The provincial government is providing York Region Paramedic Services more than $6 million in new funding to help improve its services.
The province announced Oct. 4 the region would be receiving more than $5.5 million in additional funding for its land ambulance program and more than $400,000 for its offload nursing program, for a total of $6,025,691 in new dollars.
York Region general manager of paramedic and seniors services Chris Spearen said this stands to help improve patient outcomes.
“The demand for paramedic services is growing as our population grows and diversifies and this funding is vital,” Spearen said.
The funding is part of a provincial government announcement made in September increasing paramedic services funding to municipalities by an average of eight per cent, with the province spending more than $877 million on land ambulances this year. York Region’s increases are above that average, with its land ambulance program increasing by 11 per cent and its offload nursing program increasing by 14 per cent.
The land ambulance program covers general paramedic services from the department. The offload nurses program involves the funding and hiring of nurses at hospitals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients to emergency departments.
“This is really critical to allow our paramedics to be free and allows us to be available to the community to be able to respond to the next 911 call,” Spearen said about the nursing program.
Newmarket-Aurora MPP Dawn Gallagher Murphy said the funding is a testament to the government’s devotion to health care.
“This increase in base funding will help address increased costs,” Gallagher Murphy said, later adding that “our government is committed.”
Georgina Mayor Margaret Quirk spoke on behalf of York Region. She said the funding is deeply appreciated.
“Paramedics are the backbone of our emergency response system,” Quirk said. “This funding will allow us to continue expanding these essential services, and as our population grows, so does demand for health care. With this investment, we are able to support our paramedics as they adapt to the needs of the community.
“It helps us build capacity, improve access to care and ensure that the people of York Region continue to receive the best possible service,” Quirk added.
York Region paramedics are also preparing to make a significant change in November after requesting the province to bring them onto a new dispatch system. The new system will triage calls for York Region to better prioritize emergencies.
