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Ontario announces $226K for emergency rooms

Government of Ontario Media Release Ontario is providing more than $226,012 to help patients receive quicker access to care in hospital emergency rooms in City of Thunder Bay.
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Government of Ontario Media Release

Ontario is providing more than $226,012 to help patients receive quicker access to care in hospital emergency rooms in City of Thunder Bay.

The province will provide funding to 20 municipalities across Ontario for 300,000 dedicated emergency room nursing hours at 49 hospitals this year.

“I am proud of our commitment to reduce ambulance offload delays at hospital emergency room, by investing in more nurses," said MPP Michael Gravelle (Lib., Thunder Bay – Superior North).

"These initiatives are putting patients first, and ensure a stronger health care system.”

Dedicated nurses will work exclusively on receiving low-acuity patients from ambulances, which will allow paramedics to respond to other 9-1-1 calls in the community rather than waiting in the emergency room. 

Patients arriving at hospitals by ambulance with life-threatening conditions continue to be given priority by hospital staff.

Municipalities who have received funding for these dedicated emergency room nurses have already reported seeing improvements in delays and emergency room wait times.

“This continued funding commitment from our government for the Ambulance Offload Nurse Initiative ensures the right resources are being used at the right time, in the right place in our health care system," said MPP Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay- Atikokan).

"Paramedics will have more time available to respond to calls and emergency room wait times have already proven to be reduced. At the end of the day, patient care is greatly improved through this program.”

Investing in this initiative is part of the government's plan to build a better Ontario through its Patients First: Action Plan for Health Care, which provides patients with faster access to the right care, better home and community care, the information they need to live healthy, and a health care system that is sustainable for generations to come.

QUICK FACTS

• The dedicated offload nurses initiative was created in 2008-2009 to reduce ambulance offload times by providing municipalities with funding for dedicated nurses to offload patients in hospital emergency rooms.

• Ontario’s health care budget has increased from $47.6 billion in 2012-13 to a total of $51.8 billion in 2016-17.

• This year’s $51.8 billion investment in health care is a 2.1 per cent increase over last year – greater than the rate of inflation.

 





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