SIMCOE COUNTY PAYS TRIBUTE TO PARAMEDICS

GRADE 6 STUDENT NAMED PARAMEDIC FOR A DAY CONTEST WINNER

The County of Simcoe spotlighted the theme of diversity during National Paramedic Services Week, but, contrary to appearances, that didn't include hiring preteens.

Danica Smith may have looked the part at the May 23 meeting of county council, but the Grade 6 student from Sunnybrae Public School in Innisfil was simply this year's Paramedic for a Day contest winner.

She received a certificate, first aid bag and stethoscope, and also took part in a mock exercise and photo opportunity with actual paramedics.

"County of Simcoe paramedics respond to 91,000 calls annually, with each call, location and situation as unique as the patient themselves," Warden Basil Clarke stated in a press release.

"Our paramedics are always ready to answer these calls, while also continuing to look for new and innovative ways to ensure our residents and communities receive the best level of care."

The theme of the May 21 to 27 celebration — "Diversity in Paramedicine. The Patient. The Provider. The Profession" — was intended to showcase the many facets of paramedicine.

STRAIGHT TO HOSPICE

The Ministry of Health has approved a plan that will allow paramedics in Simcoe County to transport palliative-care patients from their homes directly to a local hospice after a 911 call, skipping the requirement for a trip to a hospital emergency room first.

"This model will improve the patient and caregiver experience by providing timely access to appropriate hospice care, and is

projected to result in time and resource savings," read a staff report presented May 23 at committee of the whole.

County of Simcoe Paramedic Services submitted a proposal in April 2022 for the "alternative destination model."

It was approved in November,

although the news was kept under embargo at the insistence of the province. The program is scheduled to launch in mid-June.

The five partner facilities are Hospice Simcoe in Barrie, Hospice Orillia, Hospice Georgian Triangle (Collingwood), Matthews

House Hospice (Alliston) and Hospice Huronia (Penetanguishene).

FOREST REPORT

The county reaped more than $2.2 million in revenue last year from timber sales, nearly the same amount as in 2020 and 2021.

The figure was contained in the Simcoe County Forest 2022 Annual Report, presented May 23 at committee of the whole.

"We continue to ensure that we use best available information and science in what we are doing to manage our forests and how we're projecting our growth," county forester Graeme Davis told councillors.

Other numbers in the report included:

• 9.7 — Hectares of land acquired and added to the county forest system in 2022

• 42 — The number of tree species present in the Simcoe County Forest

• 40,540 — The number of tree seedlings planted within the forest in 2022