Ambulatory Care restored
Hospital foundation lobbied three and a half years to have service returned to O’Leary
“It’s good to be home,” exclaims Knutsford resident, Harriet MacNeill.
The “home” she’s referring to in this case, though, is the ambulatory care department at Community Hospital O’Leary.
For approximately 17 years MacNeill made trips to the hospital every seven weeks for a medical intravenous treatment. Then the service in O’Leary was discontinued. Instead of the five minutes each way to obtain the treatments, MacNeill had no choice but to go to Western Hospital in Alberton for her treatments, approximately 20 additional minutes of travel each way.
After a four-year absence, the service was reinstated at Community Hospital in November.
“It was hard sledding getting it,” acknowledged O’Leary Community Health Foundation vicechairman, Eileen Brown.
The foundation had lobbied the provincial government for three and a half years to bring the service back. Eva Rodgerson, the organization’s chairman, said she’s pleased government responded, but wishes the service had never left in the first place.
Now that it has been restored, Rodgerson and fellow board members are getting the word out to make sure area residents know they can now get blood transfusions, infusion pump care, bladder scans, catheters, dressing changes and a whole range of other medical procedures done in O’Leary.
It’s all stuff that doesn’t take surgeons but does take skill for people to get through their dayto-day lives,” Rodgerson noted.
Kaylee Costain lives in Campbellton, and works in Bloomfield. She had been accustomed to getting her once-every-four-weeks treatments in O’Leary, the town where her family generally does its shopping. She recently had to go to Alberton 14 consecutive days for intravenous treatment to clear up an infection.
“It’s more convenient,” she said, describing her satisfaction in having the O’Leary service restored.
“The frustrating part was the service was here, with staff,” said Rodgerson.
“When I think of the seniors who live just adjacent to here, transportation is a big problem.” The additional cost and the inconvenience were part of the Foundation’s lobby effort. “Our understanding is it was at the other small hospitals,” she added. “If you can’t drive home, it’s kind of miserable if you don’t have anybody to take you,” MacNeill acknowledged.
Her husband is able to drop her off and go home for the two and a half hours it takes for her procedure, whereas in Alberton he waited around. It would have been more inconvenient for patients who do not have transportation, she added.
“It’s no different where you get (the treatments). It was just easier to go to O’Leary,” MacNeill noted.
Rodgerson related a conversation with an O’Leary resident who paid $20 a trip for someone to take him to Alberton 13 times and to wait for him.
“He’s more than pleased to have this service back in O’Leary.” The ambulatory care department is staffed daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with the province picking up the staffing costs.
Health P.E.I. did not return requests for information on how much the service is costing and whether additional staff were hired.
Rodgerson said the Foundation helps fund equipment and furnishings for the department as it does for any other of the hospital’s departments.