UCPR PARAMEDICS STRETCHED AS THEY COVER FOR OTTAWA "$56"-*5 4r/&84 JOSEPH COPPOLINO nouvelles@eap.on.ca
Ottawa’s lack of ambulances and para- medics is taking its toll on the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR). Paramedic response times in the UCPR have been on the rise since 2015 when the population was under 90,000. That year, the average response time for the highest priority calls was under eight minutes. In 2022, the most recent year with available data, response times were averaging more than 11 minutes for a population of under 97,000. Response time targets are measured on six categories of patient. They include five levels of the Canadian Triage Accuity Scale (CTAS) ranging from level five, which is considered non-urgent, to level 1, a question of life or death. The sixth category is for sudden cardiac arrest. The UCPR response time target for CTAS 1 is eight minutes, CTAS 2 to 5 is 16 minutes, and the target for sudden cardiac arrest calls is six minutes. Since 2021, paramedics planned to hit their target numbers for CTAS 1 calls 48 per cent of the time, CTAS 2 calls 90 per cent of the time, CTAS 3 to 5 70 per cent of the time, and sudden cardiac arrest calls 40 per cent of the time. (In 2021, the planned percentage for CTAS 3 to 5 calls was adjusted down from 90 per cent, a target they failed to hit every year since 2015.) 8IJMF6$13TQBSBNFEJDTIJUUIFJSUBSHFU for CTAS 3 and 4 in 2022, they fell short in every other category, missing their target number by 10 per cent on the most urgent calls (38 per cent), 12 per cent on the second most urgent (78 per cent), and four per cent on sudden cardiac arrest calls (36 per cent). CTAS 5 target times, the least urgent calls, were just one per cent short of planned performance in the region. Ottawa to blame? According to Marc-André Périard, UCPR %JSFDUPSPG&NFSHFODZ4FSWJDFT UIFQSP - CMFN EPFTOU OFDFTTBSJMZ MJF XJUIJO UIF counties, but is in sending reinforcements
Les ambulanciers paramédicaux des Comtés unis de Prescott-Russell manquent régulièrement leurs objectifs en matière de temps de réponse. Le directeur des services d’urgence des Comtés unis de Prescott-Russell explique que l’un des problèmes est l’envoi d’ambulanciers paramédicaux pour aider Ottawa à faire face à la pénurie, en plus des retards croissants dans l’acheminement des patients vers les services d’urgence. - photo site web CUPR
to neighbouring municipalities, like Ottawa, who are in a much more dire situation. In 2022, there were more than 1,800 reported level zeroes in Ottawa, the code used for when there are no ambulances available to respond to emergency calls. To reduce the number of level zeroes, Ottawa has called on the surrounding communities for support, including Prescott-Russell. 8JUIGFXFSDBMMTJOUIF6$13 QBSBNFEJDT from the region are being called on to help their counterparts in Ottawa, leaving fewer BNCVMBODFTUPSFTQPOEJOUIFDPVOUJFT8JUI just seven ambulances operating around the clock, and two additional ambulances during the day, sending just one team of parame- dics outside of the region reduces UCPR paramedics response capacity between 11 and 15 per cent. Ambulances still stuck at the ER Patient offload times also remain a contributing factor across Ontario and in the UCPR. As emergency departments continue
to suffer from staffing shortages and the number of patients heading to hospitals for care rises, paramedics and ambulances are forced to wait in hospital ambulance bays for up to two and three hours before handing off patients to emergency department staff, according to Périard. A Hawkesbury and District General Hos- pital (HGH) initiative calling in a primary care paramedic (PCP) when two or more ambulances are expecting to wait two or more hours is helping reduce some of the UJNFQBSBNFEJDTBSFTUVDLJOUIF&%QBSLJOH lot. The PCP can look after up to four patients in the ambulance bay, allowing paramedics to carry on responding to calls. Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones has announced several programs to reduce offload times including more funding for paramedics and increasing the number of paramedic student enrollments spots available in the province, but emergency department staffing shortages remains the
NO WORRIES WITH COLOUR CHANGE TO VANKLEEK HILL WATER FRÉDÉRIC HOUNTONDJI frederic.hountondji@eap.on.ca The water in Vankleek Hill had a yellow tinge but Champlain Township officials told residents there was no cause for alarm. The township posted a special notice on its Facebook page July 15 to explain UIFTJUVBUJPO.BZPS/PSNBOE3JPQFMDJUFE an information problem with the Town of Hawkesbury. Contacted by the newspaper on July 17, the mayor said that the Town of Hawkesbury had not informed his municipality that the color of the water would change. A 8FXFSFUBLFOCZTVSQSJTFXJUIUIFSVTUZ DPMPSJOUIFXBUFS OPXPSSJFT IFTBJEA 5IF XBUFSJTTUJMMTBGFUPESJOL The yellow tint to the water is said to be due to a rust deposit that was released into the liquid during a line rinse in Hawkesbury. A*UTTJNQMZDPTNFUJD DPNJOHGSPNUIF SVTUJOUIFDBTUJSPOQJQJOH TUBUFEUIF township FB post. .BZPS3JPQFMOPUFEPVUUIBUJUTPOMZUIF line between Vankleek Hill and Hawkesbury that is affected, and that the other lines are unaffected. Asked how long the situation will last, the NBZPSTBJEIFEJEOULOPX)FBDLOPXMFEHFE that this is not the first time such a situation has arisen between the two municipalities. Mayor Riopel promised to discuss the matter with Hawkesbury. primary cause of offloading delays, according to Ontario Paramedics Association President %BSSZM8JMUPO 8JMUPODMBJNTPGáPBEXBJUUJNFTBDSPTT the province have increased 12 times over the last year alone, blaming a lack of bed and resources in Ontario emergency rooms.
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