Horizon braces for holiday pressure on ERs, confirms 80 more beds for 3 hospitals
New beds will free up space now being used by people awaiting nursing home placements
The Horizon Health Network is trying to avoid last year's hospital holiday crunch at emergency departments.
In 2023, the health network saw extra long wait times between Christmas and New Year's, prompting concern from residents, and a warning on social media by one Fredericton doctor.
On Tuesday, Horizon CEO Margaret Melanson said the network has made changes to alleviate pressure on emergency rooms, including:
- Adding 80 new acute care beds, split among Saint John, Fredericton and Miramichi
- Creating more space at Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital for admitted patients waiting for hospital beds, freeing up spots in the emergency room.
- Adding more beds at Mount Saint Joseph Nursing Home in Miramichi to take patients who no longer need hospital care.
Melanson said the 80 additional beds will free up beds now being used by people waiting for nursing home placements.
Forty of the beds will be in Saint John, 30 in Fredericton and 10 in Miramichi.
Melanson said the government has agreed to fund those beds for the foreseeable future even after the holidays.
She said the network will also have an additional 18 beds that will be opened in Moncton "in the very near future."
Melanson said more doctors offices and clinics will be open as well, including the Brookside Mall urgent care centre in Fredericton. She said mental health services will be better staffed to redirect some patients from emergency rooms.
"There's been conversations with numbers of physician offices encouraging them to be open for certain days or hours over the holiday period to care for their own patients as well," she said. "I would say we have certainly followed up following last year and planned far more diligently."
The lack of nursing home spaces continues to be the biggest reason for lack of hospital capacity, Melanson said. About 38 per cent of Horizon's hospital beds are taken up by patients who need to move to long-term care, but there aren't enough spaces for them.
"This is the reality we live with every day, and it continues to place our health-care teams and resources under immense strain, hampering our ability to deliver the kind of care the people of this province deserve," she said.
Melanson said the Horizon has also worked on making sure the holidays are properly staffed.
"In fact, in some cases we are over-staffing to accommodate for any potential staff absences or unexpected illnesses," she said. "I'm feeling as far as possible, our emergency departments will be staffed adequately and ready to address the challenges."
The Vitalité Health Network also experienced staffing and wait-time problems last holiday season, and had to close the emergency room at Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital, about 60 kilometres north of Moncton, for a night.
Vitalité said no one was available for an interview on Tuesday but sent a statement.
"Our teams always have contingency plans in place to avoid any closures and are ready to mobilize at any time," the statement said. "While we do not anticipate any closures at this time, please note that we are never immune to unforeseen circumstances."
Melanson said Horizon is also aiming to maintain existing service levels at urgent care and treatment centres, community health centres and addictions and mental health services over the holidays.
Melanson said despite all the preparation, it's still important for New Brunswickers to know that emergency rooms are for emergencies only.
"Options for non-urgent medical conditions, for example, can include scheduling an appointment with your primary care provider, visiting a walk-in/after-hours clinic, consulting with a pharmacist, booking a virtual care appointment with eVisitNB or phoning Tele-Care 811," she said.
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