Horizon Health Network says its Moncton and Saint John hospitals are facing critical staffing shortages this weekend, and so they are asking people not to come to Moncton and Saint John ERs unless they are facing a life- or limb- threatening situation.
Interim Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson made the announcement to reporters Friday morning:
“This is an extreme and serious circumstance and not a decision or request that we make lightly,” said Melanson. “We need to ensure Moncton and Saint John emergency department teams can continue to provide safe and high quality care to those with critical injuries and illnesses.”
Melanson outlined alternatives for care that Horiozon is asking the public to use this weekend, including:
- visiting a pharmacy for prescription refills,
- booking an appointment with evisitNB or your family physician,
- visiting an after hours clinic,
- calling telecare 811,
- visiting sowhywait.ca, or,
- going to a community hospital with capacity to see patients with less serious ailments.
The Sackville Memorial Hospital ER fits that description and is open this weekend from 8am to 4pm each day.
Moncton ER doctor Serge Melanson encouraged people to consult professionals as advised by the Horizon CEO, but he also gave advice for people wondering how to know when a health issue is potentially life threatening or might “constitute a crisis or emergency.”
“As a general rule of thumb,” said Dr. Melanson, “when things come on very suddenly in terms of symptoms… We’re talking about perhaps pain, pain in the chest, pain in the belly. We might be talking about weakness, perhaps an arm or leg not moving the way that it should. So symptoms like this, that come on very suddenly and unexpectedly and that are clearly unfamiliar to the patient, would certainly constitute a true emergency.”
Melanson said he would encourage people who are experiencing those types of symptoms, “to make their way to their local area department and they will be seen and they will be cared for.”
On the other hand, “when folks have perhaps more chronic conditions, perhaps there are symptoms they’re experiencing that they’re very familiar with but they just happened to be flaring up on that particular day,” said Melanson, “I’d ask them to maybe try first those community resources.”
Margaret Melanson explained that this weekend in particular was proving difficult for staffing due to a number of factors over and above the basic understaffing that has been a problem all summer with Horizon’s hospitals. Melanson mentioned summer vacation scheduling, COVID-19 related absences, and the potential increase in ER demand from a major concert happening in Dieppe on Saturday and Sunday. YQM Country Fest is being held at the MusiquArt site in Dieppe, with a capacity for up to 20,000 people.
Melanson also noted that the hospitals have “a large number of patients that really do require nursing home level of care,” which is affecting patient flow, and adding congestion that affects emergency departments.
Dr. Melanson said he’s confident the Moncton hospital team will get through the weekend.
“The Moncton Hospital has been challenged all summer long,” he said, noting that a number of hospital staffers have agreed to work extra shifts during the crunch this weekend. “I’d like to thank the nurses and the LPNs and the personal support workers who have made the effort to come in and do extra work this weekend to help us out,” said Dr. Melanson. “Without them, I’m not sure what we would do.”