Guidelines for patients by ambulance now extended to Port Colborne Site 24/7 Urgent Care Centre

NIAGARA, ON – Ambulances will begin taking certain patients to the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at the Port Colborne Site beginning Friday, October 16, 2009 at 8:00 a.m. The determination of whether a patient will be transported to the UCC will be made based on an assessment by paramedics. Paramedics will be guided by a specific set of low priority illness or injuries outlined in the recently adopted Niagara Health System (NHS) policy.

NHS and Niagara Emergency Medical Services (NEMS) worked collaboratively to implement this new policy for specific patients in Fort Erie and Port Colborne to be taken to their local UCC. Acutely ill emergency patients and those requiring specialized services will continue to be taken to the most appropriate Emergency Room (ER). These new guidelines were introduced September 28, 2009, at the Douglas Memorial UCC in Fort Erie.

For information on the Urgent Care Centre model, visit: http://www.niagarahealth.on.ca

For information on ambulance services, visit: www.niagararegion.ca

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“The new urgent care ambulance guidelines have worked very well in Fort Erie,” says Debbie Sevenpifer, NHS President and Chief Executive Officer. “We appreciate the tremendous efforts of our urgent care physicians, nurses and staff to support these new guidelines and are very pleased to have specific ambulance transport available to the Port UCC.”

“Paramedics remain committed to providing quality pre-hospital care across Niagara, and are pleased to work collaboratively with the NHS to honour this commitment for the residents of Port Colborne. It is essential health services are provided in a timely and efficient manner and the focus remains on the patient,” said John Cunnane, Chief of Niagara EMS.