Sackville hospital clinic offers some primary care services to help fill the gap
A new nurse practitioner clinic is offering services out of the Sackville Memorial Hospital’s ambulatory care clinic to those without a family doctor or NP.
What started out as a series of PAP test clinics has morphed into something with a wider range of services, including drivers medicals, handicap parking forms, medication refills (other than narcotics), blood pressure checks, and routine lab testing with follow up. Nurse Practitioner Darla MacPherson says that while she was working in the hospital’s emergency department, she coulld see the need for an “orphan clinic.”
“I could see people, women in particular, coming in who had not had their physicals done for a long time,” says MacPherson, “some who had abnormal PAP smears. And I was like, oh, something has to be done about that. This can’t go on.”
So MacPherson got permission to run a temporary PAP clinic out of the hospital’s ambulatory care section. But it didn’t stop there.
“That very day of starting the PAP clinic, I said to Sarah [Brown, the Sackville Memorial Hospital business manager], in the parking lot, there are people coming to my door all the time looking for med refills, because I’m a Sackville girl, and everybody who knows me knows I’m a nurse practitioner.”
She told Brown, “the need is there.… Continue
Listen here: Community Healthcare Meeting, April 25, 2024
About 400 people gathered on Thursday evening in Sackville for a community meeting on healthcare. CHMA was on site live to broadcast the event.
Above is a recording of the full proceeding, followed by sections organized by speaker below.
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton
MLA Megan Mitton organized and hosted the meeting, the third one she’s held in Sackville.
“The lack of access to health care for many people in New Brunswick is completely unacceptable,” said Mitton to the crowd. “And sometimes it causes terrible outcomes.”
“The day after the 2014 election, my dad ended up in the hospital,” recalled Mitton. “And I saw first hand the gaps in the system and how patients fall through them. Unfortunately, things have gotten worse since that time, and we can’t blame it all on the pandemic. There are systemic issues that have been building for a really long time.”
Margaret Melanson, CEO of Horizon Health Network
“It’s our third time being here with you, with a public forum to talk about health care and developments that are happening in your community,” said Melanson, “and also for us to be here, accountable to all of you, the citizens of New Brunswick.”
“We know that primary care is the foundation of our health care system,” said Melanson.… Continue
Inquest into waiting room death of Darrell Mesheau important to ‘make sure it never happens again’, says son
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published by the Telegraph-Journal on April 10, 2024, under Creative Commons license as part of the Local Journalism Initiative. CHMA is republishing the story for our readers because of Darrell Mesheau’s close connections to the Sackville community. Mesheau is the elder brother of former Sackville Mayor Shawn Mesheau, and former MLA and cabinet minister Peter Mesheau.
By: Andrew Bates, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Telegraph-Journal
The night Donald Darrell Mesheau’s heart failed seven hours into his wait to see a Fredericton ER doctor, all the tasks in triage fell to one nurse, plus anyone who could be spared to help.
The Horizon Health Network manager responsible that night said these are “battles” fought daily in New Brunswick’s health-care system, beset with a nursing shortage and delays in finding long-term care for patients.
His son says “every medical professional” failed his father, and he’d be alive if he’d been seen before his heart had already stopped.
Over two days this week, a coroner’s inquest heard that Mesheau, 78, was taken to Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton just after 9:30 p.m. on July 11, 2022, and was found found unresponsive in the waiting room just before 4:30 a.m. the next morning. The five-person jury declared he died of natural causes, with the cause of death listed as heart failure.… Continue
Foundation aims for $225k for Sackville day surgeries, while ER remains ‘on the agenda’ for Horizon
Board members, staff and supporters of the Sackville Memorial Hospital Foundation gathered last week for the launch of a new capital campaign in support of equipment for the hospital’s day surgery programs, with an ambitious goal of raising $225,000, well above last year’s goal of $150,000.
Foundation chair Bill Evans says the reason for the steep increase in fundraising goal is three new, very large, advance donations which put the foundation more than a third of the way to their goal. “This is from people who hadn’t given to us before,” says Evans. “So we decided to have a goal that was bigger.”
Evans says the three new donors have asked to remain either anonymous or uncelebrated, and were referred to the Foundation by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mike Forsythe.
The money raised in this year’s campaign will go towards buying specialized equipment for the day surgery program, including instruments for hip, knee and shoulder arthroscopy, a warming cabinet, a surgical suction system, ear, nose and throat devices, and a training tool called iSimulate.
Horizon says the new equipment will increase the number of patients who could receive surgical care in Sackville, in turn freeing up space in the Moncton hospital for more complex operations.
Sackville resident Jaryd Morrisey, who coaches soccer and badminton at Mount Allison, told those gathered about a knee surgery that helped him heal a longstanding injury, giving him back his active lifestyle.… Continue
Major expansion underway for parking lot at Sackville Memorial Hospital
Horizon Health is adding 88 spaces to the Sackville Memorial Hospital parking lot, but while work is happening, the number of available spaces will be reduced.
In an emailed statement to CHMA, Blaine Lynch, Regional Director Facilities, Engineering and Property Management with Horizon says that the work is meant to “improve traffic circulation on-site and to expand the parking capacity for patients, visitors, and staff. The additional parking capacity will also be beneficial with the arrival of Beal University’s nursing program at the hospital.”
About 18 nursing students are expected to begin studying at new Beal University classroom space at the hospital in January, according to Kerry Kennedy, regional director of talent acquisition with Horizon, speaking at a public meeting on October 12.
The expanded parking lot will replace a large lawn with trees that run along the Main Street side of the hospital property.
Horizon is advising that the Queen’s Road entrance to the parking lot will be the most direct access for the duration of the construction. The Main Street entrance will still be available for one-way, incoming traffic only, and drivers will have to drive around the rear of the hospital to gain access to the parking lot.
A notice distributed by Horizon also says that fencing and temporary signage on site are expected to be in place until November 3, and the project will be completed shortly after that.… Continue
‘This is your best bet’: Sackville’s new primary care clinic is starting small, but at least its starting
A new primary care clinic operated by Horizon will grow to operate as a ‘patient medical home’ serving the region, and eventually providing some after hours care, according to updates by Horizon Health Network managers at a public meeting on October 12 in Sackville.
About 60 community members gathered to hear updates from the leadership of the Horizon Health Network, about half as many as gathered in July for a similar meeting. Both meetings were organized by MLA Megan Mitton.
Richard Lemay is Horizon’s director of primary health care for the Moncton area and one of the people spearheading the creation of a new community clinic located in the Tantramar Community Health Centre, a privately owned building across the parking lot from the Sackville Memorial Hospital. Lemay said the clinic opened on September 11, and as of October 6 has seen 154 people, with 163 appointments in total. The clinic alternates between opening three days and four days a week, depending on availability of staff. There’s a registered nurse, two administrators, and three physicians working part time in the clinic so far, including Dr. Catherine Johnston, and Dr. Sarah Thomas working virtually. Lemay says Horizon has funding for a licensed practical nurse (LPN) and nurse practitioner (NP), plus “a bit of casual support”. He told the meeting Horizon is “trying to fill those positions at this time,” and said there is also an outstanding posting for a nurse practitioner at the Port Elgin Health Clinic.… Continue
For the record: Future of our Health Care meeting #2, October 12, 2023
About 60 people gathered in the Crabtree Auditorium on the Mount Allison campus in Sackville on Thursday, October 12, 2023 to hear updates from the leadership of the Horizon Health Network, and participate in a Q&A. Topics covered included Sackville’s new primary care clinic, the status of services in the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department, an update on Beal University Canada’s lease of space in the hospital, and the future of a local role in health care decision-making.
CHMA was there to record the proceedings:
New hires, plans for Sackville clinic, and plenty of concerns up for discussion at local healthcare meeting
Two years afters cuts were announced due to nursing staff shortages, the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency room is still on reduced hours, but Horizon Health Network CEO Margaret Melanson is continuing with her message that the network’s goal is to return to full 24/7 service.
Melanson had a chance to deliver that message in person last night at a Future of Our Healthcare meeting organized by Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton.
About 120 people gathered at the Tantramar Civic Centre to ask questions of Melanson and members of her management team.
“I will say that tonight feels different than February 2020,” Mitton told the crowd, referencing a previous attempt by Horizon management to reduce services at the Sackville hospital. “I know a lot of you showed up in different ways and sometimes in the streets to push back on that,” said Mitton, ”and many people have been organizing ever since.”
Melanson shared some updates on the hospital front, including the recent hiring of an anesthesiologist to cater to surgeries happening in the one functioning Sackville operating room. She also told the crowd that a new emergency department physician would be starting soon. For awhile now, the original nursing shortage that caused the service reduction has been replaced by a doctor shortage. That means the imminent hiring of a new ER doc “is great progress,” said Melanson, “as we do have the plan to be restoring your emergency department services on a 24/7 basis.”… Continue
Health care town hall next week with Horizon CEO and MLA Megan Mitton
Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton is hosting a town hall session with Horizon Health officials next week in Sackville. The Future of Our Healthcare meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 18, from 6:30-8:30pm at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre. Mitton will be joined by Margaret Melanson, CEO of Horizon Health Network, and possibly some other Horizon staffers.
There will be plenty to talk about. This summer, Sackville is losing two family doctors, further adding to the primary care crunch that’s happening across the region and the province. Horizon has promised to open a temporary primary care clinic in the town to help cover that gap. There’s also changes afoot at the Sackville Memorial Hospital as they make room for a future class of nurses from the yet-to-be-accredited Beal University Canada nursing program. And the reduction in emergency room services at Sackville Memorial Hospital continues, with the ER open only 8 hours a day, from 8am to 4pm.
Mitton says the impetus for a healthcare-focussed meeting came out of another community meeting she held in May, where healthcare was one of the key topics. “I do hope that this will be an opportunity for there to be really direct, transparent communication,” says Mitton, “to help people understand what exactly is happening right now, and to be able to ask questions.”
Mitton says she and Melanson will present briefly, and then move to a Q&A session.… Continue
Horizon working on temporary primary care clinic in Sackville
Update Monday, June 12, 2023:
The interim primary care clinic being planned by Horizon Health Network will likely be located in the office of Dr. Catherine Johnston, in the Tantramar Health Centre on Main Street, right across from the Sackville Memorial Hospital. Johnston’s practice is closing at the end of June. Horizon spokesperson Kris McDavid says the health authority is targeting a September start date for the clinic.
Horizon Health Network is working on setting up a temporary primary care clinic in Sackville. The move comes in reaction to the imminent loss of two family doctors who are closing their practices this summer.
Horizon’s regional medical director Dr. Jody Enright was not available for an interview, but sent a statement to CHMA saying that, “as an interim measure, we are securing resources to set up a primary care clinic to provide short-term primary medical care for affected patients.”
A spokesperson for Horizon says the clinic would work in a similar way to the NB Health Link clinics in Moncton and Dieppe that are being operated by Medavie. In those clinics, patients can request online or in-person appointments with a doctor or nurse practitioner, but are not assigned to a dedicated primary care provider.… Continue