HALIFAX -- There was concern in Amherst on Thursday about why the Cumberland Regional Hospital was moving delivering mothers to neighbouring facilities.
Officials say they were already planning to temporarily transition the women’s and children’s units and that it had nothing to do with concerns around possible COVID-19 exposure at the facility, said Dr. Brendan Carr of the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
"One of our staff earlier today had some symptoms, vague symptoms," said Carr.
Carr said hospital management acted on the advice of their occupational health and safety advisors.
"(They said) it would actually be safer for that person to not go to work," Carr said. "And so we made the decision we would actually shut the unit (Thursday) as opposed to (Friday) as had been planned."
The inpatient women's and children's unit at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre is closed -- including for any planned deliveries -- until further notice.
The Nova Scotia Health Authority says pregnancy and delivery care will be provided at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro, N.S., or the Moncton Hospital in Moncton, N.B., depending on where the patient lives.
In the event of an emergency or unplanned delivery, there will be family physician, obstetrician and nursing staff available at the Cumberland Regional Health Centre to support pregnancy care, the NSHA says. Prentatal care will continue to be provided by the hospital's team.
