About START
The START Program exists to deliver safe, decisive, and clinically excellent care in environments where healthcare systems are stretched, delayed, or unavailable. Its mission is to close critical gaps in care delivery by placing highly skilled Advanced Care Paramedics in settings where timely, advanced medical intervention can significantly alter patient outcomes.
START is a clinician-led advanced care program designed to provide high-acuity medical care in complex and resource-limited environments. The program deploys experienced Advanced Care Paramedics into remote, rural, Indigenous, standalone, interfacility, and other high-risk settings, delivering decisive stabilization, advanced resuscitation, and clinical leadership when it matters most.
Purpose and Impact
The START Program is built to improve patient outcomes and strengthen healthcare system resilience. Its core functions include:
Delivering advanced medical interventions during periods of clinical deterioration
Stabilizing patients and preparing them for safe and appropriate transfer
Supporting escalation of care when access to traditional services is delayed or constrained
Providing clinical leadership in high-acuity, time-sensitive situations
Through these functions, START supports continuity of care across settings and reduces risk during critical gaps in service availability.
A Clinician-Led, Governed Model
START operates within a framework of strong clinical governance, medical oversight, and accountability, while promoting professional autonomy for advanced practitioners. The program emphasizes rapid assessment, sound clinical judgment, and decisive action grounded in evidence, experience, and competence.
Advanced Care Paramedics within START are empowered to practice at the top of their scope, providing leadership and advanced decision-making in environments where resources are limited and the margin for error is small.
Integrated Within the Healthcare System
The START Program is designed to function as a complementary clinical capability within the broader healthcare system. It does not replace existing services. Instead, START strengthens system capacity at critical points where advanced care is required but not immediately available.
By integrating with local healthcare providers, EMS services, transport teams, and receiving facilities, START supports seamless care transitions and enhances system responsiveness during periods of increased demand, access delays, or operational strain.
Setting the Standard
Through clinical excellence, accountability, and collaboration, the START Program is designed to set the national benchmark for paramedic-led advanced care delivery—ensuring patients receive safe, reliable, and high-quality care regardless of location or circumstance.
