N.B. health minister hopes to release plan to reform health-care next month
New Brunswick's health minister says change is coming – and the roadmap will come in the form of a healthcare reform plan she says will be released by late October.
Horizon Health Network has been under the microscope in recent months, plagued by staffing shortages, long wait times and complaints about the quality of care.
On Wednesday, the child and youth advocate's office released a report focused on youth mental health – and the death of 16-year old Lexi Daken.
The Fredericton-area teen died by suicide despite trying to get psychiatric help from the Fredericton Everett Chalmers emergency department.
A review found that ER staff had no formal training or resources for working with mental health patients – and that the teen was never given a suicide risk assessment or safety plan before she went home.
The report also said some psychiatrists on-call are "reluctant" to come in after midnight unless it's a serious situation, and follow-up care with community mental health was inadequate.
During a committee hearing, Horizon's vice president community Jean Daigle, acknowledged the report – and said they are trying to make improvements.
"Physical improvements, touch-points, hand-offs," he said. "What we've introduced to our staff is the notion of a warm transfer, meaning that when someone presents to the emergency department with that kind of distress, it is important for the various parts of the mental health system to be connected."
He said they have challenges recruiting – including child psychiatrists. But trauma-informed training for all staff began in June – and the Chalmers emergency department has added an area for those in mental distress – that's away from the general waiting room.
"This is not just your job, or your job, it's our job to look after this individual that presents in crisis."
Horizon Health has a budget of $1.2 billion, 13,000 staff and 12 hospitals.
Dorothy Shephard said Thursday she had to make changes to its leadership, because the organization needs to be healthy – and "whereby the employees that are in it are satisfied."
"I don't think moral is very good at either one of our RHA's to be completely honest," she said. "Not only do we need Vitalite and Horizon working arm and arm, we need Ambulance New Brunswick, extra-mural, 811, we need this system to be seamless. That's what I'm striving to do."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.