MEDIA RELEASE  (pdf version)

For Immediate Release

“Community Paramedic Remote Patient Monitoring Program”

wins Innovation Award

The Community Paramedic Remote Patient Monitoring Program (CPRPMP) has received the prestigious Innovation Award out of many nominations from across the province at Community Futures Ontario’s 24^th Annual Conference.

The purpose of the CPRPM project is to allow seniors and chronically ill patients to comfortably remain in their homes longer. Seven CF offices Orillia CDC, North Simcoe CFDC, Nottawasaga CFDC, Centre for Business Collingwood, Bruce CFDC, Saugeen EDC and Wellington-Waterloo CF that comprise the SCCDC established a social enterprise called Future Health Services (FHS) to implement the project.

FHS partnered with Paramedics from 12 counties across Ontario to provide remote monitoring capabilities for patients that frequently called emergency services or visited the emergency room.

This simple technology allows paramedics to observe the health of critical patients from afar without having to travel to their homes. The intent of the program is to provide proactive care for these patients freeing up expensive emergency response resources.

FHS applied and received $1.6M from Canada Health Infoway to implement the program. In addition to making patients’ lives more comfortable, the program has reduced 911 calls from this patient cohort by 47%, reduced Emergency department admissions by 43% and has shown a 300% return on investment.

Barb Fisher, General Manager of Bruce CFDC says “This is not our typical economic development work. We’re founding something instead of copying something and I think there’s huge value in that. The whole thing was intended to serve the patient first and that’s the success of the program”.

Link to video: https://youtu.be/EvBNqV928Xw

About Community Futures Ontario (CF Ontario):

Community Futures Ontario represents 61 Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs)- 37 in southern Ontario and 24 in the north - that offer free business counselling, loans for start-up and expansion of small business, strategic planning on local projects and community economic development in rural areas. CFDCs provide flexible, repayable loans to small and medium sized businesses and are locally managed by a volunteer Board of Directors and funded with federal government support.

For more information about the Community Paramedic Remote Patient Monitoring Program, contact:

Rick Whittaker, General Manager of Wellington-Waterloo CF
294 Mill Street East, Unit 207, Elora N0B 1S0
Phone: 519-846-9839
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: https://www.wwcf.ca/

For more information about the Bruce CFDC, contact:

Barb Fisher, General Manager of Bruce CFDC
P.O. Box 208, 233 Broadway St.
Kincardine, Ontario N2Z 2X9
Phone: 519-396-8141
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: http://www.bruce.on.ca/index.php

For more information about the Community Futures program or Community Futures Ontario, contact:

Diana Jedig
Executive Director
Community Futures Ontario
300 South Edgeware Road, St. Thomas, ON   N5P 4L1
519-633-2326 ext.123
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.cfontario.ca