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Health Authority Breaks Down Local ER Changes to Richmond Council
ARICHAT - In the wake of a new emergency-room model taking shape to address staffing shortages at a local hospital, three officials with the Eastern Zone of the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) made a virtual visit to the Richmond Municipal Council chambers in Arichat to break down the situation for the county's municipal officials.
In a 45-minute presentation and question-and-answer session that makes up the bulk of this week's episode of TELILE 24/7, Eastern Zone vice-president of operations Brett MacDougall, interim director of rural health Andrew Heighton and medical executive director Dr. Don O'Brien appeared via Zoom to explain the reasoning behind the new ER model that took shape at the Evanston hospital in mid-June.
The Strait-Richmond ER staff will monitor patient capacity throughout the day and now have the authority to shut down the ER with only a few minutes' notice to the public, if the existing staff cannot keep up with the patient load at any given moment.
During the NSHA presentation to the June 27 council meeting, MacDougall insisted that this model is only temporary and added that Nova Scotia's Department of Health and Wellness is not contemplating a closure of the 42-year-old hospital, noting that the overflow of patients would bring emergency rooms at the nearby regional hospitals in Sydney and Antigonish to a standstill if the Strait-Richmond catchment area suddenly found itself without a hospital to serve its needs.
In addition to a rash of nursing shortages that have already plagued the Strait-Richmond Hospital and the NSHA's ongoing search for another ER physician, Dr. O'Brien noted that the situation could become even more complicated this summer, with Port Hawkesbury-based general physician Dr. Paul Pluta currently on a summer-long sabbatical and his colleague, Dr .James Collins, edging closer to his official retirement.
Also featured on this week's edition of TELILE 24/7: Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette addresses issues involving the Allan J .MacEachen Regional Airport in nearby Inverness County as well as an anti-littering campaign launched by a former Isle Madame resident, and Inverness County Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Keith MacDonald takes part in the regular TELILE 24/7 show-closing segment "The Fast Five."
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TV TELILE is a unique community television station in Nova Scotia. They are found on Channel 10 using an antenna, Channel 4 on the EastLink cable system in western Richmond County, and on Channel 5 on the Seaside cable system in eastern Richmond County. They are also on the Seaside cable system along Eastern Cape Breton from New Waterford and Glace Bay to Louisbourg and St Peters, and is now on the Bell Satellite system on Channel 536!
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