Health Equity in Motion
As COVID-19 continues to spread, Ontario’s air ambulance and critical care transport service is adapting to the healthcare sector’s ever-changing needs. In Ontario’s rural and remote regions, communities often do not have access to the same medical resources as more populous urban areas. In these regions, even one patient with COVID-19 poses a considerable risk to small hospitals and clinics, many of which do not have the ventilators needed for treatment. Ornge makes an immense impact in these areas, transporting hundreds of sick patients across Ontario, many of which 66
require specialized care. With a fleet of 8 planes, 12 helicopters, and 13 land ambulances, Ornge pilots and paramedics work tirelessly to ensure that patients across Ontario can be safely transported to potentially life-saving treatment. Throughout the pandemic, Ornge has been boosting its capacity to transport critically sick patients and vital medical supplies, and has been striving to ensure culturally appropriate and inclusive patient care. Three Ornge front-line staff members take us behind the scenes and share what it’s really like to transport COVID-19 patients across the province.