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Welcome to We Respond, Ornge's Strategic Plan

Select a section below:

Vision, Mission, Values

Our Values

Priority #1: Timeliness

Priority #2: Health Equity

Priority #3: One Team

Priority #4: Accountability

ESG Considerations

Read the Strategic Plan

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Message from our Board Chair and CEO

We are excited to introduce our new Strategic Plan 2024 – 2029.

We Respond is a blueprint for the future of our organization and our commitment to health equity, operational excellence, and patient-centred care.

At the core of this is our renewed mission: to overcome time and distance when it matters most. As Ontario’s air ambulance service, we are deeply committed to ensuring that every person, regardless of where they live, has access to timely and life-saving care. Our vision, “Health Equity in Motion,” reflects our dedication to removing barriers to healthcare across the province, especially in the most remote and underserved regions.

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WE RESPOND...

a compass pointing to four key areas

VISION
Health Equity in Motion

MISSION
We overcome time and distance when it matters most.

VALUES
Safe
Patient-Centred
Accountable
Respectful
Kind and Compassionate

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Our Values

Our core values shape who we are at Ornge, they guide what we do and they foster a strong culture across our team.

The Ornge team is:

SAFE
We prioritize the health, safety and well-being of our patients, our Ornge team members and our partners above all else.

PATIENT-CENTRED
Across Ornge, we place patients at the heart of everything we do.

ACCOUNTABLE
It is our responsibility to Ontarians to set clear goals, develop actionable plans and execute them effectively.

RESPECTFUL
For those we care for, respect means diligent attention and individual consideration of health, social, cultural, and geographic impact for each patient under our care.

KIND AND COMPASSIONATE
Treating our patients, colleagues and partners with kindness and compassion supports a positive team culture and patient experience.

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Priority #1: Timeliness

Improved Timeliness through Operational Excellence
Over the next five years we will focus on optimizing our capacity, performance and capabilities across the organization in order to better meet patient need and continue to improve timeliness and equity in access to care, particularly for those living in the most remote parts of the province.

1.1 Optimizing Our Team: Staffing with Certainty

A multi-pronged initiative is being put in place to ensure Ornge has a workforce:
+ large enough and located appropriately to meet cross-province need
+ specialty trained in Ornge operations
+ representative of a full continuum of skills and capabilities to optimize everyone’s contribution to our mandate

1.2 Optimizing Our Assets

Transport assets must keep pace with Ornge’s mandate to meet the needs of Ontarians. An exciting number of asset and program expansions will take place over the next five years. Major goals are:
+ Fixed Wing Fleet Renewal and Expansion
+ Special Mission Capabilities
+ Dedicated Ornge Teams Specialized for Mental Health

1.3 Optimizing Our Responsiveness

Timeliness is crucial in medical transport. Ornge’s response times will continue to be improved by focusing on process flow innovations, team readiness, optimized system and staff performance, dispatch and delay improvements and timeliness measures that will be shared with our partners.

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Priority #2: Health Equity

Creating the Ornge Academy for Health Equity

Ornge has a mandate to ensure access to care for the entire population of this province: 14.5 million people living in communities spread out over approximately one million square kilometres. Equity in access to care is an enormous challenge and impacts both life and death, particularly in remote parts of the province. Ornge is continually looking for evidence-based clinical and operational innovations to improve access to care.

2.1 Building a Provincial Health Equity Alliance

As part of Ornge Academy for Health Equity, research and learning in health equity will be translated into action and measurable impact, in collaboration with leading academic institutions, provincial, Indigenous, and local partners across the province.

2.2 Improving Equity in Access to Care

Ornge will take a leadership role in renewing emergency response capabilities in the remote north.

2.3 Innovation and Leadership Through Learning and Development

Ornge is recognized internationally for its leadership in education and research. As Ornge values professional development for all staff, all internal training and development will be directed under the banner of Ornge Academy for Health Equity.

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Priority #3: One Team

One Team, One Mission
Working together as one team, both internally and with our partners, is crucial to extend our reach and provide better, faster and more reliable coverage. Ornge is part of a health system of partners that must work closely, putting the people we care for together at the centre of everything we do.

3.1 Working with Partner Carriers to Meet Need

To be able to meet our patients’ needs for timely and reliable air transfers, a network of ready and able aircraft is require – and this goes beyond Ornge’s own fleet. Ornge partners with private air carriers based primarily in the north – known as Standing Agreement (SA) Carriers – to complete the majority of primary care transfers – bringing Ontarians to needed care outside of their communities that is only accessible by plane.

3.2 Driving Strong Organizational Culture

Ornge has renewed its organizational values and will make them come alive across our mandate. A review of all transport and care policies and procedures is being undertaken to ensure our Patients-First commitment is real and embedded in all that we do.

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Priority #4: Accountability

Accountability and Strong Partnerships

Ornge is accountable to its patients and its partners. Ornge depends on its partners and our partners depend on us. Trust, collaboration, transparency and accountability are at the heart of our partnerships.

4.1 Streamlining Timely Access to Care through Integration

Like Ornge, CritiCall Ontario is a provincial healthcare organization dedicated to supporting access to and delivery of urgent and emergent care in Ontario. Ornge and CritiCall Ontario have always collaborated for the benefit of the patient.

4.2 Growing Our First Nations Partnerships and Collaborations

The health status of First Nations continues to demonstrate significant and historic inequity with the rest of Ontario with dramatic disparities in the rates of mental health, youth and adult suicide and accidental injury and death.

4.3 Strengthening Accountability to our Partners

Ornge has many established relationships with allied partners, provincial agencies and advocacy groups. We will strengthen these formal relationships and ties with our healthcare stakeholders.

4.4 Advocating Provincial Infrastructure Needs

Ornge will continue to work with its system partners in ensuring we have suitable infrastructure to transport patients safely. This includes the advocating for the development and ongoing maintenance of helipads; appropriate aviation services such as refueling and de-icing services and locations; and monitoring developments related to urban encroachment on vital helipad infrastructure at hospitals and trauma centres.

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ESG Considerations

PATIENT HEALTH
PEOPLE HEALTH
PLANET HEALTH

Ornge will focus on establishing a baseline and making improvements in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) priorities over the next five years under the banner of Patient Health, People Health, Planet Health.

As a transport organization with a massive geographic catchment, Ornge must be attentive to its carbon footprint while ensuing our life-saving mission remains our focus. Environmental benefits are sought. For example, Ornge’s fleet renewal has the added benefit of up-to-date fuel-efficient aircraft capable of conducting multi-patient transfers.

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Read the Strategic Plan

Download the Strategic Plan

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