The emergency services team of Hastings-Quinte has been kept busy during the COVID-19 pandemic year.
Chief of Paramedics Doug Socha told the Emergency Medical Services Committee on Wednesday that the community paramedic program has been expanded and the Mobile Vaccine Team has been active.
Socha says that as of July, 3610 doses of COVID vaccine were administered by the team.
The monitoring program has 22 patients at this time.
“Throughout COVID we had about 120 patients that entered into the program,” he added.
“They really felt supported knowing that there was a community paramedic that was able to check on them while they were in that isolation period and felt confidant that somebody was monitoring their vital signs.”
He added that a lot of patients are “unattached”, they don’t have regular doctors.
“The community paramedic program has been expanded. Historically we only had 24 hours a week to be able to provide this level of care. Since then we’ve been able to hire 10 full-time community paramedics into this role. Two of them full-time in Bancroft with the other eight working out of Belleville and all of Hastings County and Prince Edward County.”
“Causing a lot of increased emergency room visits beecause they don’t have the, a local physician to kind of help look after them. So we’re really targeting some of those vulnerable populations where we can kind of get out and try to help them.”
Paramedic Services is working with the Ontario Health Team to submit a proposal to the province for additional funding to maintain the work.
Committee member Terry Cassidy questioned whether the Mobile Team would be offering its service regarding vaccinations of school children.
Socha answered that the Paramedic Services is taking its lead from public health in connection with the vaccination work. He added that they meet regularly and will be having more talks in September.
