07 Oct New OAPC President to focus on relieving system pressures
Chief Michael Sanderson, OAPC President
City of Hamilton Paramedic Chief, Michael Sanderson, stepped into his new role today as President of the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs (OAPC) following the Thursday, October 6 annual general meeting. He announced three key priorities for his two-year term:
- Continuing to build on the momentum with the Ontario government and other stakeholders in the healthcare system to advance alternate models of care to relieve pressures on hospital emergency rooms;
- Focusing on paramedic education and recruitment to attract more professionals into the field;
- Continuing pandemic recovery efforts.
Sanderson, who has served on the OAPC Board since 2014, and on the executive as Treasurer for the past 5 years, is joined by First Vice President, Mike Nolan (Renfrew County); Second Vice President, Greg Sage (Halton Region); Secretary, Jean Carriere (Cochrane District). The OAPC welcomes Troy Cheseboro from Durham Region to the Executive as the incoming treasurer.
“Over the past few years, we have made great strides in demonstrating that paramedics can do more for healthcare in Ontario,” said Sanderson. “We sit in the centre of health care, public health, public safety and caring for an aging population, and like no other health professional, we are mobile and agile. I’m looking forward to continuing our progress with the province to leverage paramedics to play a stronger role in providing long-term solutions to issues we are facing in our system.”
Emergency rooms across the province are overcrowded and paramedics often face delays transferring their patients into hospital care. Paramedic chiefs have long been advocating for more options than an emergency room to get patients the appropriate care they need, whether its mental health care, an urgent care centre or effective treatment at home. Rolling out alternative models of care to divert patients from hospitals has been a key focus for the past few years.
“Our system needs us to think outside the box and to leverage all the options before us. We’re pleased with the progress we’ve made so far, and we’re excited about what’s to come,” continued Sanderson. “I want to thank outgoing president, Peter Dundas (Peel Region), for what he has achieved to elevate paramedicine. He has led us through two years of a pandemic and has laid a strong foundation for us to build on.”