Ontario Expanding 911 Models Of Care In Peterborough and the County
/The Ontario Government is expanding 9-1-1 models of care in the County and City of Peterborough to give paramedics more flexibility to provide better treatment for patients away from emergency departments.
WARDEN J. MURRAY JONES (LEFT), CHIEF RANDY MELLOW (MIDDLE) AND MPP DAVE SMITH (RIGHT) DURING JONES’S FINAL DAYS AS WARDEN BEFORE RETIRING FROM A 24-YEAR POLITICAL TENURE. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.
This model builds on the first phase of the program which focused on “Alternate Destination” and “Treat and Refer” models for mental health and addictions and palliative care patients, this expansion will now include a new model type: “Treat and Release” according to a press release.
Patients can be treated on-scene by paramedics and released with recommendations for appropriate follow-up care in the comfort of their preferred home or community health setting. This help savoid unnecessary trips to emergency departments and preserve beds for those that need them most.
“This model works. It means people can be treated at home or onsite, without having to go to the emergency room for service. This reduces the pressure on our emergency room at Peterborough Regional Health Centre so that those who need services can receive better, faster care,” MPP Dave Smith said. “This is an innovative way for us to address hospital wait times and hallway health care.”
Patients diverted from emergency departments through these models received the care they needed up to 17 times faster with 94 per cent of patients avoiding the emergency department in the days following treatment as stated in the press release.
“Peterborough County is pleased that the Province has embraced the implementation of the 911 Models of Care and is expanding this program,” said Warden J. Murray Jones.
This expansion will also see more patients become eligible for all three model types. In addition to mental health and addictions and palliative care patients that are currently eligible for the “Alternate Destination” and “Treat and Refer” models, patients with injuries such as minor falls or illnesses that are not life-threatening, patients with managed chronic conditions such as diabetes or epilepsy and patients with other select conditions will also be considered.
“Peterborough County-City Paramedics were pleased to implement the Palliative Care protocols in Peterborough under the first phase of new models of care and we look forward to expanding the models under phase two that will allow the clinical expertise of our paramedics to provide treatment on scene with appropriate patients in a safe and patient centered way that will assist in avoiding unnecessary burden on the health care system,” said Chief Randy Mellow.
This work is on top of the efforts the government has done to date with the March 2022 Plan to Stay Open. Some highlights include:
Ontario has processed over 25 million lab-based COVID-19 PCR tests and distributed close to 240 million free rapid antigen tests to date.
Ontario has administered over 34.5 million COVID-19 vaccinations to date.
Over 36,000 doses of Paxlovid have been prescribed to protect Ontarians against the worst effects of COVID-19, helping to reduce hospital admissions.
Ontario has invested $880 million in surgical recovery investments over the last three fiscal years, including increasing surgical capacity through funding for innovative hospital projects.
To strengthen long-term care and alternate levels of care, Ontario has invested $175.2 million to expand home care services and $117 million for the sustainability of home care services, and $1 million for the inter-facility transfer of medically stable patients in Northern Ontario.
The government has invested $764 million to provide Ontario’s nurses with a retention incentive of up to $5,000 per person.
Over 10,900 healthcare professionals (including over 7,800 nurses and externs) have been added to the health system since Winter of 2020.
