N.S. father advocates for flexible hospital visitations while son is in ICU

The past few days have been a blur of agonizing emotion for a rural Nova Scotia father and his family.

Eric White’s son, Evan, was transported to the Halifax Infirmary by an air ambulance on June 20, after he was involved in an ATV collision the RCMP described as serious.

“He had a broken hip, broken pelvis, two collapsed lungs, all of his ribs on the left side of his body were broken,” White said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He had a broken hip, broken pelvis, two collapsed lungs, all of his ribs on the left side of his body were broken," White said.

White was accompanied by his wife and Evan’s mother. The family anxiously awaited updates from medical personnel and were told Evan would require surgery. Afterwards, he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Nova Scotia goes two straight weeks with no new cases

White says initially, all three family members were allowed to visit Evan inside the ICU, but the following day, White says he was told he wouldn’t be allowed back in because only one support person is permitted to visit for a one-week period of time.

“I was floored,” White said. “It’s heartbreaking enough to learn about the accident, but to not be able to get in to see your son, to help him through the healing process.

“Part of the healing process for any patient is to be able to have family there for support, to help through this process.”

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READ MORE: Top doctor expresses concern over Canadians’ mental health amid coronavirus

The Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) recently announced it will slowly start allowing visitors back into hospitals, but limitations around the guidelines for visits are still in place.

“We haven’t had visitors until this week, since the pandemic started. We’re doing it gradually, easing into it, the virus is still out there and we need to make sure that we don’t let the virus into the hospital,” Brendan Elliott said, a senior content and media relations advisor with the NSHA.

Elliott says the health authority recognizes the emotional toll the limitations still have on families, but that for now, these limitations are considered the safest for everyone involved in the hospital system.

“This has been tough for the staff, too,” Elliott said. “They recognize that the patients need support from their family and friends and so, we’re doing this slowly.

“We’re going to open things up the more that we see Nova Scotia opening up.”

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READ MORE: Coronavirus: Virtual Family visits an important lifeline for hospital patients  

White says he respects safety protocols put in place to minimize the spread of COVID-19, but since there haven’t been any new cases in the past two weeks, he’s advocating for more visitor flexibility.

“Split the time up. Let the mother go in for a half an hour, hour in the morning. Let the father go in in the afternoon, or evening, for a half an hour, or, an hour. Split the time up. At least both parents are able to give their child some support. I can’t explain the tears,” White said.

White adds he’s advocating for flexible visitation hours for all families trying to support their loved ones while they’re in hospital.