Lambton Emergency Medical Services has secured funding to continue its community paramedicine program until December.
Lambton EMS Manager Steve Pancino said Bluewater Health has committed an additional one-time contribution of $112,000 to support the program, in addition to $45,000 in base funding from the ministry.
"The pilot program that we started almost two years ago continues to show great benefit to the community," said Pancino. "We're still consistently showing upwards of a 60 per cent reduction in 911 calls for our patient population, and similar numbers for reductions in emergency department visits and hospital admissions as well."
Paramedics provided the service to over 400 patients in 2018.
Pancino said he is still confident permanent funding will be received eventually for the program, which required about $230,000 a year to run.