Capacity for 2400 more patients in West Nova
Shelburne pols want action on CEC
Residents of the Digby and Shelburne areas will soon have access to expanded collaborative health-care teams, thanks to the addition of four new nurse practitioners and family practice nurses.
The new professionals will serve up to 2,400 more patients in the Digby, Clare, Weymouth, Shelburne and Lockeport areas.
Several announcements were made across the province about the new collaborative care system devised by the Department of Health and Wellness and Nova Scotia Health Authority.
They will serve patients in Yarmouth, Digby, Barrington and Shelburne.
$3.6M for family practices
In a news release Wednesday, the province says is is "giving" Nova Scotia Health Authority an extra $3.6 million to expand family practices with a total of 13 more nurse practitioners and nine more family practice nurses across the province. The mix of professionals may change, depending on community needs and the recruitment process.
"Creating collaborative health-care teams across the province will help ensure more people have faster access to the health care they need," the news release said. "Nurse practitioners and family practice nurses are key members of these teams, and we are looking forward to having them here."
Team members will be added to practices in the coming months.
NDP not pleased
The NDP Caucus seems none too pleased at today's announcent, saying in a news release that it also "...raises questions about when the Liberal government will deliver on its commitment to have a doctor for every Nova Scotian." The release also complains of no timelines being attached.
“I doubt that when Nova Scotians entrusted Stephen McNeil with their health they expected to have to wait three years for any action on primary care,” said NDP Health Critic Dave Wilson. “The McNeil government has announced and re-announced plans and ideas, but Nova Scotians deserve to know exactly when they can expect to access a family doctor or clinic in their community.”
The NDP Caucus also says it "became a leader in collaborative health models when it opened eight collaborative emergency centres in Nova Scotia."
Collaborative emergency centres (CECs), like collaborative health centres, use a team model to deliver health care effectively to people close to home. No new CECs have been opened in recent years.
Shelburne mayor wants CEC action
"It is my understanding that the comment made today by Janet Knox CEO was specific to the long term plan of the province to have collaborative practices in place across the province within five years," Shelburne mayor Karen Mattatall told SCT in an email. "This comment is not specific to our clinic as funding is approved and the tender for demolition of the existing clinic has been advertised to close on Oct. 6th. It is my understanding from the Deputy Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal that the winning tender will be selected within a week of the closing date with demolition will start shortly following"
New way needed for medical services
Shelburne councilor and mayoral candidate Roy O'Donnell is anxious to see a CEC installed in Shelburne. "The reality is that we need to consider providing medical services in a new way," he told SCT. "Collaborative Emergency Centres have been a success in other areas, with 12 hours of coverage each day provided without the need for a physician on-site, provided by a nurse and a paramedic, with physician support via telephone."
For the past three years, tens of thousands of people in the Province have been struggling without family doctors and the situation is serious in greater Shelburne.
Pre election stunt?
Dave Wilson suggests that the many announcements throughout the province today are planned as pre-election announcements. “Now, as we move to an election, the McNeil government is announcing investments that could have been made the minute they took office.”
In the coming weeks, the health authority will issue an expression of interest in some communities, for family practices interested in hosting nurse practitioners or family practice nurses. Once that is complete, it will post the new positions.
"Adding nurse practitioners and family practice nurses to a team gives patients better access to stronger health care," said Clare-Digby MLA Gordon Wilson on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister Leo Glavine. "This announcement means hundreds more people in western Nova Scotia will be able to get the health-care appointments, advice and treatment they need."
Good, warm welcome
"I'm encouraged by how patients and the community have embraced the collaborative team being created at the Digby health services centre," said full-time nurse practitioner Adrienne Benoit, one of the four new professionals for Western Nova Scotia. "As someone who is new to the area, it is very satisfying to receive such a warm welcome from the community. We are looking forward to having a family practice nurse join our team."
"These nursing professionals will join collaborative care practices where they will complement the work of doctors and other practitioners," adds the release. "Together under one roof, they will deliver high quality, appropriate care, when patients need it most."
Nurse practitioners take advanced training that prepares them to diagnose and manage illnesses, order and interpret tests, and prescribe medications.
Family practice nurses are registered nurses who can independently assess, plan and co-ordinate care, make referrals, and evaluate how people are responding to treatment.
Add new comment