Editor’s Note: This article is excerpted from a presentation by Medavie Health Services’ President, Erik Sande during the North American Conference on Integrated Care. The October 7, 2021 conference focused on adaptive strategies and change management to build resilient communities and forge new alliances in creating a sustainable healthcare system for the future. It has since been published in the International Journal of Integrated Care.
Across Canada, access to health care is an ongoing challenge. Pressures within our system, including an aging population, chronic illness, hallway medicine and climbing demand have been heightened by COVID-19.
The pandemic has also brought the need to address these challenges with innovative solutions into sharp focus. Enter team-based, integrated approaches to care that create more sustainable paths to help all patients and communities access support — when and where they need it.
Effectively moving care into the community will ensure a stronger future for the health of populations, aligned with “the quadruple aim” of better outcomes, better patient satisfaction, improved provider experience and better cost effectiveness.

Evaluations show an 84 per cent reduction in 911 calls and 51 per cent reduction in emergency department visits for targeted populations.
During COVID-19, paramedics have been mobilized across Canada to conduct swab testing (at LTCs and mobile drive-thru clinics) and are engaged in vaccine roll-out and administration, working with local health system partners.
Paramedics are also providing surge capacity response to remote Indigenous communities in northern Canada.
