Monday launch for Community Paramedicine Program

A new program aimed at improving access to care for patients with chronic conditions will be officially launched Monday at Tom Davies Square.

The Community Paramedicine Program is being funded through a $402,900 grant from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and is part of a $6 million plan to expand 30 similar programs across the province.

The goal is to reduce the number of times people with chronic conditions are forced to call ambulances and other emergency services for help, and to cut down on the number of times they have to stay in hospital. Those types of repeated calls are a major strain on EMS resources.

“Studies have shown that when paramedics are able to refer patients to local services, educate, manage and treat patients with chronic diseases in their homes ... repeat emergency calls and hospital admissions decrease,” said Tim Beadman, chief of Fire and Paramedic Services, said in a release announcing the program last November. “I am proud to see our paramedics take steps beyond traditional emergency response to help our community stay healthy and reduce requests for 911 services.”

The funding includes $300,000 for the Transitions Care Program, in partnership with Health Sciences North and the North East Community Care Access Centre. That program will see paramedics providing followup care and monitoring for select patients in their own homes after being discharged from the hospital with a chronic condition such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congestive heart failure, diabetes and dementia.

Three specially trained advanced care paramedics will be assigned to the program.

And $102,900 was awarded for the Health Promotion Community Paramedic Program, which aims to reduce demand for paramedics and health costs through focusing on education surrounding injury prevention and early recognition of illness.

The program will help older adults and the vulnerable population -- including the homeless -- by providing wellness checks at seniors housing, as well as soup kitchens and emergency shelters.

The official launch will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday in the foyer at Tom Davies Square. Mayor Brian Bigger will be there, along with representatives from Health Sciences North and the North East Community Care Access Centre.