A new paramedic dispatch service has been launched in the Windsor-Essex region. The new system began on Wednesday, using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS). It is designed to make sure paramedics are dispatched more efficiently, quickly and to the most urgent, life-threatening emergencies. “MPDS is designed with one clear purpose: To make sure that people experiencing life-threatening emergencies receive help as quickly as possible,” said Justin Lammers, Essex-Windsor EMS Chief. “It helps ensure that someone who is experiencing an urgent or life-threatening event receives an ambulance ahead of someone dealing with a non-urgent, non-life-threatening injury.” The system has been implemented by the Ministry of Health in several municipalities across the province. It is also reportedly backed by decades of research and evidence. Ambulance Communications Officers will now ask more questions of people who call 911, to help figure out the urgency of the situation. Because urgent calls are prioritized, patients with non-life-threatening conditions may wait longer for an ambulance at times, especially when resources are stretched thin. If patients are waiting longer for an ambulance, the communications officers will remain in contact to monitor their condition and make sure they are okay to wait for care. “This isn’t a flaw in the system,” said Lammers. “It’s the system working exactly as intended to protect lives and preserve critical paramedic resources for the people who need them most.” More information on the system is available on the County of Essex’s website. HL: New paramedic dispatch service launched A new paramedic dispatch service has been launched in the Windsor-Essex region. The new system began on Wednesday, using the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS). It is designed to make sure paramedics are dispatched more efficiently, quickly and to the most urgent, life-threatening emergencies. “MPDS is designed with one clear purpose: To make sure that people experiencing life-threatening emergencies receive help as quickly as possible,” said Justin Lammers, Essex-Windsor EMS Chief. “It helps ensure that someone who is experiencing an urgent or life-threatening event receives an ambulance ahead of someone dealing with a non-urgent, non-life-threatening injury.” The system has been implemented by the Ministry of Health in several municipalities across the province. It is also reportedly backed by decades of research and evidence. Ambulance Communications Officers will now ask more questions of people who call 911, to help figure out the urgency of the situation. Because urgent calls are prioritized, patients with non-life-threatening conditions may wait longer for an ambulance at times, especially when resources are stretched thin. If patients are waiting longer for an ambulance, the communications officers will remain in contact to monitor their condition and make sure they are okay to wait for care. “This isn’t a flaw in the system,” said Lammers. “It’s the system working exactly as intended to protect lives and preserve critical paramedic resources for the people who need them most.” More information on the system is available on the County of Essex’s website.
