As our 80^th anniversary year draws to a close, we share a retrospective highlighting the innovative and collaborative ways we deliver on our unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of Canadians. We do this by continuing to do what we’ve done for 80 years — working with partners to look beyond traditional approaches to health care — and reimagining the future with new models of patient-first, community-based care.

Bringing Care to Canadians’ Homes and Communities

Mobile integrated health programs are fine examples of ground-breaking initiatives Medavie Health Services (MHS) is introducing across Canada through public- and private-sector partnerships. Our aim is to extend care beyond hospital walls, making it accessible in the homes and communities of Canadians, and easing the strain on our health care system.

• In Prince Edward Island, a province-wide Mobile Mental Health (MMH) service supports Islanders experiencing mental health issues. Since 2021, the MMH team has responded to 7,000-plus calls, helping over 4,500 Islanders. Treatment for over 96% of patients happens in their community, rather than being transferred to the emergency department.
  
  
• In Chatham-Kent, Ontario, the local community paramedicine program has resulted in an 84% reduction in 911 calls and a 51% reduction in emergency department visits for targeted populations.
  
  
• Also, in Chatham-Kent, we introduced a Seasonal Health Care Clinic in 2023 to provide timely clinical services to individuals with cough, cold and flu symptoms, and other minor ailments.
  
  
• In Elgin County, Ontario, a new community paramedicine program was launched to bring care to residents living in seniors housing and retirement homes while offering accessible home-based care to the community’s most vulnerable population.
  
  
• In Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, we concluded a community paramedicine program pilot with permanent funding to support those experiencing mental health and substance use disorders.
  
  
• In Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, we operate a mobile health bus to provide dental services and community paramedicine support to over 15,000 people annually in seven First Nation communities.
  
  
• Additionally, Saskatoon paramedics with a community paramedicine lens are working in the Emergency Department’s offload area, minor assessment center, and waiting room to provide care and support staff.
  
  
• Highlighting the hard work and dedication of frontline teams in Saskatoon is Paramedics: Emergency Response, a television documentary series (7 seasons, 40 episodes), now playing nationally through syndication.
  

Increasing the Size and Capacity of our Paramedic Teams

Medavie Health Services and Medavie Blue Cross (MBC) now have a combined team of more than 8,000 professionals in eight provinces, with the addition of several new members of the MHS-West family of companies this year: Crestvue, Shamrock, and Midway Ambulance Care.

• In Ontario, MHS formed a three-year partnership with Lennox and Addington County Paramedic Services to manage paramedic services.
  
  
• To build capacity, Medavie HealthEd added two satellite campuses for primary care paramedic training in Nova Scotia in 2023.

Strengthening Access to Health Care

Strengthening access to care is a major focus for Medavie:

• In New Brunswick, MHS NB has overseen the successful rollout of NB Health Link across all of the province’s health zones, with 11 clinics active and established since launching in July 2022. NB Health Link, which aims to make health care more accessible to residents without a primary caregiver, has registered over 52,000 patients, offered over 21,000 appointments and over 2,000 patients have been matched to a permanent provider.
  
  
• In Nova Scotia, the LifeFlight Non-Critical Care Program (NCCT) has been making a positive impact on both ground operations and Nova Scotians. NCCT is a fixed-wing airplane dedicated to transferring patients to reduce long road transfers by EHS, thereby improving patient flow and increasing efficiency. Since its launch in August, over 300 patients have been transferred between Sydney – Halifax and Yarmouth – Halifax, and over 2,800 ambulance hours have been returned to Sydney and Yarmouth, keeping ambulances in their communities.
  
  
• The EHS Medical Communications Centre Nurse-program in Nova Scotia provides secondary triage and alternate care pathways, when appropriate, to 911 callers freeing paramedics to respond to emergency calls.
  
  
• A new video link technology was launched in Nova Scotia in October, allowing video communication between patients, clinicians and the Medical Communications Centre Clinical Team (MCCCT), helping provide the right resource to the right patient for the right reason.

Elevating customer service and experience

• As an all-in-one private health insurer and public program administrator, Medavie Blue Cross strives to connect its 3.5 million cardholders with expert care in a myriad of ways. This includes providing timely, convenient access to a comprehensive suite of leading-edge solutions through its digital health platform, Connected Care.
  
  
• We opened two Medavie Benefits+ centres in St. Johns, NL and Moncton, NB, joining our original location in Halifax, NS, to support members in managing their benefit plans and achieving their wellness goals.
  
  
• Our commitment to service excellence is reflected in our 2023 Net Promoter Scores for customer satisfaction, which consistently outperform industry benchmarks.

Giving Back to our Communities

As a not-for-profit organization, we invest in our business, employees, and communities we serve. Through the Medavie Foundation, we support Canadians disproportionately affected by health disparities, food insecurity and isolation by investing in initiatives that increase access to active living and youth mental health services and supports. We also support programs for first responders and their families impacted by Post-Traumatic Stress.

• $500,000 to increase access to wellness facilities across Nova Scotia in partnership with the province’s YMCAs
  
  
• $280,000 to support Hurricane Fiona and Wildfire relief efforts
  
  
• $200,000 to Holland College Foundation's Thrive Campaign to fund the construction of a student wellness centre on campus
  
  
• $100,000 to New Brunswick Community College’s Going Beyond Campaign to create more future-forward learning opportunities for students at the College’s School of Health and Wellness.

Medavie was also a premier event sponsor of the River of Pride Festival and Legs for Literacy in Moncton, the Blue Nose Half-Marathon in Halifax and the Velo SP Maurice (MS Bike Tour) in Quebec, to name a few, to promote healthy, active living and give back to the communities where we live and work.

Earning National Recognition for our Efforts

Proudly, we were again recognized for our efforts in key areas of our focus with several prestigious national awards.

• Canada’s Top 100 Employer 2024
• Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture recertification
• Caring Company recertification by Imagine Canada
• Rainbow Registered accreditation as a 2SLGBTQIA+ friendly organization.