New Brunswick ambulance changes will benefit rural communities: paramedic association – New Brunswick | Globalnews.ca
Changes with how New Brunswick’s paramedics are deployed will benefit rural communities that have been short-changed for nearly a decade, according to the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick.
A pilot project that was tested in three communities for six months will now be implemented province-wide.
The new model means rural paramedics will generally stay within their assigned communities instead of bouncing around on a needs basis.
The Paramedic Association of New Brunswick said ambulances have been disproportionately moving from rural communities to cover urban centres since 2007, and this change will revert to an older model.
The association’s executive director, Chris Hood, said the change is a “win-win for everybody” because rural paramedics can be a resource that frees up demand on acute care.
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“People in those rural parts of the province, perhaps ambulance stations are the only access to health care that they have. So it was not unheard of that ambulances in their communities would get people knocking on the door frequently, asking for what essentially exists as primary care, you know, follow up for blood pressure issues, follow up for a glucometer or blood glucose testing, things like that,” Hood said.
“And it’s important that if the paramedics are in that community, that resource is available. Then that is preventative care and ongoing care that will prevent perhaps those people from having an exacerbation of their conditions, which will then force them into the acute care part of the health-care system.”
However, Hood pointed out that Ambulance New Brunswick still has a staffing shortage and requires about 200 more paramedics.
Health Minister John Dornan said the province is actively working to bridge that gap.
“We do have a staff deficit in the ambulance service. And so what we have done is created spots to help support paramedics that are currently in training to come back here and work in New Brunswick,” said Dornan.
Both the province and Ambulance New Brunswick are taking a closer look at the system, with a full operational review set to begin in the coming months.
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