Ottawa paramedics at Level Zero more than 700 times so far in 2022
The number of “Level Zero” events for Ottawa paramedics in the first half of this year nearly equalled the total from all of last year, as the service deals with high call volume and offload delays in hospital emergency rooms.
Ottawa paramedics experienced 725 “Level Zero” events from January to June, when there are no paramedics available to respond to emergency calls, compared to 750 in all of 2021.
In addition, the service says there has been a "significant number" of Level Zero events so far in July.
Level Zero events occur when there are no ambulance crews available to respond to a call, often because crews are waiting to offload patients at the emergency department.
"As a result of the ongoing system-wide health care crisis across the country, the Ottawa Paramedic Service, along with other emergency services across Ontario and Canada, continue to experience unprecedented service impacts," Ottawa Paramedic Service chief Pierre Poirier said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.
"The longstanding offload delays incurred at hospitals continue to challenge the Ottawa Paramedic Service, and other cities across Canada, and remain a significant contributor to level zero incidences. Hospital offload delays impact the Service’s resources, ability to respond to calls and return to service quickly."
Hospitals in Ottawa have been warning patients to expect longer wait times to see a doctor in emergency departments this summer, due to high patient volumes and staffing shortages. In May, the average wait time to see a doctor for a first assessment in an Ottawa hospital emergency department was between 1.9 hours and 3.7 hours.
Since April, the Ottawa Paramedic Service has seen a 20 per cent increase in call volumes.
"The trickledown effect of surrounding regional municipalities faced with these similar pressures further exacerbate level zero incidences citywide. These factors, along with ongoing COVID-19 staffing shortages and consistently high call volumes, has put an extra strain on our resources," Poirier said.
Paramedics are implementing new and existing mitigation measures to reduce offload delays in the emergency department, including a "Patient Flow Paramedic" at the Queensway Carleton Hospital to monitor up to three newly arrived patients in the ER, "community paramedicine programs" to provide patient assessment and treatment in the community and a "mental wellbeing response team."
The Ottawa Paramedic Service has hired 28 new staff members this year to increase capacity to meet the demand for service.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.