（By River）The Ontario provincial government is investing $89 million to make the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care (CPLTC) program permanent, and to expand services offered to First Nations communities. First launched in 2020, the program provides provides 24/7 aid to seniors requiring non-emergency medical support provincewide.
“The Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program allows people to access the care they need within the comfort of their own homes. By expanding this program, we can help to ensure that our most vulnerable population can avoid stressful and unnecessary hospital visits, and prevent emergency incidents with continuing care.”
Seniors are eligible for CPLTC if they are on the waitlist for long-term care, have been assessed as eligible for long-term care but are not yet on the waitlist, or are soon to be eligible for long-term care. Potential clients can be referred by their primary care provider, or may self-refer or be referred by family members and/or caregivers, by contacting the community paramedicine department of their local paramedic service.
Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford, said in the news release:
“By making the Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care program permanent, we’re ensuring that seniors — including those in northern and remote First Nations — can receive the care they need, right in their own homes. This is about delivering real, practical solutions that respect the importance of aging at home, surrounded by family, culture, and community.”
By providing non-emergency and preventative support to seniors, community paramedics can ease the demands and wait times for hospitals and long-term care systems.
