WHEREAS Community Paramedicine is the practice that represents the intersection of health care, public health, and public safety to promote optimal quality of life; AND WHEREAS this Community Paramedicine model has the potential to prevent and reduce high cost medical treatment: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the BC government and BC Emergency Health Services BCEHS to research the Community Paramedicine Model of health care for use in all of rural and remote BC communities; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM request of the BC government and BCEHS that paramedics of the BC Ambulance Service be employed full time to deliver the paramedicine model of health to rural and remote BC communities.
Ministry of Health, BC Emergency Health Services The Ministry of Health supports the resolution that the BC government and BC Emergency Health Services BCEHS research the community paramedicine model of health care for use across all rural and remote communities in British Columbia. The Ministry recognizes the importance of access to health services for all British Columbians, and understands that concerns around appropriate and timely access to these services are of issue to many residents in our rural and remote communities. For this reason, the Ministry provides funds to a wide range of programs to address these challenges. One of the newer investments by the Province is the BCEHS Community Paramedicine program in which the Ministry of Health committed to an additional 80 full-time equivalent paramedic positions throughout the Province over the next five years to help develop community paramedicine programs in BCs rural communities. BCEHS will be engaging with health authorities and other partners over the next few months to determine how community paramedicine may provide value with an initial roll out in the spring of 2015.