Introduction to Ornge
Most Ontarians know that if they need the services of a health care provider, there is one nearby and ready to assist. Ontario’s vast geography of 1M square kilometers has the potential to create a barrier to health care in remote and rural areas. Ornge works daily to remove that barrier by operating one of the largest programs of transport medicine in North America.
The transport medicine program evolved from a humble beginning in 1977 with a single helicopter based in Toronto. Over time many different regions of the province established their bases with paramedics practicing under regional base hospitals using either helicopters or airplanes. The individual programs grew and expanded independently until 2005 when the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long- Term Care appointed a single non-profit organization to coordinate all aspects of the aero-medical transport system. Originally known as the Ontario Air Ambulance Service Company it began operations in January 2006. In August of the same year the organization adopted a new name, Ornge, to better reflect the full scope of the services it provides.
The integration of land and air
In June of 2007, the province proclaimed the Health System Improvements Act, 2007 (Bill 171) which designated Ornge to create an integrated land and air system. The history, scope of practice and resources within Ornge put it on solid footing to design and implement an integrated land and air inter-facility transport system. Through this system, Ornge can provide inter-facility transport for these patients
With the stated mission of providing patient care with innovative transport medicine, Ornge works to give the residents of Ontario access to healthcare by operating from numerous bases located across the province. Nine of these bases are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ornge consists of over 300 dedicated employees including paramedics, pediatric transport nurses, transport medicine physicians, lead educators, researchers and office staff who champion the organizations’ vision of propelling life with innovation.
While most visible when landing at the scene of an accident, many of Ornge’s patient admissions are for the purpose of transporting from one facility, often a small regional hospital, to a larger facility providing access to specialized care.
Unlike Emergency Medical Service providers, Ornge is not accessible to the public through 911. The dispatch of Ornge services is the responsibility of the Ornge Communications Centre (OCC). The OCC provides the service as defined by the Ontario Ambulance Act. An Ornge helicopter can and does respond to an accident scene or remote areas when requested by the local land ambulance Central Ambulance Communications Centres (CACC) / Ambulance Communications Services (ACS).
The OCC also provides medical transfer (MT) authorization numbers to each patient
requiring transfer, from one healthcare facility to another within the province of
Ontario. This process helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases by ensuring that
facilities are advised and notified when they need to take precautions.
What is Transport Medicine?
Transport medicine is about delivering specialized medical care in a mobile environment. It could be a fixed-wing (airplane) or rotor-wing (helicopter) aircraft, or land transport. Transport medicine is the connective tissue for the hospital system – it links hospitals together enabling access to specialized care for the people of Ontario.
Ornge transport medicine paramedics and nurses are trained to provide care for critically ill or injured patients outside the traditional bricks and mortar of a hospital.
They are experienced and highly trained in providing specialized care to patients in the medical transport environment – our virtual hospital.
Ornge Academy of Transport Medicine
Drawing on our recognized expertise in the field of transport medicine, Ornge has created the Ornge Academy of Transport Medicine. The Ornge academy offers unique opportunities to students including the only Canadian Medical Association (CMA) accredited Critical Care Flight Paramedic program in Canada. It also offers a CMA accredited Advanced Care Flight Paramedic program, which is designed for primary care paramedics who want to expand their scope of practice. This intensive program bridges the knowledge and skills gap between the air and land environments, enabling successful students the opportunity to work in both situations.
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