HCH averts ER closures

It was a close call, but the Hants Community Hospital (HCH) has managed to stave off any emergency room closures.

Capital Health ER spokesperson Barbara Hall, VP of Person Centered Health, told The Hants Journal Friday, June 3 that although it was a tense few days, they were finally able to fill most of the 21 open shifts for the month of July. “We were preparing for the worst right up until the last minute, but we've been gradually filling those gaps,” she said.

Capital Health has recruited ER doctors from the QEII and Cobequid Health Centre to work the HCH emergency room department this month. “We've been turning every rock and cranny to fill those gaps,” Hall said.

The shifts of greatest concern included July 1 and the following weekend. Hall said a local family practitioner, Dr. Cathryn Smith, volunteered to cover the department for those dates. “We're very pleased that she stepped up to the plate and was willing to go above and beyond what she is already doing as an in-house doctor. It's apparent she really believes in this hospital and keeping the ER open for the summer.”

This year more challenging than most

Hall says there is generally some difficulty covering ER shifts in the summer months, but this year has been more challenging than most. “There were more gaps than usual for Hants County and some physicians had taken their names off the ER rotation. It has proven very difficult to cover the month of July because we are already working at a reduced number, but I'm glad to say we didn't have to put closures into practice.”

Although there are some shifts still to fill, Hall said since Dr. Mike Clory has taken over as District Emergency Room Chief for the HCH, he has done a fantastic job in scheduling the ER. “He's using all his networks at this time to find people to cover over the summer months.”

In a press release dated June 30, Rachel L. Boehm, Senior Communications Advisor, Capital Health, stated that the Emergency Department at Hants Community Hospital (HCH) will remain open for 24-hour emergency care and will not close. “At no time was there a plan to close the Emergency Department of HCH for the months of July or August,” she said.

Although staffing concerns were identified for specific dates this summer, she said HCH staff and Capital Health are currently looking at resources district-wide and tapping into existing physician networks to fill any gaps that have been identified in the coming months. “There were concerns around covering the past weekend and we were working on plans to make an announcement, but no closures were confirmed,” she said.

Boehm adds if there are to be any ER closures, a public announcement would be made at that time. “Capital Health is fully committed to keeping the public informed and will alert the public in advance of any closures.” ‘Sporadic closures’: Kazimirski

Dr. Mark Kazimirski, who made the closure announcement during a joint council session last week, now states council may have misinterpreted what he had to say. “When I spoke to council my meaning was not that the ER would close for the summer, but there would be some sporadic closures and we would let the public know of those.” For now, he said doctors have been found to cover the bulk of those shifts.

This comes as good news to members of the public and council. “It was my understanding the ER would close for the summer months, but they seemed to have addressed it internally,” said Hantsport Mayor Wayne Folker, who participated last week in the joint council session. “I'm happy to know they have been able to negotiate and keep the ER open. It's crucial they were able to work this out.”