Ontario Expands Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care Program to Northumberland County, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes

Pete Fisher
3 years ago
• Categories: Local

The Ontario government is expanding the province’s Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program. This program, which is fully funded by the provincial government and already operational across 33 Ontario communities, is being expanded to an additional 22 communities, including Northumberland County, Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes. The program was first piloted across five communities in October 2020.

“The Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program is a part of our plan to better care for our seniors who need additional support before admission into long-term care,”
said David Piccini, MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South. “The expansion of the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program to Northumberland County will
support our local seniors by providing them with high-quality care in their own homes.

These services will complement the home and community care services they are receiving.”

The program works alongside primary care and home and community care to provide the following services to eligible seniors:

· Access to health services 24-7, through in-home and remote methods, such as online supports;

· Non-emergency home visits and in-home testing procedures;

· Ongoing monitoring of vital signs to prevent escalation of chronic medical conditions;
and

· Assessments, referrals, diagnostic procedures, and point-of care testing.

“This funding will enable the expansion of Northumberland’s Community Paramedicine program into a truly robust service supporting system change,” said Susan Brown, Chief,

Northumberland Paramedics. “Leveraging the skills and training of paramedics for community-based care is a proven solution for strengthening health system capacity and
delivering a more coordinated continuum of care for patients and caregivers. Through the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program, eligible seniors will have increased
access to in-home services that will help them live safely and comfortably in their own homes for longer periods. Northumberland Paramedics is pleased to be expanding
collaboration with our community partners to improve patient experience and health outcomes while alleviating pressures within the long-term care and hospital systems.”

“Seniors in our community deserve a patient-centred health care system; one that offers excellent, high-quality care in their homes, hospitals and long-term care facilities,” said
Dave Smith, MPP for Peterborough-Kawartha. “This new program will offer health care services in their homes, reduce emergency room visits and improve quality of life before
they find a spot in long-term care.”

“This is great news for seniors and their families living in Cavan Monaghan,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

“The expansion of the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program will provide our local seniors with high-quality care in their own homes, while they wait for a bed in long-term care.”
Early feedback from participating communities indicates reduction in rates of hospital admissions and an increased integration with primary care.

The program is fully funded by the provincial government and is operated in partnership with municipalities and District Social Services Administration Boards.

QUICK FACTS
· As of June 2021, more than 38,000 people were on the waitlist to access a long-term care bed in Ontario.

· In December 2020, Ontario launched the long-term care Staffing Plan, which centers around the province’s commitment of delivering an average of four hours of care per
resident per day. To meet this commitment, the government is investing $4.9 billion over the next four years to help create 27,000 new positions for PSWs and nurses in long-term care. This funding will also support a 20 per cent increase in direct care time by allied health professionals including physiotherapists and social workers over the next two years.

· The long-term care Staffing Plan also responds to recommendations from Justice Gillese’s Public Inquiry Report on the Safety and Security of Residents in the Long-Term
Care Homes System, and recommendations from Ontario’s Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission, in addition to submissions from key long-term care organizations and other
partners.