Shaun MacLaughlin, an Advanced Care Paramedic with the EHS Emergency Preparedness & Special Operations team, was recently recognized as Volunteer of the Year 2021 by the Town of Westville in Nova Scotia.

Shaun has helped organize several volunteer initiatives with EHS paramedics over the years, including holiday toy drives. However, his dedication to his community doesn’t end there – Shawn also volunteers with the Westville Fire & Rescue and most recently joined the Police Commission.

Congratulations, Shaun, on this well-deserved accomplishment!

Please note that the following is an internal update only and will not be shared externally.

The COVID-19 crisis has continued to escalate in regions across the country, including in Ontario where several regions were designated as hot spots.

In an effort to further expand its COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, the Government of Ontario previously announced the launch of mobile vaccine units for small to medium-sized businesses in these hot spot communities with a history or risk of outbreaks, and where employees have been unable to work from home. 

This initiative has been delivered through collaboration with many integrated health care teams and experienced system partners, including Medavie. As a health solutions partner, we have a longstanding history of partnering with government to bring care to communities and have quickly demonstrated our expertise in supporting vaccine administration and establishing clinics in many communities across the country.

Beginning Friday, May 7 and continuing on an ongoing basis, our teams of frontline workers, supported by many people behind-the-scenes, have come together to operationalize a series of ongoing mobile vaccine workplace clinics across the Greater Toronto Area, Peel Region and Durham Region. This work has translated into establishing and operationalizing community clinics in these hotspot areas of the province too.

On Friday, May 28, Medavie was onsite at the Canadian Sport Institute to support vaccination efforts of our Olympic athletes in preparation for the Tokyo 2021 Games. Our team is incredibly proud to help get our athletes ready for the Games, while supporting the health and wellbeing of the broader public.

All this is in addition to the ongoing efforts of our teams across the country on the frontlines of COVID-19. We will have additional details to share as vaccination administration continues.

Members of our Medavie Health Services’ onsite vaccination team, alongside the Hon. Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries

Onsite at a mobile workplace vaccination clinic

A little more than five years ago, Kira was born in Truro in the presence of several paramedics after her mom, Jessica, had gone into labour and called 911.

Kira’s first gift was a Bearamedic teddy bear, given to her by one of those paramedics a few moments after she was born. Over the years, Kira grew attached to that bear, bringing it with her wherever she went.

Unfortunately, earlier this spring, Kira left the bear in a park in Halifax while at the IWK for an eye appointment. Jessica recently reached out to us about getting a new one as Kira was missing her bear.

On May 26, EHS Operations paramedics Amanda and Hisanobu met Kira to give her a brand new teddy bear! To say she was happy to have her Bearamedic back is an understatement.

Hours after that meeting, Mom said Kira was still clutching the bear, making sure it never leaves her sight.

“Thank you so much for making it possible for her to get another bear. She’s happy to have her bear back,” Jessica said. “She hasn’t put her bear down since receiving it. She missed it.”

Sometimes it’s the little things paramedics do that make a big difference and it certainly was in Kira’s case.

Medavie EMS Elgin Ontario has been actively working in partnership with Southwest Public Health to administer COVID-19 vaccines at multiple locations within Elgin County, including the Elgin County Mass Immunization Clinic. 

Additionally, as part of a mobile team approach, paramedics and public health nurses have been travelling to accommodate residents that are homebound with complex medical issues while also administering vaccinations at congregate living facilities, retirement residences and long-term care facilities (LTCs).

The mobile team has also been working to support other emergency services who are out in the community by administering vaccines at the Ontario Police College, as well as to those with the St. Thomas Fire Department, St. Thomas Police Services and Elgin OPP. They’ve also been operating mid-sized, standalone clinics to vaccinate targeted populations such as the Amish, Temporary Foreign Workers and seniors’ apartment buildings.

As of May 28, 2021, 100,000 residents in the Southwestern public health region had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Medavie EMS Elgin Ontario has also been crucial in local COVID-19 testing efforts throughout the pandemic, including surveillance testing for staff at three local long-term care facilities beginning October 2020.

“At Medavie EMS Elgin Ontario, the health and safety of our community is of primary importance as we continue through the COVID-19 pandemic. We are proud to be working alongside our local partners – Southwest Public Health, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Testing Centre, London Health Sciences Centre and our allied emergency services – to bring COVID-19 vaccinations to those in our community. Our paramedics have been unwavering in their ongoing commitment to supporting the residents of Elgin County, finding ways to continuously adapt and deliver.” ~ Gord Mathers, Operations Manager, Medavie EMS Elgin Ontario

Photos:

Gord Mathers, Operations Manager alongside the Hon. Jeff Yurek, MPP and Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks while working together onsite at the Elgin County Mass Immunization Clinic. Min. Yurek is also a practicing pharmacist in the community.

MEMSEO paramedics Stephanie Grant and Ben Rees provide vaccinations to the Ontario Police College.

The Paramedic Chiefs of Canada (PCC) recently hosted a photo contest for paramedics to submit photos that highlighted paramedic service in action. There were three categories for individuals to submit a photo, including: community spirit, teamwork, and agency / department.

The winner of the PCC 2021 photo challenge in the agency / department category was MHS West paramedic Troy Davies! We also want to congratulate Tony Hrynchuk for capturing the winning photograph, which was taken to promote MHS West’s “Paramedics: Emergency Response” television show.

If you’d like to see all of the photos that were submitted for the PCC photo challenge, click here.

MHS West’s Troy Davies was recently featured on Global Saskatoon to discuss Canada’s first Health Bus for First Nations communities.

The mobile primary health centre will be staffed by an MHS West paramedic, a dentist and dental assistant and a mental health professional to provide services to seven Saskatchewan First Nations in the region.

Two years ago, Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) Chief Mark Arcand reached out to Troy, who is also the chair of local fundraising organization Synergy 8, to bring the Health Bus model to Indigenous communities. The result is this new Health Bus that will provide the equipment and medical staff that are missing from the seven communities of the STC. The bus, which aims to be fully operational by September 2021, will operate five days a week.

Click here to watch the video on the Global News Facebook page (video is in English only).

This year, Paramedic Services Week is being celebrated across Canada from May 23-29. Along with National Nursing Week and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, it’s an opportunity to recognize the incredible efforts everyone is making to ensure the health and safety of our communities.

In the following video, Erik Sande, President of Medavie Health Services, shares a personal message of thanks to our paramedics and frontline employees. While remaining focused on our mission of improving the wellbeing of Canadians, their selfless efforts have given everyone hope for a better, safer future.

To all our paramedics: thank you for your continued dedication to those you serve – we hope you have a great Paramedic Services Week!

Honourable Bronwyn Eyre, Minister of Energy and Resources, recently recognized MHS West’s Paramedics: Emergency Response television show in the Saskatchewan legislature.

“The series highlights the incredible brave work that paramedics do and what they face on a daily basis,” said Honourable Bronwyn Eyre. “Now more than ever it is so important to recognize the crucial role that paramedics play in our health system.”

The series, which started in 2017 on YouTube, has become a remarkable success. With five seasons and a potential sixth, the episodes are popular across Canada and in other countries as well.

Click on the video below to watch the introduction to the show.

On May 6, Atlantic Business Magazine’s 23rd Annual Top 50 CEO Awards were presented virtually, recognizing Atlantic Canada’s most accomplished business leaders

Our very own Bernard Lord was among the award winners – marking the second time he has earned this title for his outstanding leadership.

Nominations are submitted by readers and nominees are judged according to: their corporate, community and industry involvement; their company’s growth in recent years; and, their responses to various managerial challenges.

Click on the video below to see some of our employees congratulating Bernard on his most recent achievement.

From the frontlines to the phone lines, Medavie Health Services employees are working tirelessly to protect the health and safety of Canadians and their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an article on Medavie.ca, we look at how several MHS operations teams are playing key roles in virus screening tests and vaccine roll-outs.