Grey County celebrates Paramedic Services Week 2026

May 17-23 is Paramedic Services Week across Canada. Each year, Paramedic Services Week is a time to recognize the essential role paramedics play in our communities and to highlight important developments in paramedicine.

The theme for Paramedic Services Week 2026 is "Better Care Starts Here." This theme extends beyond emergency response, recognizing the breadth of modern paramedic practices.

"Our paramedics are invested in the well-being of everyone in our communities," said Kevin McNab, Director of Paramedic Services at Grey County. "As we've grown to over 17,000 annual service calls, we're more focused than ever on improving the quality of life of patients when it matters most."

Throughout the week, the Ontario Association of Paramedic Chiefs are highlighting different aspects of paramedic services with key themes, including Clinical Excellence, Mental Health and Resilience, Public Empowerment and Early Intervention, Integrated System Collaboration, and People-Centred Care.

Paramedics provide a valuable service in Grey County communities as first responders, community educators, and through community paramedicine supporting vulnerable and marginalized populations. Last year, Grey County Paramedic Services responded to a nearly 9% increase in calls for service over 2024 and continued to meet or exceed response time targets for most of those calls.

On May 20, many long-term paramedics were recognized for their years of exceptional service at the Grey County Paramedic Services Annual Awards. Several paramedics also received special recognition for providing resuscitating treatment, referred to as 'saves', and for delivering newborns.

In addition to emergency response, Grey County provides or supports several community paramedicine programs and initiatives such as Supportive Outreach Services (SOS), Community Paramedic Home Visitation, and Community Paramedicine for Long-Term Care. For more information about Grey County Paramedic Services, visit https://www.grey.ca/paramedic-services.

For details about Paramedic Services week, visit Ontario Association of Paramedic Chief's website at https://www.oapc.ca/.

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For more information contact Rob Hatten, communications manager, at rob.hatten [at] grey.ca (rob[dot]hatten[at]grey[dot]ca) or call 519-373-1592.