Ont. government increases funding for ambulance services in Wellington and Perth

Provincial funding is coming to Wellington and Perth counties to help with their paramedic services and the offloading of patients at hospitals.

Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae was in Stratford on Wednesday to announce that the two counties will receive a total of over $22 million from the land ambulance service grant (LASG) and the dedicated offload nurses program (DONP).

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The City of Guelph, which operates the Guelph-Wellington paramedic service, is getting $13.84 million from LASG while $306,455 is coming through DONP, which funds positions for nurses who offload patients at emergency departments..

Perth County will receive $8.2 million from LASG and $109,000 from DONP.

According to a news release, the funding is an eight percent increase year-over-year for services that help emergency crews get back into the community faster after a call.

Rae says the funding will ensure that there are enough nurses and health care professionals available to help offload patients at hospitals.