Community News

PROVINCIAL FUNDING TARGETS AMBULANCE OFF-LOAD TIMES

TRAVIS MEALING tmealing@simcoe.com

Shorter waits for ambulances dropping off patients at emergency departments.

That's the idea behind increased provincial funding for the dedicated offload nurse programs at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) in Barrie and Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital (OSMH).

"The announced funding will support a 12-hour dedicated off-load nurse 365 days/year at RVH, and a combination of 12-hour and eight-hour dedicated off-load nurse shifts working seven days a week, 365 days/year at OSMH," Sarah Mills, director and chief of County of Simcoe Paramedic Services, wrote in a March 14 report for county councillors.

Since 2013-14, the county has received around $130,000 from the province each year for nurses to care for and off-load patients from paramedics. For 202223, that amount has been increased to $506,412.

However, not everyone is pleased with how the funds are being distributed. Wasaga Beach Mayor Brian Smith said ambulance delays resulting from slow off-loading affect more than just Barrie and Orillia.

"Many other hospitals in the county ... are also struggling a great deal," he said, relating the story of a Wasaga Beach resident who waited 31 minutes for an ambulance recently.

Jane Sinclair, the county's general manager of health and emergency services, said addressing offload times is "a priority for us at the county, and not just at (these) two hospitals."

But she pointed out RVH and OSMH account for approximately 41 per cent of calls to which Simcoe County paramedics respond.

"We have, in the shortterm, prioritized these two hospitals, but we will evaluate the effectiveness of the new funding," Sinclair said.

She added the county has engaged a provincial facilitator to work with area hospitals and paramedics to look at "process improvements" in emergency departments.

She also noted the county has an agreement with hospitals wherein they are mandated to meet an offload target of 30 minutes. This was paused during the pandemic but is now back in place.

Hospitals that fall short can see their annual capital funding from the county reduced accordingly.

NEWS

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

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