Staffing at hospital a concern
Glace Bay emergency room expansion part of announcement
The expansion of the Glace Bay Hospital emergency room has led to questions from staff and residents.
“It’s fine to expand Glace Bay Hospital with the emergency room but who’s going to staff it?” asked Brian Shaw, manager of the Medical Hall Pharmasave in Glace Bay. “Bricks and mortar are one thing but what about the staff?”
Shaw said he watched the health-care announcement live streamed on Monday that included the closures of the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital and the Northside General Hospital in North Sydney.
“We don’t like to see any type of loss in our community, we like it to remain status quo. Unfortunately, status quo hasn’t worked.”
Shaw said the emergency department is closed more often than it is open and he is concerned what kind of change is going to be made to have a fulltime staff there.
“There’s not too many weeks that go by where there’s not two or three (times) that it’s closed. I haven’t seen anything in this announcement that changes the staffing situation — or lack thereof — to keep it open.” As well Shaw said there was talk of expanding mental health services in the collaborative health centres but yet there is still no expansions and a long waiting list. “If they want to bring real changes to Cape Breton they need to bring back the Cape Breton Health Authority so there’s people here that know what’s happening on a daily basis.” The announcement Monday included expansions to many areas of the Glace Bay Hospital including a renovated emergency department with 30 per cent more space, an increase of 1,600 surgeries, more hospital beds, enhanced community-based services and the previously announced six-station satellite renal dialysis unit.
Jim McIntyre of Glace Bay said the announced hospital closures is devastating for everyone.
“If feel there’s going to be a lot of protesting over this one.”
However news of the Glace Bay Hospital expanding is positive, he said, adding it’s good to hear there will be more services and more beds.
“A lot of people were afraid Glace Bay was going to be on the chopping block.”
McIntyre’s wife Marg McIntyre has to travel to Sydney for dialysis three times a week and they’ve been eagerly waiting for the opening of a dialysis unit which has been planned for some time.
McIntyre said his sister had a stroke and came home from Ontario and is currently waiting for a bed in a nursing home but for now she is on the third floor of the hospital waiting to be moved to the hospital’s long-term care unit while waiting for a nursing home placement.
“To expand over here at the Glace Bay Hospital would be great.”