Mesheau cautions against rumours of hospital closure
In his report to council on Monday night, Mayor Shawn Mesheau told his colleagues he’s had several meetings on various health care issues affecting the Sackville community, and warned that social media posts claiming the imminent closure of the Sackville Memorial hospital are unfounded.
Mesheau said he’s been in discussions with Ambulance NB and the department of health about the possibility of allowing ambulances across the border into Nova Scotia in some emergency situations. He also mentioned two meetings involving the Rural Health Action Group, one in mid-December with Horizon officials focussing on recruitment, and one more recently with neighbouring mayors from the region, talking about the future of the action group.
As for warnings on posters and in social media posts that the Sackville hospital is in danger of imminent closure, Mesheau called them false statements. “Something that’s been seen social media wise and posted through our community is a false statement that Sackville Memorial Hospital is in danger of closing,” said Mesheau. “That is not the case.”
Posters have appeared in downtown Sackville making the claim, and listing the contact information for various public officials to contact to protest the closure of the hospital. Mesheau supported the idea of contacting elected officials, but also warned that the rumour of a closure could have negative side effects.… Continue
Wednesday on TR: Higham on Horizon’s newest hire to help the Sackville hospital, and Mesheau’s reaction to forced amalgamation
Listen to Tantramar Report for the following stories:
Horizon Health hires a former administrator to help restore service at the Sackville hospital
Horizon Health has hired a recently retired executive director and former nurse to help retain and recruit health care workers at the Sackville Memorial Hospital. Nancy Parker has taken on the interim, part-time role at the hospital.
Members of the Rural Health Action Committee are confident that Parker is a solid choice for the job, according to co-chair John Higham. Tantramar Report spoke with Higham on Tuesday to find out more.
Mayor Shawn Mesheau on forced amalgamation
Just before Tantramar Report closed up shop for 2021, we spoke with Sackville mayor Shawn Mesheau to get his reaction to news from the provincial government, announcing they had ignored a proposed alternative to forced amalgamation of Sackville, Dorchester, and surrounding areas.
As we embark on the year that will see the town of Sackville dissolved and reformed as a larger entity, the so-called Entity 40 — we revisit that conversation on Tantramar Report.
Mount A hires new chaplain
Mount Allison University has hired a new chaplain. Reverend Ellie Hummel will be joining Mount Allison as multi-faith chaplain and spiritual care coordinator starting on March 7th. Hummel is an ordained minister with the United Church of Canada. She previously worked as chaplain and coordinator of the multi-faith and spiritual centre at Concordia University in Montreal, and before that oversaw congregations in rural Saskatchewan.… Continue
“It is worrisome”: Border mayors on New Brunswick’s case spike, and Nova Scotia’s possible reactions
The active case count in the Moncton region health zone has spiked in the past ten days, with 49 cases active as of Tuesday, up from zero on August 1. All eight of the new cases reported Tuesday by public health originated in the Moncton region.
On Monday, Public Health released some information about those cases, saying the vast majority are in people who are not fully immunized, though it did not specify how many were partially immunized. The majority of cases are also in people under 40 years of age.
Those details were released a number of days after Nova Scotia’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Robert Strang shared similar information about New Brunswick cases in a Nova Scotia COVID-19 briefing.
“We’re well aware of what’s happening in New Brunswick,” said Strang last Thursday when questioned by reporters. “Specifically, there’s a cluster of cases in young, un-immunized individuals in the Moncton area. We’re watching that very carefully.”
Canadian Press reporter Sarah Smellie askes Strang if he was concerned. Strang gave a typical “wait and see” response, saying Nova Scotia would “take action as appropriate and necessary.” Smellie then pressed him on what type of actions might be on the table.
“There’s a range of actions,” said Strang, “as we’ve done in the past. Whether it’s advising Nova Scotians not to travel, or even restricting travel, increasing our border measures for people coming from New Brunswick.”… Continue
Hospital committee joins task force, ambulance service increased to cover ER downtime
At their meeting on July 6, the ad hoc committee that has been addressing hospital service cuts in Sackville decided to officially join the ranks of the Memramcook-Tantramar Community Task Force, previously known as the Tantramar COVID-19 Task Force.
The committee is made up of concerned citizens, including retired doctors and several former mayors, many of whom had been working on health reform in Sackville ever since last February when sudden cuts were proposed and then withdrawn by Horizon and Vitalité.
In June, shortly after Horizon announced the latest temporary cuts to overnight weekend emergency room service at the Sackville Memorial Hospital, Mayor Shawn Mesheau and Councillor Sabine Dietz were appointed to liaise with the group on behalf of council.
At the time, council debated the role that the town would play in the committee, choosing not to formalize a committee as part of the town’s structure, in favour of a more regional, and flexible approach.
The new working group will be called the Rural Health Action Group, and works under the umbrella of the new MTCTF, now co-chaired by former Sackville mayor Pat Estabrooks, and former councillor and recently retired Open Sky director Margaret Tusz-King.
At council on Monday night, mayor Shawn Mesheau said the new working group will “continue to provide informed thinking and offer constructive, innovative alternatives to past practices, including offering assistance to the Horizon Health Network in recruitment of medical personnel.”… Continue