ARICHAT: A local health care facility is undergoing changes in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The emergency department at St. Anne Community and Nursing Care Centre in Arichat is now designated as an Urgent Care Centre that will retain some emergency room responsibilities, but will no longer accept Emergency Health Services cases, suicide or homicide threats, chest or abdominal pains, or respiratory complaints. The facility will continue to care for minor conditions which will be assessed through its triage system.
“This is due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused a need to direct patient care to the most appropriate location,” said St. Anne CEO Annette Fougere. “This is a temporary change only.”
During an update on April 9, Premier Stephen McNeil and Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer of health, announced a number of efforts related to COVID-19.
Applications for the $40 million Worker Emergency Bridge Fund and Small Business Impact Grant are available and will be accepted. Applications for small business will be on-line at 8 a.m. A toll-free phone line for applications for the worker fund will be open starting at 8 a.m. Call 1-800-863-6582 after checking eligibility on-line, and for more information see: https://novascotia.ca/coronavirus/#support.
Payment for more than 480 small-business fees will be deferred until June 30 to keep cash in small business hands.
To help people who need additional supports, 211 has been launched; a new service to connect people needing COVID-19 assistance with the Canadian Red Cross. The Red Cross will act as a navigator to link people to the services they need. In addition, the Red Cross will offer wellness check-ins for Nova Scotians who are isolated and experiencing loneliness and anxiety.
Private campgrounds must close until May 1, when the measure will be reassessed.
Only veterinarians working with the SPCA may carry out spay and neuter surgeries.
On April 8, Prime Minister Justin announced changes to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, after talks with stakeholders and workers, to address problems for non-profits, start-up companies and new businesses. Now instead of businesses having to show a 30 per cent loss in revenue from the same month last year, the federal government has allowed more flexibility.
“Companies will now have the option of using January and February of this year as reference points to show a 30 per cent loss,” the Prime Minister said. “Businesses will only need to show a 15 per cent decline in revenue for March, instead of 30 per cent because most of us only felt the impact of COVID-19 about half-way through the month.”
Charities and non-profits will be given the choice to include or exclude government funding when calculating loss and revenue.
“If your company or organization has been impacted by COVID-19, the government will give you up to $847 per week per employee… and this subsidy will be retroactive to March 15,” Trudeau noted.
Changes were also made to the Canada Summer Jobs Program to help young people and small businesses. Employers will now be given a subsidy of up to 100 per cent to cover the costs of hiring students, and an extension has been granted to the time frame for job placements to next winter.