'I fear that it is going to get worse before it gets better': More overnight ER closures in New Brunswick
The number of emergency rooms in New Brunswick providing 24-hour service continues to decline as hospitals across the province face nursing shortages.
The latest is Hotel-Dieu of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Perth-Andover.
As of Friday, the Horizon Health Network is reducing the hours at the emergency department to Monday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
"This is terrible news for us," says Perth-Andover’s Mayor Marianne Bell.
The busy hospital has experienced a nurse shortage for years. It serves the village and the surrounding areas.
"We know that the emergency rooms at the Waterville Hospital and the hospital in Fredericton…we hear terrible things about how long the line ups are, and how many hours people wait. We’ve heard tragedies resulting from this,' says Bell.
But the reduced hours don’t come as a shock to the New Brunswick Nurses Union.
“It’s a result of the fact that we don’t have enough human resources to deliver health care to this province,” said Paula Doucet, union president.
The staffing shortage at hospitals is widespread, as those living in more rural areas of the province have to drive out of town to seek urgent care or rely on ambulances to divert them elsewhere.
"I was notified of another nurse that left the Moncton Hospital and has chosen to go work at the penitentiary. Her statement was that 'I feel safer working at Dorchester Penitentiary than I did at the hospital',” says Doucet.
In June, Horizon Health decided to close Oromocto’s emergency department after 4 p.m.
While Sackville’s hospital also notified residents of overnight closures on weekends throughout the summer due to nursing shortages.
"A lot of these positions that we're facing in Sackville is the fact that they are temporary vacancies, so to be able to fill temporary and not knowing if it’s going to be one month, two months, 6 months, it’s very difficult to attract a person,” says Sackville’s Mayor Shawn Mesheau.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said the province has “recruitment challenges just like every other province in Canada” and hiring more nurses is an ongoing process.
"They need time off this summer,” says Shephard.
"We have to give them that reprieve, and so we have said that there will be temporary, probably some overnight closures at ERs in order to support that."
"They deserve to have relief," she said.
Though labelled temporary, many are urging the province to provide a long-term strategy that will prevent ER closures from happening in the future.
"Until we made some drastic changes in the delivery model, and we do some aggressive recruiting and we have some serious commitment in changing the working conditions, I fear that it is going to get worse before it gets better," said Doucet.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Man convicted of involuntary manslaughter in father's drowning, told police he was baptizing him
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
New Norad commander calls Canada's defence policy update 'very encouraging'
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Are Canadians getting sick from expired food?
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.