SHELBURNE, N.S. – With the addition of a third nurse practitioner this fall, a full team of primary health-care providers is in place for the new $3-million Shelburne Family Practice Collaborative Health Centre being constructed adjacent to Roseway Hospital.
Construction of the building is nearing completion and boxes of new furniture are onsite waiting to be unpacked.
“Construction should be completed before the end the year unless there are delays,” said Melanie Mooney, primary health-care manager in southwestern Nova Scotia for the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA).
Once construction is finished, a time period of a few weeks will be required to set up the new furniture, fixtures and IT equipment, said Mooney.
She said when “it’s 100 per cent complete” the family practice team will move in. Mooney estimates this will be early in the new year.
Four family physicians, three nurse practitioners, full-time and part-time family practice nurses, and five full and part-time clerical staff are on the Shelburne family practice team, including Dr. Trudy MacFarland, Dr. John Keeler, Dr Leeann Delong, Dr. Ryan Pawsey; nurse practitioners Deana Hickey, Georg MacDonald and Maria Ceschiutti who started in mid-September; and family practice nurses Ruth Waters and Kyra Taylor.
The team already sees patients at Roseway.
“Our team moving out of the hospital is not going to impact the hospital in any way,” said Mooney, adding the physicians and the nurse practitioner who currently see in-patients will continue to do so.
“That won’t change,” she said.
While walk-in clinics will not be part of operations at the new health-care clinic, new patients are being accepted by the new nurse practitioner, said Mooney, and a small number of patients who used to be patients of former physicians have also been taken on.
Anyone who doesn’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner and wants to be considered for the Shelburne family practice needs to be on the Need a Family Practice provincial registry, said Mooney.
“That’s what we’re asking everyone to do. That’s the best way to make sure nobody’s missed,” she said, adding there are some physicians still accepting new patients who are registered on the list.
To register with the Need a Family Practice provincial registry, call 811 or visit: https://needafamilypractice.nshealth.ca
