Innovative solutions helping in medical crisis

Unfortunately, like many others, I have family members with chronic conditions, so I now have to include a medical records role in my ever-expanding job description as ‘mother’.

It is no doubt alarming and indeed time consuming for the medical professionals who just happen to get an orphan patient in an emergency-outpatients context. They are then required to make judgments on treatment regimes based on sometimes sketchy medical histories.

This type of primary health care intervention significantly erodes the proactive, time-proven concepts of wellness enhancement, health promotion and illness prevention. A simple sprain can trigger a whole host of other physiological complications if that individual has an underlying etiology like anemia, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart arrhythmia, hypertension, MS or epilepsy.

The professionals who are trying to meet these treatment needs are competent, helpful and understanding, but they are overwhelmed.

This is a growing problem across our country and it calls for some innovative solutions. Expansion of the professional roles of other medical personnel is a valid option. Long and Brier islands have a unique primary care pilot program in which community care paramedics, a nurse practitioner and multiple physicians practice collaboratively. By all accounts this has been a successful initiative.

Further, we know that Digby General Hospital will soon have two more nurse practitioners. However, there is still a phenomenal shortage of primary care physicians. The key is to make our community as attractive as possible so that we can entice physicians to set up long-term practices. The competition is fierce. Countless volunteer hours have been devoted to this effort.

Health care is technically not within the mandate of municipal governments, but we fortunately have a mayor, a warden and town and municipal councils who take the well being of their community very seriously. Both units have apportioned funds to ensure that this area can maximize their opportunities.

At last week’s municipal council session it was decided to allocate funds to support an immigrant couple in obtaining their Nova Scotia medical licences. In exchange, this couple would be obligated to practice in our community for a decade. Our town and municipal governments have innovatively created the framework for a positive long-term solution. They deserve our gratitude.

Well done and thank you!