A community paramedicine program is improving the health of clients in Lambton County but provincial funding isn\u2019t keeping up with costs.<\/p>\n
Published Dec 09, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
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Stephen Turner, Lambton County’s manager of emergency medical services. Photo by File photo \/The ObserverArticle content<\/p>\n
A Lambton County community paramedic program is working to improve the health of its clients and reduce emergency room visits, but its provincial funding isn\u2019t keeping pace.<\/p>\n
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The program began in 2017 with paramedics visiting county residents facing barriers to health care, but this year it had to reduce staff by a full-time position by not filling a job opening, according to a county report.<\/p>\n
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The $1.3 million in provincial funding the program receives annually has remained relatively static over the last five years as wage and others costs have increased, it said.<\/p>\n
Lambton\u2019s provincial funding for the service comes from Bluewater Health, Ontario Health and the Ministry of Long-term Care, which provides the largest share at about $875,000.<\/p>\n
While the cost of 911 paramedic services are split between the county and province, community paramedic programs are fully funded by Ontario, said Stephen Turner, manager of Lambton\u2019s emergency medical services.<\/p>\n
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The province said in August community paramedicine funding would become permanent, after initially only being awarded on a yearly basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe announcement was quite welcome, to know that the funding would become permanent, but the challenge for us is that there hasn\u2019t been any indexing or inflationary increases,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
While the funding hasn\u2019t increased, wages and other costs have, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s meant we\u2019ve had to cut the program expenses,\u201d Turner said. \u201cThings like purchase of materials, and fuel, vehicles \u2014 those kinds of things.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s delivered by seven full-time paramedics who receive additional training, with part-time paramedics filling in when needed, the report said.<\/p>\n
The program hasn\u2019t had to reduce the number of clients it serves, Turner said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re trying to work to balance our intakes and our discharges from the program so we can continue to serve the clients in need,\u201d he said. \u201cThose clients who need our services, we\u2019ve been able to get to all of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the funding situation \u201cwill put pressures on future intakes, and we\u2019re just trying to evaluate how best to do that in a way that doesn\u2019t negatively impact the community,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
The program\u2019s clients are mostly older adults living with chronic conditions such as heart failure, COPD, diabetes or cognitive decline, and are without a family doctor or other primary health care provider, the report said.<\/p>\n
They have a \u201chigher risk of calling 911 with more frequency,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
Community paramedics work with other agencies while providing in-home assessments, chronic disease management and preventative care, while also helping clients navigate the health system.<\/p>\n
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Providing help early, and connecting them with other health-care providers, such as home care, can prevent clients from needing to go to hospital, Turner said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt absolutely helped divert people from emergency departments, and to make sure they get the care and treatment that they need at home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Over the last 12 months, the program received 380 new referrals and community paramedics completed 4,100 in-home visits and about 2,100 wellness checks.<\/p>\n
They were also involved in local wellness clinics run with McMaster University and local health providers, as well as events and programs in partnership with area First Nations, the report said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re well integrated with the health-care community in order to provide the best outcomes for the clients that we work with,\u201d Turner said.<\/p>\n
The county will continue to work to \u201caddress the funding challenges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur funders are aware of them and they\u2019re listening,\u201d Turner said. \u201cEverybody\u2019s working to try and find the best solutions.\u201d<\/p>\n