Horizon prepared to meet demand for health care services over the holidays, reminds public to choose best option for care

(HORIZON) – With the holidays fast approaching and respiratory illnesses on the rise in our communities, Horizon Health Network (Horizon) has taken several steps to help ensure patients are able to continue to access the health care services they need.

Horizon is also urging the public to do its part by becoming informed of the different health care options available to them before presenting to an emergency department (ED).

“The Horizon team has thoroughly planned and prepared for potential increased demand for health care services over the holidays,” said Margaret Melanson, Horizon President and CEO. “Our goal is to always deliver safe, high-quality health care services, supported by our skilled personnel. As we head into the holidays, we are confirming new initiatives to help improve patient flow.”

New initiatives to help improve operations and overall patient flow in our facilities over the holidays include:

• Supporting patients by maintaining existing service levels at our urgent care/treatment centres, community health centres and addictions and mental health services over the holidays and ensuring appropriate community resources are in place for those requiring immediate access to programming such as one-at-a-time/single session mental health therapy, mobile crisis response, and Forensic Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (FNE/SANE) care.

• Funding approval to open an additional 80 acute care beds at the Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH), Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (DECRH) and Miramichi Regional Hospital (MRH). These beds are currently open or will be very shortly.
• Finalizing an additional care area at the DECRH by renovating the former ambulance bay space adjacent to the emergency department (ED). This additional space will serve stable, admitted patients awaiting bed assignments on nursing units and will allow more space in the ED for patient assessments.

• Finalizing a plan to create additional bed capacity at The Moncton Hospital (TMH) by renovating one of the ambulatory clinic areas.

• Opening new beds for alternate level of care (ALC) patients and those seeking nursing home placements at the Mount St. Joseph Nursing Home in Miramichi, providing additional capacity at MRH.

Reminder to public to explore other possible options for care

For the health care system to function properly and respond to the needs of patients over the holidays, it’s important that all New Brunswickers be aware of the different options available to them and choose the most appropriate one depending on the level and type of care needed.

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 to determine the best option for care.

Anyone looking for more information on the different care options available to them should visit sowhywait.ca.

As always, anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 911 immediately so they can be transported to the nearest emergency department.

Bed capacity an ongoing crisis

Horizon’s inpatient capacity continues to be significantly impacted by a lack of available long-term care beds in our communities, with more than 38 per cent of hospital acute care beds currently occupied by patients awaiting placement in an appropriate long-term care setting.

As a result, many of our hospitals are operating at-or-near full capacity, including some that are overcapacity.
Horizon is working closely with multiple partners to solve this situation, which continues to place our health care system and teams, acute care patients and seniors under immense strain. Finding meaningful solutions to these chronic issues remains a top priority heading into the New Year.

“This issue has been a crisis in the making for decades, and the cost of maintaining the status quo in New Brunswick is no longer an option,” Melanson said. “We must immediately find ways to maximize and match current resources while taking clear action to plan for future needs. Horizon is calling on all health care partners to address the acute and long-term care crisis with a shared sense of urgency to improve health care access and quality for all New Brunswickers.”

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