Hastings-Quinte Chief of Paramedics Doug Socha (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
A proposed tree-month pilot project to improve the dispatching of ambulances in the Quinte area and its borders may get on track, after a year-long delay in negotiations.
Hastings-Quinte paramedics are dispatched by the communications centre in Kingston while Peterborough and Northumberland ambulances are sent out by a Lindsay centre.
Hastings-Quinte Chief of Paramedics Doug Socha says it causes a problem if the call is at the borders.
Socha supports the proposed system, which allows the centres to see ambulances dispatched from the other centre.
Hastings-Quinte Chief of Parmedic Services. (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Socha says it’s frustrating because “basically, it’s been over a year of negotiations to run a three-month pilot project.”
There will be a new meeting with provincial officials on February 14, in a teleconference with Donna Piasentini, Director of the Emergency Health Services branch in the Ministry of Health.
Socha is optimistic since the three-month pilot is at no cost to the government and it only involves separate computers in the communication centres, to allow officials to see ambulances on both sides of the borders.
Eastern Ontario Regional Network will provide the $8,000 required for the pilot.
