| Oct 22, 2014


Frontenac County is one of the recipients of $6 million in provincial funding for community paramedicine pilot projects.

Community paramedicine is an attempt to make use of the skills and infrastructure of paramedic services to help serve the senior and chronically ill population before they require emergency services

It has been pioneered in Ontario by the Renfrew County Paramedic services, which conducts wellness clinics and an ad hoc home visit program; offers an exercise program; has trained thousands of people in CPR (cardio pulmonary resuscitation); and more.

Frontenac County will receive a total of $156,800 in funding over two years to establish a framework for future community paramedicine programs within the County of Frontenac and the City of Kingston.

In announcing the funding, Frontenac County communications officer Alison Vandervelde described the project in the following way: “The research project will focus on identifying solutions that could provide a more cohesive healthcare system for the residents of Frontenac County and the City of Kingston and has four main areas of focus: wellness clinics, community paramedic home visits, paramedic referrals and improved communication links between paramedics and other health care providers.”

The County applied for $195,000 in answer to the call for expressions of interest from the province. The main shortfall between the request and what was given is in salary dollars. Instead of the $116,000 that the county requested for a project developer, the province provided $83,000, which will fund the position for 18 months.

The rest of the application was approved as requested, with the exception of a $5,000 request for money to cover legal fees, which was denied.

In addition to the project developer's salary, $33,000 will be spent on project co-ordination.

Only a small amount of the overall money that has been received will be directed to existing or new programming.

$1,800 is earmarked for expanding the existing Wolfe Island Wellness Clinic project, and $3,900 will go towards a pilot wellness clinic project in the northern half of the county.

Another $30,000 is to be spent covering wages for four-hour training sessions for 140 paramedics.

The primary impetus of the project, in the words of the funding application, is to “establish a solid framework for future core Community Paramedicine Programs ... of critical importance is the development of a comprehensive communication plan, within the framework, between Paramedics and other healthcare providers.”

Healthcare providers who will be contacted initially by the project developer, once they are hired, are the Community Care Access Centre, Rural Kingston Health Links, Kingston Health Link, Northern and Southern Frontenac Community Services, Kingston General Hospital, and the Local Health Integration Network.

As part of the planning for the project, a staff member has been appointed by each of the above agencies to participate in the project.

Gale Chevalier, Deputy Chief of Performance Standards with Frontenac County Paramedic Services, will oversee the project.

“Our residents will benefit greatly from this funding,” said Warden Denis Doyle. “One of County Council’s strategic goals includes supporting our seniors’ efforts to safely age in their homes. This project will allow people to remain in their communities longer, maintaining their closeness to family and friends, and eliminate long travel times for routine preventative healthcare. Ultimately, this funding will make positive differences for our residents and enhance the strength and vitality of our communities.”

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