Ontario Investing to Protect Emergency Health Services in the North
The Ontario government is investing $1.3 million to expand the Transportation of Medically Stable Patients (TMSP) program to Blanche River Health, helping more patients in Northeastern Ontario access vital treatments and appointments conveniently. This expansion brings the number of communities in Northern Ontario serviced by TMSP to nine, providing fast and reliable health care access for families and increasing ambulance availability for urgent 911 calls.
“Our government is protecting emergency health services while ensuring patients receive the right level of care in the right place, no matter where they live,” said Sylvia Jones, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “This investment will help more Northern communities to make use of this innovative program and ensure that ambulances and paramedics are available when they are needed most.”
The TMSP transports medically stable patients to their home or care facility, or inpatients requiring transportation to medical appointments as far away as Timmins, North Bay and Sudbury, in a non-ambulance vehicle, ensuring ambulances remain available for emergencies. This reduces ambulance delays and enables quicker patient transport, while also being more cost-effective than transportation by ambulance. The expansion is expected to save 2,250 ambulance patient trips over three years.
With the expansion of TMSP to Blanche River Health, communities benefiting from this initiative will now include Kirkland Lake/Englehart, the City of Greater Sudbury, Parry Sound, Nipissing, Manitoulin-Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Temiskaming, Thunder Bay, and Rainy River. Collectively, 13,500 patient transports and approximately 37,000 service hours will be supported annually across Northern Ontario.
Through Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the Ontario government continues to take bold and decisive action to protect the province’s health-care system and ensure people and their families have access to high-quality care closer to home for generations to come.
