Horizon Health Network moves to ‘red alert’ level due to COVID-19 cases

Horizon Health Network hospitals and health-care facilities moved back to a “red alert “level of coverage Wednesday.

The move comes as New Brunswick’s health-care system deals with dozens of COVID-19 cases requiring hospital care.

It means some elective surgeries, medical procedures and outpatient services may be postponed. Services like blood and specimen collection, x-rays and respiratory therapy are among those potentially impacted, according to Horizon’s website.

Dr. Mark MacMillan, the president of the New Brunswick Medical Society, said physicians and health officials have been in consultations on how to prioritize hospital services.

“There are things that we will push forward through no matter what, such as cancer surgeries and that sort of procedure,” MacMillan said. “And some of the more elective things may have to be postponed. And we need people to understand that we are doing our best to keep the system functioning as optimally as possible right now.”

Horizon said 17 surgeries were cancelled on Tuesday, including 15 at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton. A Horizon spokesperson could not confirm if the cancellations were due to the red alert status.

The network said most of its major hospitals were operating at 92 per cent in-patient occupancy or above as of late Tuesday.

The lone exception was The Moncton Hospital, which sat at 86 per cent. But that facility is dealing with more outbreaks of COVID-19.

“In addition to the outbreak declared on Unit 5200 at Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital on Sept. 27, as of today, Units 4200 and 5600 are temporarily closed to admissions and transfers until further notice due to COVID-19 outbreaks on these units,” said Crista Wheeler-Thorne, executive director of The Moncton Hospital, in a statement.

“During this time, no patients will be admitted or transferred, and patients are restricted to their rooms.”

MacMillan said doctors are concerned about hospital capacity and where they will put patients if hospitals become too full.

“We’re close, but we haven’t reached that tipping point where we have to start making more difficult decisions,” MacMillan said. “And that’s what most physicians worry about is having to make that choice. You know, who gets the ventilator? Who do we care for? How do we make that decision ethically? It’s so hard.”

MacMillan said he’s hoping New Brunswick won’t have to send patients to other jurisdictions for care.

Vitalité Health Network moved to red alert on Tuesday.