GUYSBOROUGH: A local health care consultant presented a preliminary report to the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) council on the status of hospitals in Guysborough and Canso.
In Mary Jane Hampton’s recent presentation on Guysborough Memorial Hospital and Eastern Memorial Hospital, she provided recommendations for the future.
Following the municipality’s regular monthly council meeting on March 17, Warden Vernon Pitts indicated the report, even though is only preliminary, was something positive.
He suggested amongst Hampton’s recommendations, a shared service model may be adopted in the future.
“There’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel,” Pitts said.
Hampton, along with a team representing numerous interest areas with Nova Scotia Health Authority, held meetings in both communities with hospital physicians and staff, community stakeholders and MODG senior staff.
Her report proposes potential solutions to reduce scheduled closures.
Hampton was hired to identify possible solutions to the increasing interruption in emergency care at Guysborough Memorial Hospital and Eastern Memorial Hospital and looked at patterns of use in the ER, inpatient and other services, and where residents in the catchment areas accessed primary care.
Last year, ER closures in Canso were linked to nursing shortages, while in neighbouring Guysborough, the increase in ER closures have been due to lack of physician coverage.