New Brunswick allows some advanced care paramedics

New Brunswick is moving to join the rest of North America by putting advanced care paramedics to work on provincial ambulances.

Health Minister Victor Boudreau announced a pilot project on Thursday that will allow the advanced care paramedics (ACP) to put their skills to work for patients served by Ambulance New Brunswick.

The pilot project will see advanced care paramedics used in Saint John, Moncton, Bathurst and Edmundston.

"Unfortunately New Brunswick is the last jurisdiction in Canada without these specialized [advanced care paramedics]," said Boudreau.

"We currently have 52 active, licensed [advanced care paramedics] in our province that cannot put those specialized skills to work. That's about to change.

Boudreau said the initiative will cost his department about $600,000 a year.

"Obviously there's a difference in pay because of the additional training," said Boudreau. "There's also vehicles involved that they will be using, which are specific to them.

"So while the ambulances will be out responding to everyday calls, the ACPs could get called in, depending on the urgency or the situation of the call. So they have their own vehicles that they would be using."

Mobile clinics will be created and used to perform community paramedicine and provide additional support to ambulances respondingto calls involving patients with complex needs.

"When you throw in stopping heart attacks with clot-busting drugs, and some drugs to reverse some of the effects from congestive heart failure very life saving.- Phil Comeau, ParamedicAssociation

Phil Comeau, the president of the Paramedic Association of New Brunswick, welcomed the news.

"There will be some extra medications that they will carry, medications that could stop seizures, could stop heart attacks right in their tracks," he said. "And some extra pain medications to stop the pain that some of our patients might have.

"When you throw in stopping heart attacks with clot-busting drugs, and some drugs to reverse some of the effects from congestive heart failure very life saving."

Boudreau had announced in February that the pilot project would be happening in the current fiscal year.

• Advanced care paramedics want access to health system
• Paramedics want advanced care training recognized

Advanced care paramedics can administer medications and useskills that primary care paramedics are not allowed to apply in order to treat patients.

New Brunswick is the last province or territory without advanced care paramedics and the Paramedics Association of New Brunswick has been lobbying for several years to see advanced care paramedics recognized in the province.

In 2015, Chris Hood, theassociation'sexecutive director,said New Brunswick was the onlyjurisdiction in North America without the specialized paramedics.

In the 2016-17 speech from the throne, the Gallant government said it would be "maximizingthe use of health professionals and ensuring that all professionals are functioning at their full scope of training and practice."