Saturday ER closure worries some in eastern P.E.I.
Health P.E.I. has said it will review the temporary closure decision in April
Health P.E.I.'s decision to temporarily stop offering Saturday hours at the emergency department at the Kings County Memorial Hospital is concerning some people who live in eastern P.E.I.
"If something major happens, what's going to happen then?" said Anthony MacKinnon, who was at the Montague-based hospital Thursday for an issue with his leg.
"You'll have to go all the way to Charlottetown."
Health P.E.I. has said a lack of staff prompted its decision to stop offering emergency services on Saturdays at the KCMH after Jan. 4 and at least until April, at which point the health authority said it would review the situation.
For MacKinnon and others, that means the closest emergency department will be at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown — roughly a 45-minute drive west.
"I don't think it's right," he said.
Chrissy MacDonald, who lives in Kings County, agrees the distance is an issue.
"I'm sure some people would feel a bit stranded for sure," said MacDonald. "Emergencies happen at any time, right?"
The Saturday closure comes as a disappointment but not really a surprise, said Debbie Johnston, the mayor of Three Rivers, which includes Montague, Georgetown, Cardigan and several other communities.
"Any time I've been there, it's been packed," the mayor said. "There's even some people that come from other areas. If the wait time in Charlottetown is really long, sometimes they come out here."
Having an emergency department in one of the largest communities on P.E.I. is "essential," she said.
"Otherwise, people have to drive to Charlottetown," she said, adding: "It's a tremendous wait in there."
For now, Health P.E.I. said it is trying to focus on weekday staffing at Kings County Memorial Hospital, while it works to hire more doctors and develop a long-term plan for its emergency department.
How a clinic could help
Meanwhile, a panel formed in the community more than a year ago is doing its part to try and take strain off.
The Kings County Memorial Hospital Foundation decided to form a special volunteer committee to explore setting up a clinic to serve people without access to primary care in the form of family doctors and nurse practitioners.
Now, the Down East Community Clinic is nearly ready take patients, said committee member Theresa Redmond.
The hope is that sometime this month, the clinic will be open and ready, with primary care providers seeing patients several days a week.
"We're hoping that down the road, our clinic will provide service for a lot of people so they don't have to sit in the waiting room in an emergency department," said Redmond.
But the clinic won't be open on Saturdays, and Redmond emphasized: "It is not intended to replace the really critical, important services that the emergency department provides."
The clinic will also have its limits, she said.
"It's meant to supplement doctors' private practices. It's not intended to provide the kind of services offered in a hospital."
Still, Redmond said the announcement of the temporary Saturday closure "has firmed up our resolve to support Health P.E.I. and encourage our own efforts to complement their work in the meantime."
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With files from Steve Bruce