On May 20th, 75 local residents joined me at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre to get an update on healthcare in our region. We were joined by a team from Horizon: Margaret Melanson (CEO and President), Dr. Jody Enright (Medical Director, Moncton area), Richard Lemay (Director of Primary Health Care, Zone 1), Dr. Ravneet Comstock (Physician Program Lead, Primary Care), and Dr. Bruno Chiasson (Family Medicine, Sackville division).
The key things discussed were the Tantramar Primary Healthcare Clinic, the ER and ambulance services, and I addressed both the hope and uncertainty relating to healthcare in our community.
The hope comes from the fact that two years ago, when I first invited Horizon to come to a public community meeting, the primary care clinic was still just an idea; now it’s a reality. And a year ago, when I held a healthcare meeting in Strait Shores, having a family doctor running the clinic was an idea; now it’s a reality. But we also face uncertainty when we consider whether healthcare will be there when we need it, and when these improvements and increased access will reach each patient.
The Tantramar Primary Health Care Clinic (which is currently in an ideal location beside the Sackville Memorial Hospital) is continuing to onboard patients monthly. 1,806 patients have been onboarded so far, and Horizon plans to onboard another 1,000 patients in next year. By this time next year, Horizon says everyone who needs primary care in our region, and is currently unattached, will be able to access the clinic.
If you don’t have a primary care practitioner, please register with NB Health Link; patients from our region who have registered or been waitlisted with Health Link will be added to the clinic. You can register for NB Health Link waitlist by using the link below:
https://nbhealthlink.ca/pages/registration/
If you have already registered but would like to confirm that you are on the list you can contact NB Health Link by phone at: 1-833-354-2300
ER services still have limited hours, so there is still work to do. The Sackville ER usually has two doctors working during their hours (8am-4pm) and now has Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) services available during those hours. Offload delays at the hospitals in Moncton cause significant wait times and need urgent action. One of the main problems is that we don’t have enough housing and home care support for seniors, so they are forced to live in the hospital.
I just got an update on the Ambulance NB pilot project I mentioned at the meeting. I’ve been advocating for years for Ambulance NB to change their dynamic deployment model, and paramedics have been calling for this too. There was a pilot project this spring, using a different deployment model in three communities: Port Elgin, Cap Pele and Fords Mills. So far, they’ve seen an improvement in response times, across all three communities. The success of the pilot has resulted in Ambulance NB extending it by another 60 days while they collect more data. I’m hopeful it can be used across the province.
To listen to the full audio of the Update on Healthcare Meeting, please use the link below to the CHMA website:
There is still uncertainty and challenges that need to be worked out but there is hope that wasn’t there before that we are moving in the right direction. I appreciate all the hard work Horizon, healthcare workers and community members have put in to achieve this progress. I will continue to work with our community and advocate for better access to healthcare for the Tantramar Region.