The Toronto EMS Community Paramedicine Program was created in the fall of 1999. The program is a non-emergency, community-based service with a focus on health promotion and injury prevention. Among emergency medical services, Toronto is at the forefront with a number of innovative community programs.
CREMS (Community Referrals by EMS) has been extremely successful since its inception in the early spring of 2006. In this program, referrals are made by paramedics who respond to 911 calls based on a determination that a patient is in need of additional healthcare or support services. These referrals are made to the appropriate Community Care Access Centre for further assessment and determination of the types of service best suited to the patient’s needs.
The Community Paramedicine Program took the lead in bringing together the Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA) and the Emergency Medical Services Chiefs of Canada (EMSCC) to form the Partners Promoting Window and Balcony Safety for Children program. Thirteen EMS agencies across Canada have joined the CWDMA and EMSCC to pursue the goal of preventing children's falls from windows and balconies through education, proper supervision and the use of safety devices.
The perspectives and focus of the Community Paramedicine Program change with the seasons. In the early spring and summer, Toronto EMS is a member of the Hot Weather Response Plan Committee. Before the cold winter months set in, the CMP helps train homeless outreach teams and agencies for their ‘Out of the Cold’ program by providing seminars on recognition of hypothermia and cold-related injuries.
Beginning in 1999, Toronto was one of the first EMS agencies in Ontario to provide influenza vaccination to homeless and marginally-housed persons through clinics held in shelters and drop-in centres and by appointment, to ‘shut-in’ persons living in the community. Immunization was also provided to the staff of Toronto EMS. Toronto EMS has in the past assisted Toronto Public Health with Hepatitis A and Meningitis C Vaccinations.
