Doctor warns Fredericton residents not to 'bike without a helmet' ahead of weekend ER staffing shortages

A Fredericton emergency room doctor says the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital is looking at another weekend of staffing shortages, and is warning patients they may be met with long wait times.

Dr. Yogi Sehgal directed a post on social media to residents in the Fredericton and Oromocto areas.

"This is not a good weekend to plan to have a bunch of beers and get on an ATV or to bike without a helmet, or to get drunk without a DD or try a new type of shroom,” the post reads.

It goes on to say: "The wait times on the Horizon website are not accurate, so plan for at least double or triple or more from what is posted for DECH in Fredericton… and please be kind and patient with the remaining staff who have not quit or have come in on their limited time off to help out.”

The Chalmers Hospital is in David Coon’s riding, who says he’s been trying to push N.B. governments to address the staffing issues in emergency medicine for years.

At this point, the N.B. Green Party leader says the system needs an influx of money.

“There's many things that need to be done, but in the short term, money needs to be invested to bring on more physicians in the ER and now more nurses too,” said Coon. “The premier took in more than $800 million beyond what he spent over the last two years and he could have used a good chunk of that money to go a long way towards solving this problem and he chose not to.”

Dr. Sehgal also wrote in his post that, should you find yourself in the ER, kindness toward staff can go a long way.

“Your kind words actually do get heard. There are also several new nurses around, so please be patient as they get oriented – their experience with you may decide whether they stay in the department, and we need every single one of them.”

The president of the N.B. Nurses Union says nurses have been under “exorbitant amounts of pressure… and right now they’re suffering.”

“I can't stress enough the supports that are needed for the frontline staff right now, and I think keeping our voices loud, and clear, we will get to a better place where we can deliver health care safely,” said Paula Doucet.

Doucet adds she has met with new the province’s new health minister Bruce Fitch, and is planning to meet with the new interim CEO of Horizon Health next week. She says she is hoping more is done to retain nurses currently working, because more are leaving the system, or going on long-term disability.

Horizon Health has not confirmed if there is more or less of a staffing shortage within the Chalmer’s Emergency Department this upcoming weekend compared to previous weekends.