Inquest: Air ambulance response time in northern Ontario is nearly 4 hours

Representatives from Ornge, Ontario’s air ambulance service, testified at a coroner’s inquest regarding the deaths of five Constance Lake First Nation members during a 2021 blastomycosis outbreak, acknowledging challenges in meeting the Ministry of Health’s transport timelines for critically ill patients in northern Ontario. Despite improved response times since 2021, the vast distances and adverse weather conditions hinder timely air ambulance access. Tragically, Luke Moore, 43, and Lizzie Sutherland, 56, died while waiting for flights to better-equipped hospitals. Ornge officials cited insufficient resources and staffing issues, exacerbated by COVID-19, as contributing factors to the delays.

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