Niagara EMS is changing the way they handle calls to connect patients with the specific services they may need.
The organization has formed three teams to tackle specific types of calls - Mental Health and Addictions, Falls Intervention, and Coordinated Assessment Response.
Commander of Quality Assurance and Performance Standards Karen Lutz-Graul says the new approach means that the service will be tailored to each individual caller.
"The way this is different is that the callers really dictate what they need and we need to be in a position to address that need, and if that means making sure that our system providers that are also experiencing these issues are also along for the ride, then that's what we're doing."
Lutz-Graul points out that falls accounted for about 8,000 calls last year out of a total of 63,000.
"What we found was that we were going back over and over again to help these people off the floor but that's where our care ended and so we think we can do this better, we can help them off the floor, but then also try to understand the root cause of their fall and then put them in touch or connect them or reconnect them with services that will help prevent them from falling in the future. And so an Occupational Therapist paired with a paramedic can do some of that work."
The 'Coordinated Assessment Response' team would work alongside community groups and other service providers to help connect patients with options rather than simply checking into the Emergency Department.
Lutz-Graul assures CKTB's Tom McConnell that these changes are about efficiency.
"What I don't want callers to think is that when you call 911 with an emergency you aren't going to get an emergency response - you certainly are! We just want to be in a position to respond to all those needs, including those emergency type responses. And also have units available to get there quicker."
Niagara EMS has also launched an online survey to learn more about how the public perceives EMS.