Another patient has died while waiting for care at a New Brunswick hospital

Another patient has died while awaiting care, this time at the Moncton Hospital, according to Horizon Health Network.

Horizon said in a statement Thursday the patient didn’t die in the waiting room, but was taken into the acute care area in the emergency department because of worsening symptoms.

He was later pronounced dead under the care of physicians.

“A patient did present to the ED the evening of Aug. 12, was assessed and was closely monitored by the on-site triage nurse as well as an emergency department patient monitor while in the waiting room,” said interim CEO of Horizon Health Network Margaret Melanson in the statement.

Melanson said the patient’s vitals were taken at regular intervals. It was in the early morning hours of Aug. 13 when the patient began to experience “serious symptoms.”

That’s when the patient was moved to the acute area of the emergency department, where they died, according to Horizon.

“I would like to share my deepest sympathies with the family and friends of this patient. I would also like to thank our physicians and staff for doing everything they could under the circumstances,” Melanson said.

It’s the second death reported by that health authority with similar circumstances in a little more than a month.

A third death occurred at Vitalité Health Network’s Edmundston Regional Hospital in “exceptional and unforeseen” circumstances three weeks ago.

This news comes as Horizon said it has made some progress on it’s recruitment efforts.

In a release, the health authority said it had recruited 1,300 healthcare workers in the first five months of 2022, surpassing previous yearly targets.

“This is a very encouraging update, one that reflects Horizon’s commitment to doing whatever it takes to identify, recruit and ultimately retain top talent in the health care field,” said Melanson in a press release.

It said since April 1, it has hired 240 registered nurses, 163 licensed practical nurses and 288 personal care attendants.

Melanson said she hopes that recruitment effort will translate to meaningful change on the front lines in a matter of weeks.

At least 14 of the hires were retired nurses, but Gail Lebel, Horizon’s VP and Chief Human Resource Officer, said those are categorized separately because they are unlikely to stay long term.

The New Brunswick Medical Society said in a statement it is encouraged by the numbers.

“The numbers announced by Horizon Health do not specify how many physicians were recruited during the same time period. The NBMS would be interested in learning what kind of progress has been made in this area and we look forward to future updates,” said Dr. Mark MacMillan in the statement.