Riverside Health Care will expand its transportation system across the region for patients who are medically stable, with plans to station vehicles in Rainy River, Emo, Fort Frances and Atikokan in a bid to provide broader coverage and improved access.
The regional health care administration said Tuesday it is moving forward with a “significant expansion” of the Medically Stable Patient Transportation (MSPT) Program, with conditional approval for up to $1.6 million over three years in financial support from the province.
“This expansion reflects several years of work to advance a transportation model that better responds to the realities of our district,” Henry Gauthier, President and CEO of Riverside Health Care, said in a press release.
“I want to recognize the important contributions of David Black and the late Joanne Ogden, whose work with the Ministry helped advance this vision, as well as our Board of Directors for its ongoing commitment to evolving our model of care, improving access and providing the very best care possible for the communities we serve.”
The expansion builds on Riverside’s existing MSPT program, which has provided affordable, non-emergency transportation for medically stable patients since 2021.
The program aims to reduce the significant barrier that transportation issues can create for access to healthcare in a large rural district. The distances involved, particularly to larger centres such as Thunder Bay, can make attending appointments particularly challenging, especially when specialized services require travel elsewhere in the region.
While it provided 148 transports in its first year, the MSPT program provided more than 1,000 last year, with the growth driven partly by increasing requests from rural and remote communities, as well as longer-distance transportation to specialized services outside the district.
“Transportation should never be the reason someone misses out on the care they need,” said David Black, Riverside’s Vice President of Community and Transportation Services.
“Building greater capacity across our communities will allow us to better respond to local needs while also supporting the realities of accessing specialized care hundreds of kilometres away.”
Riverside said the challenges can be even greater for individuals who do not have reliable transportation or who require mobility assistance.
Under the existing model, longer-distance trips can take an MSPT vehicle and staff out of the district for an extended period, limiting the program’s ability to respond to other transportation needs. Expanding beyond a single transportation base in Fort Frances will provide greater flexibility to balance local needs with longer-distance travel.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Province of Ontario for recognizing the unique transportation challenges faced by patients and families in Northwestern Ontario,” Gauthier said.
“This investment allows us to build on a service that is already making a difference and create stronger, more reliable connections to care, regardless of where someone lives in our district.”
Riverside’s MSPT program is intended for individuals who do not require urgent medical attention or advanced life support during transportation, but who may require assistance due to mobility challenges, ongoing medical treatments or other health-related factors. The service helps connect patients with medical appointments, treatment facilities and other health-care destinations safely and comfortably.
As the expansion moves forward, Riverside said it will continue working with health-system, emergency medical services, community, municipal and Indigenous partners to coordinate transportation services and strengthen connections across the region. Planning has identified the importance of integrating local MSPT transportation with accessible transportation to Thunder Bay, helping create reliable connections from communities throughout the district to regional health services.
Details regarding expanded service availability, routes, schedules, eligibility, booking processes and launch timelines will be provided as implementation planning is completed.
