Urgent health-care centre opening in North Sydney, N.S.
Residents living in and around North Sydney, N.S. will soon have a new option to get urgent health-care treatment close to home.
During a health-care announcement on Monday, Premier Tim Houston said beginning Nov. 1, the Northside Urgent Treatment Centre – located in the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney – will started providing care for those with unexpected, non-life-threatening health concerns that require same - or next-day treatment.
In a news release from the province, it says some examples include simple fractures, sprains, earaches, minor cuts and mild mental health support.
"We know we need to do things differently and are excited about rolling out this new model of care," said Duane Jessome, manager at Northside Urgent Treatment Centre. "We believe the Northside Urgent Treatment Centre will provide much-needed access to non-emergency care to Northside residents and those in nearby communities, which is welcome news to our staff, physicians and patients."
The new centre will be available to people with or without a family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Dr. Joan Salah, physician co-lead for the Eastern zone, describes the new centre as a middle ground between a family doctor's office and the emergency room.
"I would encourage people, if they can still get into their family doctor's office to go there. That's the most appropriate place," said Salah. "But in the instance... that you can't access your family doctor, then this would be a place that you could come and be seen within a few days."
"This is a new way of offering care to Nova Scotians and the goal is to improve access to healthcare when and where people need it," Houston said Monday at the centre. "We know change is needed in our healthcare system, and we have to find new and better ways to provide care. This urgent treatment centre moves us in the right direction."
According to health officials, the centre will differ from an emergency department in several ways, which include:
- the care provided is for non-life-threatening injuries and illness;
- ambulances do not bring patients to the centre; and
- patients must make an appointment (usually, either same-day or next-day).
Patients requiring emergency care should continue to call 911.
"Emergency rooms need some support. Nova Scotians need to have the access points and this is exactly the perfect access point for many types of ailments," said Houston. "It's an urgent fix. It's a needed fix right now. And then, the plan is to continue this type of model in this community, even at another location."
Nova Scotia Health will be hosting a public education session about the new centre at 6 p.m. on Thursday at the Emera Centre Northside.
Due to COVID-19 gathering limits, registration is required. Registration information for the session will be available from Nova Scotia Health soon.
HOURS OF OPERATION FOR NEW CENTRE:
- Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays: Open from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturdays" Open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Patients can begin booking appointments at the centre on Nov. 1 by calling 902-794-8966 or by going to the centre in-person.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW What Canada is doing about the toxic forever chemicals in drinking water
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Arrest made, manslaughter charge pending in 2022 death of Calgary toddler
Calgary police have arrested a man and a charge is pending in connection with the death of a toddler in 2022.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson Airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour
Scientists say it's highly unlikely cloud seeding is responsible for the heavy rains that have caused flooding in the United Arab Emirates this month, and that climate change is the more likely culprit.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.