Paramedic Chief Mike Noal presented a paramedic helmet to Minister Sylvia Jones to mark her visit to the 5th anniversary celebrations of RCVTAC last week. Earlier, Minister Jones presented Chief Nolan with a certificate recognizing his involvement in assisting EMS crews at Pearson Airport during plane crash there in February.

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Renfrew – The incredible success of a made-in-Renfrew County solution to address a healthcare crisis that has become a template for other areas across the province was celebrated last Thursday at the fifth anniversary of the program. Ontario Minister of Health and Deputy Premier Sylvia Jones was on hand to mark the anniversary of the Renfrew County Virtual Triage Assessment Centre (RCVTAC).

She was joined by newly sworn in Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Billy Denault and several members of Renfrew County council and staff, paramedics and RCVTAC staff, representatives of other agencies, and some of those involved with the launch of RCVTAC.

“What began as a response to a public health emergency has evolved into something far more lasting,” County CAO Craig Kelley said. “It’s a model of healthcare delivery that is effective, compassionate, and built for the unique needs of rural communities.”

From the beginning, RCVTAC was built on a simple, but powerful idea, that everyone deserves access to timely, high-quality healthcare, no matter where they live, he continued. “Through the integration of virtual care and in-person services, family physicians and community paramedics, and, of course, technology with a human touch, RCVTAC has ensured that no one in our county is left behind without the care they need,” he said.

Mr. Kelley said everyone is proud RCVTAC has become much more than a local success story.

“It is now a model of what’s possible, and it’s being watched, studied and celebrated across Ontario and beyond,” he stated.

Renfrew County Warden Peter Emon said RCVTAC ensures everyone in the county has access to a family doctor and community paramedics. He said since the COVID pandemic, VTAC has been an innovative, robust model of care that has been there for the residents, from the darkest days of the pandemic, to rising to the challenge of access to primary care and protecting the paramedic service and hospital capacity.

“Instead of building assessment centres, we used local capacity and rural know-how to get the job done,” he said. “I am incredibly proud of how our VTAC program and all our community partners from primary care, hospitals and community service who came together to create a lifeline with the support of Ontario Health and the Ministry of Health. This lifeline has changed our population health for the better. VTAC is a reason that retirees move to Renfrew County. It keeps older adults living confidently at home and it protects our precious resources.”

Warden Emon said about 30 percent of people who call VTAC for medical assistance are referred directly to existing medical and community services, which is a huge success. “VTAC keeps our community strong, connected and working to support our economy,” he said.

He said there are community paramedic-led clinics staggered across the county so that if after a virtual consultation a comprehensive physical assessment, blood work or point of care testing needs to happen, residents have options close to wherever they live when they are ready.

“The Integrated Virtual Care (IVC) arm of VTAC now attaches people to primary care. This reduces the waiting list to have a named family doctor and it opens up even more opportunity for our community to access Nurse Practitioners and allied health professionals. This innovative partnership is led by Judy Hill, Dr. Jonathan Fitzsimon and Paul Moreau, board chair of the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Team,” he added.

Warden Emon noted VTAC is a sophisticated model of care that is proving its worth in Renfrew County. He said the dedication, professionalism and care provided by medical receptionists, physicians and community paramedics 24/7 is second to none. He told Minister Jones how incredibly proud the county is of VTAC as it continues to rise to the challenges in innovative, cost effective ways.

“Your ongoing investments in VTAC, Community Para-medicine, Mesa, the Ottawa Valley Ontario Health Team and more recently our HART (Homelessness and Addictions Recovery Treatment) Hub we will work tirelessly to improve the wellbeing of our community, end homelessness and strengthen our economy,” he said. “With your support we are making a real difference in our lives residents every day.”

Ms. Jones recalled sitting down with former MPP John Yakabuski, who shared the enormous value and impact of VTAC in his community.

“But it was outside the box,” she recalled. “And to be able to embrace that and show the government and the ministry, that you could do this as partners, leveraging relationships that already exist . . . that really speaks very highly to your ability to look at a community problem and fix it right away.”

Ms. Jones said when the government sees the innovation present in the creation of VTAC, it must ensure they are there to encourage it.

“9-1-1 levels of care, I think we have almost 100 across Ontario, where individual organizations, hospitals, paramedics, and primary care come forward and say this will work in our community. Just allow us the right to do it. And I think at its core, that is what VTAC is really all about,” she continued. “They took a local solution, and then you ran with it and you proved it could work.”

Special Presentation

Ms. Jones presented a certificate to Warden Emon recognizing the fifth anniversary and also made a surprise presentation to Paramedic Chief Mike Nolan for his role in assisting the emergency response team at Toronto’s Pearson Airport when a Delta airplane with 80 passengers crashed while landing on February 19.

“You just don’t do good work in Renfrew here,” she said. “And I heard about some pretty exciting things that happened in February where your Chief Nolan was involved, and it wasn’t in Renfrew. When we see that kind of service no matter where you are, if you’re in uniform, if you’re not in uniform, if you’re in your community or if you’re not in your community . . . that ability to say, ‘I’m here and I can help,’ really needs to be acknowledged and thanked.”

Important Milestone

MPP Denault thanked Ms. Jones for taking time out of her busy schedule to visit the riding, saying it was an honour to welcome her with the world-class hospitality the Valley is famous for. He said fortunately for him, but unfortunately for Ms. Jones, the two were attached at the hip all morning and afternoon.

“You could say, Minister Jones, this is a preview of how it’s going to be when the House is back in session,” he joked. “I hope I haven’t scared you off too much.”

Mr. Denault accompanied Ms. Jones on her tour of Renfrew Victoria Hospital which highlighted the local healthcare assets that make the community so strong. He said in his previous career as an accountant, he was very familiar with the term “assets.”

“So, I know a thing or two about assets and their place in balance sheets,” he remarked. “It’s generally reserved for equipment or buildings, but I look around this room and I see so many individuals who have been involved with this initiative since its beginning, from its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic, to its ongoing and expanded service offering throughout the county. And I see the maximum drive that has now lasted to this important milestone,” he added.

“I think we can all agree that RCVTAC is the shining example of a truly innovative made-in-Renfrew County asset, one of the most that we have at our disposal.” Mr. Denault said the importance of RCVTAC to the county, connecting people to the care and ensuring they have access to it when they need it most, cannot be overstated.

“It goes without saying that hitting this milestone of five years of ongoing service would not have been possible without the continued and ongoing investment of our government through the Ministry of Health, and especially to our wonderful Minister of Health, Sylvia Jones, as well as each and every one of your efforts ongoing to get us here to this point.”