An 11-year-old boy has been living in a hospital almost 200 kilometres from home for almost two years, even though he doesn’t need to be.
Dominick LeBlanc has multiple medical and developmental issues. While he requires round-the-clock care, he doesn’t have to be in a hospital, but he has nowhere else to go.
Renee Benoit has to drive two hours from Truro, N.S. to Kentville to see her son, who has been living at the Valley Regional Hospital for 22 months.
She says she knows in her heart that a hospital isn’t the place for him to grow up, and it is always difficult to leave.
“An 11-year-old boy needs to be in a home, happy, close to his family, playing in the park, going swimming, doing kid things,” says Benoit.
“All a kid wants is his mom. They want a hug from mom and to hear it is OK and when I am not here to do that, it’s so hard.”
A spot has been made available for Dominick at a long-term care facility close to home, and a room has even been renovated to meet his needs, but the problem comes down to staffing.
The VON is working to hire six licensed practical nurses to care for Dominick. This is the third time the positions have been posted, but there haven’t been enough applicants.
“We are actively recruiting to make sure we have the right people in there to provide the right care for him,” says Dawn MacMillan of the VON Colchester East Hants.
“The sooner we get our staff, the sooner we can get everything going to take the next steps to get them trained and get him closer to us in Bible Hill,” says Benoit.
The VON can’t say when the positions will be filled, as it depends on the applicants they receive.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl
