With Ontario's health system in crisis mode, Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the province will expand the scope of a program aimed at keeping people out of emergency rooms.

She also announced a $47-million funding boost for municipal public health units.

The "9-1-1 models of care" pilot gives paramedics more options when transporting patients. Instead of being mandated to take patients experiencing mental health and addictions struggles to emergency rooms, paramedics — with the patients' approval — can take them to community care centres better suited to their needs.

Paramedics under the program can also treat palliative patients on-scene for pain and other distress.

They will soon also be able to treat patients "with minor acute illnesses and injuries such as falls, and managed chronic conditions such as diabetes and epilepsy," Jones said.

The pilot is currently running in more than 40 municipalities, Jones said. It is not being expanded to more places, her office said.

Patients under the program have gotten care 17 times faster — and 94 per cent don't go to ERs for at least a few days after receiving that care, she said to applause.

"It’s clear that the 9-1-1 models of care program is working, and I’ve heard loud and clear from you that these kinds of innovative solutions are what your communities want and deserve," she told a crowd of municipal delegates on the final day of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference.

The program has the backing of Camille Quenneville, the CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario Division. She told municipal representatives on Tuesday that often, people experiencing mental health crises don't want or need to be in hospital.

"It is not helpful for them. They are stigmatized by it. They don't want to be there," she said.

The pilots run for one year at which time they're reevaluated. It's been more than a year since the last expansion in April 2021.

"I look forward to exploring more ways we can work together to further support community paramedicine and other innovations that will reduce 9-1-1 ambulance calls and emergency department visits, and preserve hospital capacity," Jones said.

The announcement is part of the government's next phase of its COVID-19 "Plan to Stay Open." More details on that plan, aimed at combatting a winter surge, are coming this week, she said.

Jones also announced about $47 million in more public health cost-sharing mitigation funding for municipalities through 2023. She earned another round of applause.

"This will also ensure that you can continue to deliver key services beyond COVID-19 efforts such as childhood immunizations and other public health inspections," she said.

Jones teased more changes to come, saying there are "no easy solutions to the challenges facing the system now."

"We have made progress, but more can still be done," said the minister, who has not ruled out further privatization. "These challenges require bold and innovative solutions to better improve patient care for all Ontarians.

This story has been updated to clarify that the program being expanded in scope — not to new municipalities.

AMO 2022: Government expanding program to divert 9-1-1 calls from ERs

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