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Employees of the old Lever Brothers soap factory have been walking the picket line for a year. In February, American owner Korex Don Valley filed for bankruptcy protection. Last month, all 100 strikers received layoff notices.
"We, as the normal common guy, didn't see it coming," David Pal, 48, says of the recession. "We were out in June (2008) and in July we started realizing, holy cow, the economy seems to be in trouble."
And yet, sitting under a makeshift tent at the plant's gate, Pal and a handful of other strikers say they have no regrets.
Read more: Recession 'an opportunity to stick it to us': Organized workers feeling the heat
By: Radhika Panjwani
Officials with the Central West (Brampton) and Mississauga Halton local health integration networks presented an overview of initiatives geared to reducing ER wait times at Mississauga and Brampton hospitals.
Regional councillors voiced dismay that ER gridlock also means unproductive time for Peel Paramedics who are often forced to cool their heels in hospitals.
Last year, paramedics spent some 40,000 paramedic hours at hospitals waiting to transfer patients to hospital staff, said Peter Dundas, director of Peel Regional Paramedic Services.
“Ambulance off-load is a major concern to the delivery of our services,” Dundas told The News. “Ambulance off-load isn’t correcting itself and often is still at a very high value.”
Dundas said that four months ago the Region and Queen’s Park launched a program that called for additional ER nurses to accept patients brought in by paramedics. The program has met with limited success, he said, largely because so many other factors are behind the delays.“We need to look at different types of strategies to correct that,” he said. “The resource being tied up at the emergency department is invaluable to the community and we need that resource on the road, not in the emergency department.”
Read more: Offload Still Present for Peel Paramedics: Regional Councillors - Mississauga News
http://www.peelregion.ca/news/archiveitem.asp?year=2009&month=5&day=25&file=2009525.xml
Paramedics Breathe Life Into Patients with New Device - Region of Peel (press release)
BRAMPTON, ON. (June 25, 2009) – Peel Paramedics are now treating patients experiencing shortness of breath due to fluid in their lungs and lung diseases such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis with a similar device sleep apnea sufferers use at home. The Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine forces oxygen into the lungs to allow the patient to breathe.
“Assessing the need for and using the CPAP machine will enable Peel Paramedics to reduce the number of patients they have to intubate, lower mortality and infection rates and reduce intensive care unit stays in the hospital,” says Dr. Sheldon Cheskes, Medical Director for Peel region.
According to the Region’s State of the Region’s Health 2007 report, over 7,000 people in Peel visited an emergency department due to a chronic obstructive lung disease in 2005. The Canadian Cardiovascular Society estimates that over 400,000 Canadians are living with heart failure – a condition often leading to fluid in the lungs.
“Using the CPAP machine enables our paramedics to provide a better patient-care option,” says Peter Dundas, Director of Peel Regional Paramedic Services. “Paramedics can expect to avoid intubating approximately 365 patients each year, leading to faster patient recovery.”
The machine includes a mask, hose and oxygen tank. The mask is placed over the patient’s mouth and nose and the air sent through the mask helps open blocked airways and helps push any fluids out of air sacs in the lungs.
Peel Paramedics respond to more than 80,000 emergency medical calls every year. For more information about Peel Regional Paramedic Services, visit www.peelems.ca.
The Regional Municipality of Peel was incorporated in 1974 on the principle that certain community and infrastructure services are most cost-effectively administered over a larger geographic area. The Region of Peel serves more than one million residents in the Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and the Town of Caledon. For more information on the Region of Peel, please call 905-791-7800, or visit our website at www.peelregion.ca.
McGuinty Government Local Hospital Emergency Department Closures Put Patients at Risk:
New Ontario Health Coalition Survey of Paramedics Across 
Ontario
The Ontario Health Coalition released a new report today, “Putting Patients at Risk”. Based on indepth interviews with more than 50 paramedics in every geographic region of Ontario, the report summarizes the impact on patient outcomes and ambulance services of closing small and rural hospital emergency departments. A summary and the report are available at
The McGuinty government is pursuing plans to close down emergency departments in small, medium and even large hospitals across Ontario, despite election promises to improve ER access. At least 70% of Ontario’s hospitals have been pushed into deficit as a result of provincial government funding levels that are less than the rate of inflation. At risk are hospital emergency departments in Petrolia, Wallaceburg, Fort Erie, Port Colborne, St. Joseph Island, Trenton, Picton, Hamilton, Durham, Wellington County and others.
According to paramedics across Ontario, these closures will likely result in new costs, less access to ambulances as they are forced to drive patients further to get to an ER, and longer offload delays in the overcrowded hospital emergency rooms that remain.
“Every paramedic in every geographic region of Ontario expressed serious concerns about local emergency department closures,” noted Natalie Mehra, Director of the Ontario Health Coalition and the report’s author. “Paramedics used very strong language – calling these plans “absurd”. They told us that the consequences of closing local emergency rooms will longer delays, worse outcomes and even higher death rates for patients.”
Key Findings
Every paramedic expressed concerns about the closures of local emergency departments.
Every paramedic we interviewed stated that ambulances cannot replace the functions provided in local hospitals’ emergency departments, including drugs for heart attacks, blood for traumas, and a host of other emergency care.
Every paramedic gave concrete examples of how the plan to close local Emergency Departments will increase risks for patients, worsen wait times, deprive communities of access to care, or cause poorer care outcomes and even death.
Most paramedics reported, from their experience, that the plan to close local emergency departments would lead to new costs for more ambulances, more paramedics and more training requirements. These have not been put in place in any area where the local ERs are under threat of closure.
“Claims by the McGuinty government and their LHINs that they are improving quality care are simply false cover for a misguided cost-cutting plan that imperils access to care for whole communities. There has not been any appropriate assessment of the impact of ER closures on patient outcomes and death rates. We are calling for an immediate moratorium on hospital closures,” concluded Ms. Mehra.
For more information: Ontario Health Coalition 416-230-6402 (cell) or 416-441-2502 (office).
Related News
Niagara Falls Review, Canada
Talks are underway to maintain some sort of ambulance service to the hospital, too, after the emergency department is downgraded. "What's important is the guarantee to maintain a certain level of service for a two-year period," Martin said Tuesday, ...
Douglas Memorial likely to maintain its 'H'
Fort Erie, NHS reach hospital deal
Friday June 5 2009
Peel Region has received $140 million under a federal-provincial initiative intended to create jobs and boost the local economy.
Government officials figure spending on local infrastructure initiatives will create some 1,600 jobs locally.
Read Full Article
Reflecting on the fact that we are encountering more sudden fatal illnesses, injuries and retirees funerals within our occupation it is sobering concept that preparation for co-worker funerals needs to occur to advance. This article from PoliceLink highlights some important points of Honour Guards and funeral proceedings that is applicable to Paramedics and EMS. Retirees should be honoured appropriately by the services too.
You get one chance to make a first impression. This is the motto all Honor Guard commanders and coordinators should have when planning the funeral of a fallen officer. I have had the unfortunate task of coordinating three line-of-duty funerals for the Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department in my 18 years on the team. It will be one of the most challenging and exhausting things you will ever do. Trust me.
It is an unfortunate reality that one of your officers can be killed in the line of duty at any time. In this article, I will provide an overview of what my experience has taught me it takes to staff a police funeral.
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ICE - In case of emergency
In an emergency situation, emergency personnel are faced with on the spot decisions. When every second counts, emergency personnel need answers fast so they can quickly and effectively give you or your loved ones the medical attention they so desperately need.
ICE is here to assist emergency personnel on your behalf should you become involved in an emergency situation. ICE Members can help themselves and emergency personnel by providing ICE with your medical information, and your emergency contacts.
