funding to municipalities, totaling over $877 million for the current year. This includes more than $10.7 million allocated to Hastings County.
• An additional investment of over $33 million through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program, which is designed to assist hospitals in hiring nurses dedicated to managing the offloading of patients from ambulances. This initiative aims to reduce delays experienced by paramedics when transferring patients to emergency departments.
• The implementation of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) across the province, which is intended to prioritize and triage emergency medical calls, facilitating quicker dispatch of paramedics. The system has been rolled out in several regions, including Mississauga, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and Renfrew.

According to the government, these measures have contributed to a reduction in ambulance offload times by more than 50 percent since October 2022, thereby increasing the availability of ambulances for emergency calls. The government emphasizes that these investments are part of a broader strategy to strengthen the health care system and ensure timely access to emergency services for residents throughout Ontario.