New doctor coming to Port Elgin, full time nurse practitioner for Tantramar
Horizon’s director of primary health care for Zone 1, Richard Lemay, had some good news to share on Wednesday evening at a public meeting about health care held in the Port Elgin Regional School. Lemay told the crowd of about 70 people that Horizon has signed a contract with a new physician to work at the Port Elgin and Region Health Centre starting sometime in early 2025.
The clinic lost its full time nurse practitioner this spring, and has been operating with an NP working just two days a week. That NP will wrap up their work in Port Elgin on August 31 this year, leaving a gap with no primary care provider based out of the clinic for several months. Lemay says Horizon is working to fill the gap, and is still not sure how long it will be, because it’s not yet clear exactly when the new physician will start.
“The plan is for that person to probably be here, early 2025, after Christmas,” said Lemay. “We can’t share any more details right now because he has to share information with his patients right now to inform them first. But probably this fall, we’ll be able to tell you exactly when the person is going to start. And we’ll keep you informed.”
During the Q&A session of the meeting, one resident asked about the longevity of the contract for the physician, which prompted Dr.… 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
Foundation launches campaign to raise $225k for surgical equipment in Sackville Hospital
On today’s show, we stop in to the Sackville Memorial Hospital as the SMH foundation launches its 2024 campaign to raise $225,000 for the purchase of specialized equipment for the hospital’s day surgery program. We hear from foundation board chair Bill Evans, former patient Jaryd Morrisey, and Horizon director Christa Wheeler-Thorne, who gives an update on hospital services in Sackville.
Plus in briefs, health advice on eclipse safety and measles vaccination updates from New Brunswick’s public health officers.… Continue
Sackville has a new collaborative care clinic. Now it just needs doctors.
Patients on the waiting list for Horizon’s new primary care clinic based in Sackville are stressed out.
The new clinic began operating in September on a “don’t call us, we’ll call you” basis, with triaged lists coming from two local doctors who recently closed their practices. Then a local nurse practitioner who took another position was not replaced, and her patients were added to the prioritized list. Most recently, Horizon says it will also start adding orphaned patients from the recently closed practice of Dr. Adrian Kelly.
That means despite the impressive fact that the two part-time doctors at the clinic (working a combined total of three days per week) have seen more than 700 patients since September, the waiting list for Tantramar’s new primary care clinic is growing, not shrinking.
‘Not knowing is the worst part’
Tracy Lapointe is one of those waiting. The 41-year-old had a cerebellar stroke in November of 2022, and since then has been recovering with the help of her former doctor, Andrea Wall. When Dr. Wall closed her practice this summer, Lapointe was put on the list for Horizon’s new primary care clinic. “I was told that because of my needs with medication and follow up for stroke recovery, that I would be on this list of patients to be seen,” says Lapointe.… 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:
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
Horizon asks people to stay away from Moncton and Saint John ERs in face of weekend staffing crunch
Horizon Health Network says its Moncton and Saint John hospitals are facing critical staffing shortages this weekend, and so they are asking people not to come to Moncton and Saint John ERs unless they are facing a life- or limb- threatening situation.
Interim Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson made the announcement to reporters Friday morning:
“This is an extreme and serious circumstance and not a decision or request that we make lightly,” said Melanson. “We need to ensure Moncton and Saint John emergency department teams can continue to provide safe and high quality care to those with critical injuries and illnesses.”
Melanson outlined alternatives for care that Horiozon is asking the public to use this weekend, including:
- visiting a pharmacy for prescription refills,
- booking an appointment with evisitNB or your family physician,
- visiting an after hours clinic,
- calling telecare 811,
- visiting sowhywait.ca, or,
- going to a community hospital with capacity to see patients with less serious ailments.
The Sackville Memorial Hospital ER fits that description and is open this weekend from 8am to 4pm each day.
Moncton ER doctor Serge Melanson encouraged people to consult professionals as advised by the Horizon CEO, but he also gave advice for people wondering how to know when a health issue is potentially life threatening or might “constitute a crisis or emergency.”
“As a general rule of thumb,” said Dr.… Continue
Sackville emergency department closed Saturday; NBMS calls for ‘targeted investments’ not political interference
The Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department (ED) is closed for a second day this week due to a shortage of available physicians.
Horizon Health Network made the announcement at noon Friday that the Sackville ED would close at 4pm as usual, and remain closed until Sunday morning at 8am. This is the second full-day closure this week, and both closures are due to a lack of available physicians to staff the department.
All patients requiring emergency medical care will need to be treated at another hospital, with the closest emergency departments in Amherst and Moncton. Horizon says all ambulances will be diverted to other hospitals.
The Horizon announcement says, “We are actively working to recruit physicians and nurses to reduce temporary closures and resume services to the communities we serve. Horizon remains committed to providing safe and quality care, and the decision to temporarily close the ED is made to ensure safe care for our patients and clients.”
In July, Premier Blaine Higgs suddenly fired former Horizon CEO John Dornan, in reaction to a widely reported death in the waiting room of the emergency department at the Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton. Then-CEO Dornan ordered a review of the death, and was later fired by Higgs in a shake up that also abolished the partially elected boards of directors governing the Horizon and Vitalité health networks, and shuffled Dorothy Shephard out of her position as minister of health.… Continue
Loss of two doctors in Sackville emergency department related to policy change meant to help recruitment
Horizon health network has confirmed that the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department recently lost two doctors who had been working in the department.
Dr. Jody Enright, Horizon’s medical director in the Moncton area, says the two left emergency, “to focus on their respective family practices.”
The Sackville hospital emergency department has been closed for two additional days in the past two weeks due to a lack of physician availability. That’s on top of already reduced hours that have been in place for over a year, due to mostly to a lack of nursing staff.
The decision by the two doctors to leave the emergency department was made possible by a recent policy change at Horizon. Previously, doctors in Sackville were required to work shifts at the emergency department in order to maintain a practice in the area. Enright says that condition, “has presented a significant barrier to our recruitment efforts in Sackville, as very few candidates are interested in managing a family practice while also taking on additional duties in the [emergency department].”
Enright says the decision to remove the requirement was made “in consultation with and supported by the medical team.” She believes the change will significantly enhance the chances of “identifying, recruiting and ultimately retaining more family physicians and Emergency Department physicians in Sackville moving forward.“
John Higham, former Sackville mayor and co-chair of the Rural Health Action Group describes the decision as a positive response by Horizon, and one that has been tried elsewhere.… Continue