South West Health Calls Off Code Purple

South West Health called off the code purple status late Friday afternoon because overcrowding within the district has eased.

Currently there is one bed available at Yarmouth Regional Hospital and most of the patients placed in lounges have been moved to inpatient rooms.

Roseway Hospital has one bed available and Digby General

Hospital has five beds available.

A code purple is called when hospital beds on the nursing units are full and patients requiring a hospital bed are held in the emergency department.

During these times when hospital beds are full and patients are waiting in the emergency department for a bed, South West Health places people in non-traditional spaces with appropriate nursing care.

These spaces include hallways and television lounges. Nursing staff is also called back to work to care for extra patients who are waiting for a hospital bed.

In a code purple, the regional emergency department remains open to people requiring services.

Code purple is a district wide response that focuses all staff, managers and physicians on addressing the overcrowding issues in the emergency department while maintaining the best possible care for patients given

the situation.