Dr. Gina Agarwal and the McMaster Community Paramedicine Research Team have been awarded Health Care Policy Contribution Program (HCPCP) funding by Health Canada to expand the innovative Community Paramedicine at Clinic (CP@clinic) program with paramedic services across Canada. CP@clinic is an innovative, evidence-based chronic disease prevention, management, and health promotion program that seeks to improve older adults’ health and quality of life, better connect them with primary care and community resources; and reduce the economic burden of avoidable 911 calls by older adults. The funding from Health Canada will allow Dr. Agarwal and her team to adapt CP@clinic to the unique needs and contexts of communities across the country and to develop the infrastructure necessary to run a sustainable program in multiple provinces.
In this presentation, Dr. Agarwal presented a recent economic analysis from the paramedic service perspective demonstrating the potential impact CP@clinic can have for paramedic services. The cost-benefit analysis will be discussed in detail, and implications for paramedic services discussed.