MPS Community Paramedicine home visit program will launch in January 2019

The District’s Muskoka Paramedic Services (MPS) are expanding their innovative Community Paramedicine (CP) program to include Wellness Clinics and home visits. The Community Paramedicine Program was launched in 2018 through funding from the North Simcoe Muskoka Local Health Integration Network (NSM LHIN).

The CP Home Visit Program will launch in January 2019, allowing patients to access primary healthcare through Community Paramedics who have been specially trained to offer an expanded scope of care during the home visits. The care available through home visits may include blood work draws/analysis, specialized assessments/treatments, and wellness checks.

The new CP Wellness Clinics will be hosted in collaboration with the District’s Seniors Programs’ WISE Clubhouses. The clinics will feature education, disease prevention information, assessments, and assistance in linking patients to resources available in the community. Specially trained paramedics were recruited from existing MPS staff to conduct the wellness clinics, which will take place in conjunction with the District’s “WISE Clubhouses” program for seniors on the following dates:

• November 1^st – MacTier Memorial Arena (9 Haig St) 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• November 13t^h – Gravenhurst (175 Lofty Pines Dr) 1:45 – 3:45 p.m.
• November 21^st – Milford Bay Community Centre (1020 Beaumaris Rd) 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

“We are excited to expand the Community Paramedicine Program to provide additional support to meet the need of the community,” explains Chief Jeff McWilliam, Muskoka Paramedic Services at the District of Muskoka. “Similar programs in the province have demonstrated reductions in 911 calls for non-emergency incidents, and fewer Emergency Department visits, while also improving the overall quality of life for many of the patients involved.”

For more information about the Community Paramedicine Program and successes to date, please visit: https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/live-and-play/community-paramedicine-program.aspx

To learn more about Muskoka Paramedic Services, please visit: https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/live-and-play/Muskoka-Paramedic-Services.aspx or follow MPS on Twitter @MuskokaPS

To learn more about the District’s Seniors Programs, including WISE clubhouses, please visit: https://www.muskoka.on.ca/en/community-and-social-services/Seniors-Programs-and-Services.aspx

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