No Holds Barred at Pugwash Health Care Meeting
Officials from the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) were in Pugwash tonight to talk about health care and the repeated closures of emergency services. A full house at the Catholic church hall took full advantage of the gathering to give them an earful.
The meeting was hosted by Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the MLA for Cumberland North. She told the gathering, “This is a province-wide issue, where emergency rooms are being closed all too often.”
The Executive Director of the NSHA said, “We know that there’s more closures than the department being open.” Cheryl Northcott added, “We know it is impacting you. We know it is a true concern.”
However, when Tanya Penny opened the discussion about what is being done by the NSHA to fix it, she was stopped in mid sentence when someone in the audience told her “we need plain, simple english.” It was a reference to the jargon of the health field, complete with acronyms that generally mean nothing in the public.
Penny and the other presenters struggled to stop using the abbreviations, but accepted that they needed to be more clear when communicating with the public.
Penny said the emergency closures result from a shortage of doctors, as the emergency protocol requires a physician be on site between 8 am and 8 pm. When she said the ER is always open at night, a number of speakers challenged her with personal accounts of being referred to Tatamagouche or Amherst. One man said he was told, at 2 o’clock in the morning, that emergency was closed.
The NSHA officials said they would look into the way that night staff are dealing with the public.
Highly Dedicated Staff
Many speakers praised the dedication of the current medical staff. People are truly grateful for the work of local doctors, who probably have a larger patient list and work longer hours. However, professional burnout is a real danger, and one physician said the community needs at least two new doctors to provide proper care.
One man suggested, “I am a little confused. When you say emergency is closed, I can still go there, is that correct?” The answer is yes.
While the ER may be closed, the hospital is open and staff can offer certain services and help in determining need.
Speakers also promoted the Nova Scotia 811 service, described as a source of guidance for self help. It is a step below 911 for immediate emergency. When you call 811, you reach a nurse or other trained health care worker who can answer questions or guide you to other services.
The 811 number is also where you call if you do not have a family doctor. The service compiles a list and tries to match people with doctors who are taking new patients. It is a waiting list, but it was stressed that you really need to register because that list is also used by the NSHA to determine priorities for regional needs.
As the meeting ended, a number of people said they learned some things tonight, and felt better about the services provided in the community. While that was comforting, everyone agreed that rural health care is in crisis.
Smith-McCrossin suggested the solution ultimately rests with the provincial government and that constant political pressure is required. She circulated a petition which she hopes to present to the Legislature. The petition is available at the Pugwash Village Hall, inviting all residents to add their names to the list.
Share this article by clicking below on the 'SHARE' link to your social media. You may also rate the article by clicking the stars or respond by adding your view in the "Leave a comment" section.