Ontario spends $89M to make long-term care program for seniors permanent

The Ontario provincial government is spending $89 million to make the community paramedicine for long-term care (CPLTC) program permanent. 

The program first launched provincewide in 2020 and provides 24/7 aid to seniors requiring non-emergency medical support like routine diagnostics, the government said in a news release Tuesday. 

Community paramedics can ease the burden of long hospital wait times by keeping seniors out of hospital and preventing medical conditions from escalating, the news release said. 

The government says the additional funds will also help expand the program to First Nations communities, including to a newly certified paramedic service by the Independent First Nations Alliance. 

"We're ensuring that seniors — including those in northern and remote First Nations — can receive the care they need, right in their own homes," Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said in the news release. 

The program has served over 81,000 people since its launch, according to the news release. 

People are eligible for CPLTC if they are:

• Already on a waitlist for long-term care.

• Eligible for long-term care but not on the waitlist.

• Soon to be eligible for long-term care.