Ontario Connecting People to Faster Emergency Care

Investments in emergency care have reduced ambulance offload times by more than 50 per cent.

The Ontario government is investing $34,407,139 in the Region of Durham to connect people to emergency care faster and increase the availability of ambulances.

In Durham Region, Ontario is increasing land ambulance funding by 9 per cent, bringing the province’s total investment in the region to $33,616,174 this year. This increase in base funding helps ensure municipalities address increased costs so they can continue to deliver high-quality emergency care.

“Our ambulance services help save lives and reducing offload times means that paramedics can get back out in the community more quickly,” said Lorne Coe, MPP for Whitby and Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier. “That’s why I’m proud that our government has increased funding to the Region of Durham’s land ambulance services and Dedicated Offload Nurses Program. This funding will ensure that hard working families can continue to get the care they need, when they need it.”

“Our government remains committed to building a strong healthcare system so that Ontarians can access medical treatment wherever and whenever they may need it,” said Todd McCarthy, MPP for Durham. “This vital investment will speed up paramedic response times and ensure that Durham residents receive timely, high-quality care, now and for decades to come.”

“This $34.4M investment will make a real difference in emergency care for Durham Region, helping paramedics respond more quickly and effectively,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, MPP for Pickering-Uxbridge. “It’s part of our ongoing commitment to building a stronger healthcare system here in Pickering and across Durham Region.”

“When you are in the midst of an emergency, every second counts – the time it takes for first responders to administer potentially lifesaving treatment can make the difference between life and death,” said Patrice Barnes, MPP for Ajax. “This investment builds on the success of previous initiatives, already reducing ambulance offload times by 50% province wide. Our government is committed to delivering better and faster healthcare to the people of Ajax and across Ontario.”

In addition, to further reduce delays paramedics encounter when dropping patients off at a hospital, Ontario is investing $790,965 in the Region of Durham through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program to hire more nurses and other eligible health
professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in hospital emergency departments.

The program allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner and has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province. As a result of this investment and the dedication of health care professionals, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by more than 50 per cent since its peak in October 2022.

To ensure urgent patients receive critical care sooner, Ontario is also continuing to implement the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) across the province. The system helps to better prioritize and triage emergency medical calls and dispatch paramedics sooner. Over the last year, the province has rolled out MPDS to Mississauga, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and Renfrew, and are accelerating progress to implement the system at the 15 remaining dispatch sites across Ontario over a year ahead of schedule.

With Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government continues to take action to strengthen the health care system so that it is responsive and is evolving to meet the health needs and priorities of Ontarians, no matter where they live.

QUICK FACTS
• The government’s additional investments into the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program over three years will help municipalities cover around 800,000 dedicated hours to support offloading ambulance patients in the emergency department.

• Currently over 200 patient care models led by paramedic services across the province are now approved to provide appropriate and timely care options for eligible 9-1-1 patients in the community, instead of in the emergency department.

• The government is helping more students become paramedics by adding more than 300 spaces in paramedic programs at provincial colleges across Ontario, making it easier for future paramedics to access education and training closer to home.

• The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant is providing over 350 first-year paramedic students studying in select Northern postsecondary institutions with funding for free tuition, books, compulsory fees and other direct educational costs. After graduating, students will need to work in the same region they studied for a minimum of six months for every full year of study funded by the grant.

QUOTES
“Region of Durham Paramedic Services provides critical emergency healthcare to our residents, when and where they need it most. Ensuring paramedics can quickly deliver essential emergency services is vital to the safety, health and well-being of residents. We are grateful to the province for this impactful investment in emergency care in Durham Region.”
– John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer for The Regional Municipality of Durham

“Durham’s paramedics are on the front lines everyday providing lifesaving interventions and bringing healthcare to some of the Region’s most vulnerable residents. This significant increase to our provincial Land Services Ambulance Grant will enhance healthcare services for our communities.”
-Troy Cheseboro, Chief, Region of Durham Paramedic Services