Later this fall, Huron County will transition its 9-1-1 medical dispatch calls to the province's Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS).
A statement on the Huron County websites says that the transition, which begins October 14, aims to "improve the deployment of paramedic resources to meet patient needs by matching resources with the clinical situation and prioritizing the most urgent calls to 9-1-1."
The system will be new to Huron County, but it has been deployed in many other regions across Ontario already. Huron County Paramedic Services shared in the Huron County online statement that it expects the transition to have minimal impact on local services or on the experience of most residents calling 9-1-1.
Under the system, residents calling 9-1-1 for paramedic assistance may be asked additional questions by emergency medical dispatchers to help assess the patient’s condition and determine the appropriate response.
According to Huron County's website, the patients experiencing serious or life-threatening emergencies, such as strokes, heart attacks, severe allergic reactions, difficulty breathing, and major trauma, will continue to receive the highest priority. For minor and non life-threatening medical needs, response times may vary when paramedic resources are responding to more urgent emergencies.
"For most residents, calling 9-1-1 for a medical emergency will continue to work much as it does today," said Jeff Horseman, Chief of Huron County Paramedic Services. "Callers may notice that dispatchers ask a few more questions. These questions help dispatchers assess the situation and make sure paramedics are available for the patients who need them most."
