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
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
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
Two more RNs, four more ER docs needed to bring back 24-7 emergency department in Sackville
Horizon Health Network says it has recruited and onboarded five registered nurses (RNs) to the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department, and that there are now five nurse practitioners working in the department.
But there’s still more new staff needed before the emergency department can return to 24-7 service. In a statement released Monday, the health network says it needs two more RNs and four emergency physicians in order to safely resume regular hours at the Sackville ER. In total, Horizon says that 19 of 24 RN positions are currently filled at the hospital, which includes the emergency department and the Brunswick inpatient unit.
“I’m really pleased to see that they’ve taken this step,” says Rural Health Action Group co-chair John Higham, “to put the data out there, and commit to collaborating.”
The Horizon communiqué also gave an update on plans for renovations at the hospital including construction of a second operating room, renovations to the existing operating room, and repairs and renovations to a section of the ER which sustained flood damage during Hurricane Fiona in September. All those renovations are expected to begin by late spring.
Higham says the $2 million capital investment by Horizon is a sign that the network is “looking at how rural hospitals can help the bigger ones.” The second OR theatre will enhance surgical access for the region, says Horizon, “providing additional capacity for orthopedic surgeries such as hip and knee replacements and, potentially, a wider variety of surgical procedures moving forward.”… Continue
Sackville emergency department closed Saturday
The Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department will be closed this Saturday, October 22.
After it closes Friday at 4pm, the emergency room will not reopen to patients again until Sunday at 8am.
The Horizon Health Network says all patients requiring emergency medical care during the closure will need to be treated at another hospital, and all ambulances will be diverted to other hospitals.
Anyone experiencing a medical emergency can still call 911, or visit the next closest emergency department in Moncton or Amherst.
Horizon says the decision to close the emergency department was made because of a staff shortage.
The network says it is actively working to recruit physicians and nurses to reduce temporary closures and resume services.… Continue
Sackville hospital to double OR capacity in 2023 as part of Horizon operating room expansion plan
Note: This story has been updated with a response from the Department of Health and comments from local retired doctor, Ross Thomas.
Two operating rooms at the Sackville Memorial Hospital are set to get some TLC starting in 2023.
On Friday, Horizon Health announced a plan to invest about $6.4 million in operating rooms (ORs) at the Sackville hospital and three other community hospitals in the province. In Sackville, that means spending about $2 million to upgrade one operating room that’s currently in use, and renovate another room to make it functional again.
The overall plan is to ramp up the use of ORs in community hospitals across the province to help alleviate the surgical backlog for less complex day surgeries, which will in turn allow more complex surgeries to happen more quickly in the regional hospitals.
“These programs will not only increase the number of hip and knee replacements completed each year, but in many cases, they will also increase our capacity for orthopedic surgery, cataract surgery, endoscopy and other procedures,” says acting Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson. “Augmenting the surgical services at these community facilities will also allow our regional hospitals to complete more complex and acute cases, which is a win-win for the broader healthcare system.”
Operating rooms are part of the centralized surgical system at Horizon.… Continue
Health care update: doctors needed for Sackville ED, acute care back in the fall, Coon calls for change
There are almost enough nurses hired to fill positions at the Sackville Memorial Hospital emergency department (ED), but the hospital has less than half the doctors it needs.
According to information released recently by Horizon Health Network, nine out of ten registered nurse (RN) positions in the Sackville ED are filled, but only three out of seven physician positions are filled.
The two most recent closures of the Sackville ED were due to a shortage of doctors available to work. At least two doctors stopped working in the department after a recent change by Horizon, which lifted a rule requiring them to work ED shifts in order to maintain a practice in Sackville. The change was meant to help make recruitment of new doctors to the Sackville area easier, since not all family doctors want to work in emergency.
Nurse practitioners and the return of acute care?
In his monthly report to council, Mayor Shawn Mesheau says that interim Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson recently re-affirmed the committment to return 24/7 service to the Sackville hospital ED.
Mesheau and other local mayors met with Melanson and newly appointed trustee Suzanne Johnston in August. Mesheau reported that nurse practitioners are now working alongside doctors in the Sackville ED to help cover primary care related needs. His report also says that several acute care beds are expected to be opening in the Brunswick Unit of Sackville hospital in October.… 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
Bridging program and personalized recruitment key to new nursing hire at Sackville Memorial Hospital
As local health care advocates launch a Sackville-focussed website to assist in recruiting nurses and doctors to the region, Horizon Health has also announced some success in fixing staffing issues at the Sackville Memorial Hospital.
In March, the health network announced it had recently recruited a nurse manager, two Registered Nurses (RNs), one licensed practical nurse (LPN), and four personal care attendants (PCAs) to the Brunswick inpatient unit at the Sackville Memorial Hospital. In addition, there are two RNs who will work in the hospital’s Emergency Department
That’s great news for all those pushing for the restoration of services at the hospital, including acute care beds and 24/7 Emergency Department. In the Horizon announcement, hospital director Christa Wheeler-Thorne said there is “still more work to be done before we are able to safely reintroduce these services.”
Justine Graham is one of the recently announced new recruits. The former LPN will start her role as an RN at the Sackville hospital in June, after graduating from UNB’s bridging program. Sackville wasn’t a hard sell for Graham, who worked here as an LPN before deciding to upgrade her skills at UNB in 2019.
CHMA spoke with Graham on March 24, 2022 about her decision, and also the challenge she now faces of finding a place to live in Sackville. Graham started off talking about her experience working at the Sackville Memorial Hospital as a licensed practical nurse:
Grahams says that for her, UNB’s bridging program was an “incredible opportunity,” and was key to securing her future as an RN.… Continue
Task force optimistic about hospital services; Mount Allison union calls on province to “preserve and enhance” hospital
The leaders of a community task force on rural health care say they’re optimistic services at the Sackville Memorial Hospital will be restored.
The Mount Allison Faculty Association is also throwing its support behind the movement to restore hospital services.
Former Sackville mayor John Higham is one of the co-chairs of the Memramcook-Tantramar Rural Health Action Group.
In a statement, Higham said the group felt encouraged by year-end meetings with Horizon Health Network.
Officials from the regional health authority “have given us hope that the cutbacks against which we protested last year will indeed be temporary,” Higham said in the statement.
The emergency department at Sackville Memorial Hospital is currently open between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week following service reductions.
But Horizon officials say they’re committed to restoring 24/7 emergency care, according to the statement from the Rural Health Action Group.
Officials from the health authority have also indicated they intend to return to a full complement of acute-care beds, along with “further investments in additional services,” according to the statement.
It said the health authority has also agreed to work with the local action group on marketing efforts meant to retain and recruit doctors, nurses and other staff in the region.
In December, Horizon announced the acute care unit at Sackville Memorial would close, and those beds would be used for people awaiting long-term care. … Continue