Rae announces $8.3M in Local Healthcare Funding

[Stratford, ON] – Today, Matthew Rae, MPP for Perth-Wellington, announced $8,306,373 to increase land ambulance funding for Perth County and ensure we have enough nurses and eligible health professionals dedicated to offloading ambulance patients in our emergency departments. 

“Our rural communities rely on our first responders to provide timely and high-quality care,” said MPP Rae. “Our provincial government will continue to support our first responders to ensure they have the resources they need to help save lives.” 

Funding through the Province’s Land Ambulance Service Grant (LASG) totals $8,197,173, an increase of 8 per cent year-over-year. Perth County will also receive an additional $109,200 through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program (DONP), to ensure adequate staff for the offloading of patients at local emergency departments. The City of Guelph, which administers ambulatory services for Wellington County, will also receive $13,837,930 through LASG and $306,455 through DONP. 

“We are pleased to receive this additional investment from the Province for Paramedic Services in Perth County.” said Perth County Warden, Rhonda Ehgoetz. “This investment will support our Paramedics in continuing to provide excellent and critical healthcare across our rural region.” 

This funding allows paramedics to get back out into the community faster and respond to their next 9-1-1 call sooner and has played a significant role in reducing ambulance offload times and increasing ambulance availability for 9-1-1 patients across the province. As a result of this investment and the dedication of health care professionals, provincial ambulance offload time has been reduced by more than 50 per cent since its peak in October 2022. 

With Your Health: A Plan for Connected and Convenient Care, the government continues to take action to strengthen the health care system so that it is responsive and is evolving to meet the health needs and priorities of Ontarians, no matter where they live.