Government reaches milestone in improving ambulance system

The province has awarded a contract valued at $561.7 million to Medavie Health NL to design, manage, and operate the new, integrated road and air ambulance service to March 31, 2035.

The company will be required to provide operational management for clinical staff and service delivery. It will also manage the dispatch of all emergency calls, routine medical transfers, and non-medical transfers throughout a single, integrated road and air ambulance system, support existing air operations through the transition period as the fully contracted air ambulance service is established, and manage the road ambulance base infrastructure and determine the best positioning of bases and deployment of road ambulances.

There will be a 10-year workforce training plan for paramedicine providers and a push to actively recruit paramedicine providers to expand the workforce to meet a rapidly growing demand.

It will develop and implement new community paramedicine programs, work to implement a long-term plan for developing a province-wide helicopter emergency medical service, and develop a plan for further improvements in aviation services.

There will be a low-acuity air transport program, report how service capability for aviation services can be enhanced and include the use of Gander in the overall plan, implement a provincial Automated External Defibrillator registry, and create and deliver a Medical First Responder Program.

Medavie is partnering with Provincial Aerospace as its sole air operator, which will sub-contract any other required aviation service providers, including Air Borealis. There will be dedicated medevac and schedevac services for coastal communities in Labrador, and the frequency of schedevac flights will be increased, with north and south coast flights available each day, Monday to Friday, depending on demand.