June 7, 2007

TORONTO – Ontario’s Emergency Medical Assistance Team has been deployed to Sudbury to assist the Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital provide critical services while the hospital repairs fire damage at its St. Joseph’s Health Centre site, Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman announced today.

“Our priority is to ensure that the people of Sudbury continue to get access to the best possible hospital care,” said Health and Long-Term Care Minister George Smitherman.  “The Emergency Medical Assistance Team will work closely with staff from the Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital to address the need for critical hospital services in the city.”

A fire broke out at the St. Joseph's Health Centre site at approximately 1 p.m. on June 6th.  The hospital’s emergency department has been closed and patients have been transferred to other sites in the Hôpital régional de Sudbury Regional Hospital system.

The Emergency Medical Assistance Team is a group of volunteer emergency medical professionals who are specifically trained to respond to major health emergencies.  The team operates a self-sufficient 56-bed acute and intermediate care field unit with its own medical equipment and supplies, a communications centre, electricity and water.

The EMAT is operated by Ornge and deployed at the request of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Ornge coordinates all aspects of Ontario’s aero medical transport system and is responsible for dispatch and authorizing air and land ambulance transfers between hospitals.  It operates from 26 bases across the province and completes 18,000 admissions annually.

For further information :

Members of the general public :
416-327-4327, or 1-866-532-3161

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