N.B. community looks to avoid summer emergency room closures

New Brunswick communities are hopeful that as the summer approaches, temporary emergency department closures caused by staffing shortages are a thing of the past.

Marc Thorne, the mayor of Sussex, a community of more than 4,000, told Global News there are monthly conversations between the town and Horizon Health Network.

“I’m hoping that it’ll be better. There can never be any guarantees,” Thorne told Global News Monday afternoon.

“But what I can say is that Horizon is absolutely doing their best to ensure the closures just don’t happen.”

In recent years, summer vacations for health-care workers compounded by staff shortages have resulted in smaller communities temporarily losing access to the emergency department for days at a time.

For those areas impacted, such as Sussex, Sackville and Oromocto, it can mean a lengthy drive to another hospital.

“Part of delivering quality primary care is having a certain degree of stability, and we know that with the challenges that Horizon has, sometimes they don’t know themselves until a day or two before a weekend arrives that they’re not going to have staffing,” Thorne said.

According to Thorne, Sussex has seen a number of health-care professionals begin operations in the area over the last year. While there are still gaps in the system, Thorne remains optimistic about the coming months.

“There is an enormous amount of dialogue taking place between Horizon, Ambulance New Brunswick, our facility and a group of dedicated volunteers to do what we can to ensure that closures don’t occur,” he said.

On Friday, speaking to reporters at a health-care announcement, Health Minister Bruce Fitch said that, approaching a “challenging” time of year, staff are working to ensure any disruptions are “minimal.”

“From the standpoint of the number of changes that have been made and the improvements we have seen in the ER, we’re hoping for a good summer,” Fitch said outside the Saint John Regional Hospital.

In a statement to Global News, Steve Savoie, the executive regional director and co-lead for Horizon Emergency Services, said the network is making progress on recruitment and retention.

“We use every possible resource at our disposal before making the decision to temporarily close any of these departments for a given shift,” the statement reads.

“This is only done in rare circumstances and as an absolute last resort when all other options have been exhausted. Improving access in our EDs and enhancing the overall patient experience in our facilities are among our top priorities, and we work at this every day.”

Savoie noted that, at this point, there have not been any temporary closures to their emergency departments in 2023.

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