In a recent opinion editorial published by SunMedia newspapers across Canada, Erik Sande, President of Medavie Health Services, explains how community paramedicine can modernize long-term care in Ontario, increase capacity within our health care system and reduce hallway medicine.

The article follows significant investments recently announced by the Ontario government to allow the expansion of existing community paramedicine programs and create opportunity for new programs.

Filling the gaps “Community paramedicine is an important example of how we can help fill existing gaps in care and bring healthcare right to our patients, where and when they need it most,” Sande writes.

He points out that these programs are already well-established in regions across Ontario, operate as part of an integrated, team approach to care and have measurable outcomes.

Cutting admissions in half “Our latest data shows 911 calls for targeted complex patients in Chatham-Kent have dropped more than 80 per cent and admissions to local emergency departments have been cut in half.”

Sande adds that MHS “paramedics are also actively supporting their communities’ COVID-19 efforts through mobile drive-thru testing clinics and testing in long-term care homes.”

Read the full article, as it appeared in the Toronto Sun, here.

Pick-up of the article includes: Sudbury Star, Woodstock Sentinel Review, St. Thomas Times-Journal, High River Times, Chatham Daily News and more!