Ontario Government Invests in Emergency Care Improvements

The Ontario government has announced an investment of over $910 million aimed at improving emergency care across the province. This funding is intended to increase the availability of ambulances and enhance access to emergency services for residents.

Key components of this initiative include:

• An average increase of 8% in land ambulance funding to municipalities, totaling over $877 million for the current year. Hastings County will receive more than $10.7 million in Land Ambulance Services Grant funding.
• An investment of over $33 million through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program, which is designed to help hospitals hire additional nurses to assist with the offloading of ambulance patients in emergency departments. This program aims to reduce delays for paramedics when transferring patients to hospitals.
• The implementation of the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) across the province, which is intended to prioritize and triage emergency medical calls to ensure quicker dispatch of paramedics. The system has already been rolled out in several regions, including Mississauga, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Ottawa, and Renfrew, with plans for further implementation by May 2027.

According to the government, these measures are expected to significantly reduce ambulance offload times, which have decreased by more than 50% since their peak in October 2022. The overall goal is to strengthen the health care system and ensure that residents receive timely emergency care when needed.