Three hospitals in the region received funding from the Ministry of Health to help reduce ambulance offload delays, and paramedics with the Region of Waterloo are hoping it’s not just a one-time boost.
Emergency departments across Ontario are struggling to keep up with the high volume of patients and staffing shortages. This week, the London Health Sciences Centre reached an all-time high of 20 hours for patients waiting in the emergency department, with wait times dropping to 15 hours on Wednesday.
The Ontario government says it will spend almost $33 million to hire additional paramedics and increase ambulance services in Middlesex and Lambton counties.