Plans for replacing paramedic stations in Aurora and East Gwillimbury, and a new one in Georgina, are underway as part of York Region's ongoing long-term strategy to improve and expand paramedic services.
York regional council received a progress update on the paramedic master plan 2021 to 2031, which identifies needed resources to respond to growing community demands, according to a news release.
Key achievements in the report include:
Resources:
- Adding four ambulances and 21,840 weekly ambulance hours;
- Acquiring 68 full-time equivalent staff.
New stations:
- Completing one new station in Markham to provide equitable response times across the region;
- Planning for an additional two stations in Vaughan and one in Georgina;
- Planning for two replacement stations, one in East Gwillimbury and another in Aurora.
Innovative programs and partnerships:
- Launched Improving Patient Access and Care in the Community Program in April 2024, a new model of care integrating paramedics into the broader health-care system to provide on-scene treatment, discharge patients at the scene, transport patients to appropriate non-hospital destinations and co-ordinate care with health partners;
- Installed anti-idling technology in ambulances, saving approximately $360,000 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 226 tonnes since 2020;
- Adding the first York Region electric ambulance by the end of 2024.
An updated master plan for 2026 to 2031 will be presented to regional council for approval in 2026 and will incorporate changes based on evaluation of the new medical priority dispatch system. The new system, being implemented in November 2024 by the Ministry of Health, which operates the Georgian dispatch centre, will improve paramedic resource deployment and prioritize patient needs without affecting overall response time performance.
