proposed west ottawa hart hub touted as way to divert patients from hospitals
"any time i can transfer one or two patients away from an emergency department, service delivery to the whole community benefits.”
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pierre poirier is chief of the ottawa paramedic service. he says the proposed west ottawa hart hub could help paramedics boost service capacity in the city.
julie oliver
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postmedia
a homelessness and treatment hub proposed for ottawa’s west end could play a role in reducing hospital offload delays, while offering patients more appropriate treatment, ottawa paramedic service chief pierre poirier says. poirier and tamara chipperfield, ceo of pinecrest-queensway community health centre, whose organizations are among the partners in the proposed west ottawa homelessness and recovery treatment (hart) hub, said plans for the hub includes an ability for paramedics to divert some patients there instead of going to hospital emergency departments.
the proposal includes walk-in services as well as up to six substance-use withdrawal-management beds and additional stabilization beds with medical staff on hand to look after patients’ needs, chipperfield said.
hart hubs are intended to provide safety, support and stability to people with complex needs, including homelessness, substance use, mental health, social-service support and unemployment. the provincial government announced the concept earlier this year while, at the same time, announcing the closure of 10 consumption and treatment sites in ontario, including one at ottawa’s somerset west community health centre. it is scheduled to shut down next march.
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somerset west and pinecrest-queensway, with partners, are both applying to run hart hubs in ottawa. somerset west is likely to be approved since its consumption site is closing due to its proximity to schools and daycares. pinecrest-queensway is part of a more competitive stream of applications.
poirier said on dec. 5 that the ability to divert some ottawa patients away from hospitals to treatment beds at a hart hub could make a significant difference to offload wait times in the city.
“the hart hub is innovative and helps us build capacity,” poirier said. “any time i can transfer one or two patients away from an emergency department, service delivery to the whole community benefits.”
it can take as many as six to eight hours on some days for a paramedic to return to service after waiting to offload a patient, he said.
“we get 20 to 30 mental-health or substance-use calls a day, and we look forward to having options of where we can take those patients,” poirier said.
currently, the only option outside of hospital emergency departments is the ted (targeted engagement diversion) program at shepherds of good hope in lowertown.
the ottawa hospital extended its hospital designation to the ted program to allow paramedics to divert some patients there. poirier said something similar was being looked at for the proposed west ottawa hart hub.
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having diversion beds not only benefits the community and paramedics, but also patients, who are more likely to get the care and follow up they need, he said.
tamara chipperfield is ceo of pinecrest-queensway community health centre, a partner in the proposed west ottawa homelessness and recovery treatment (hart) hub.
wayne cuddington
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postmedia files
chipperfield said the applications for hart hubs were being reviewed. she expects to hear back later in december. those approved are anticipated to open in late 2025.
she said the team was working with paramedics from outside ottawa, including renfrew county, as well as those in the city.
poirier said adjustments by hospitals had significantly improved paramedic offload delays in recent months.
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