10 thehearingroom.ca WONDERFUL SOUNDS ENJOY ALL OF THE WONDERFUL SOUNDS OF 2022 TRY THEMON!TRY THEMON! CALL TO REQUEST AN APPOINTMENT TO *Valid for purchases made between January 4, 2022 and March 31, 2022. Special winter pricing available for purchase of select binaural hearing aids of specific technology while supplies last. Cannot be combined with any other offer or promotion and is not redeemable for cash. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc., and any use of such marks by WSAUD A/S is under license. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners. Try the latest in hearing aid technology: Rechargeable options Bluetooth® connectivity to stream phone calls & TV Ask us for a personal hearing consultation to find out what's new in hearing careAsk us for a personal hearing consultation to find out what s new in hearing care SPECIAL WINTER PRICING AVAILABLE * 866-559-3168 9B-575 Thornton Road North Oshawa, ON North OshawaMedical Centre 1400 Ritson Road North, Unit 201 Oshawa, ON Glazier Medical Centre Main Floor Area J 11 Gibb Street, Oshawa, ON Paramedics from neighbouring municipalities attended emergency calls in Durham Region Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 4, when the local paramedic service was for a time without avail- able staffed ambulances to respond. The "Code Zero" situation highlights an ongoing staffing shortage for the local service, according to the union that represents Durham paramedics. "We need more paramedics," said Stephanie Taylor, acting president of CUPE Local 1764. The Code Zero status arose as a result of a number of factors, including staffing constraints and long waits to off-load patients at local hospitals, Region of Durham Paramedic Services Chief Troy Cheseboro explained. "We go to Code Zero when we have zero ambulances to respond to calls in Durham Region," Cheseboro said. Durham's paramedic service normally has 30 staffed ambulances on the road to respond to calls. On Jan. 4 there were 28, and at times none were available to respond to new calls as they had not cleared previous calls. While such circumstances are not unique, they are usually of fairly short duration, Cheseboro said. At one point in the afternoon on that day, the Code Zero situation in Durham extended for about an hour. During that time, ambulance crews from York Region and Kawartha Lakes responded to two calls in Durham, he confirmed. The chief said that among the factors in play was long wait times at hospitals, during which paramedics continued to care for patients until they could be properly admitted. "In a 24-hour period, we had almost 93 hours of off-load delay," Cheseboro said. "It's becoming, unfortunately, more common. It's a challenge the whole province is experiencing." Taylor said that while COVID-19 has resulted in increasing challenges and stress for frontline paramedics, the issue of adequate staffing predates the pandemic. She points to an independent consultants' study that concluded call demand has increased 40 per cent since 2015, while overall staffing has grown just 5 per cent. The study indicated that 49 new hires are required to address the current demand, Taylor said. "And that was before a worldwide pandemic," Taylor added. "The region and the province need to immediately inject more funding." As the pandemic grinds on, stress mounts for front-line workers like paramedics, Taylor said. "Our members are mentally exhausted due to the workload right now," she said. Cheseboro acknowledged the pressures faced by his staff, and applauded their response. "They are putting in a lot of extra hours - they are really stepping up," he said. It's likely the pressures faced by the first responders will continue, he said on Jan. 5. "It's busy again today," Cheseboro said. CALL VOLUME, WAIT TIMES OVERWHELM PARAMEDICS Paramedics from neighbouring communities attended emergency calls in Durham on the afternoon of Jan. 4 as no staffed ambulances were available. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland JEFF MITCHELL jmitchell@durhamregion.com NEWS DURHAM PARAMEDIC SERVICE HAD ZERO AMBULANCES ON THE ROAD AT ONE POINT ON JAN. 4