NDP offers solution to hospital and ER closures

Halifax -- Today, the NDP caucus will re-introduce legislation to expand collaborative emergency centres (CECs) in Nova Scotia. New collaborative emergency centres could reduce emergency room closures and keep hospital services in communities like New Waterford and North Sydney.

In June, the McNeil Liberals announced they will close the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital and the Northside General Hospital in Cape Breton.

“The McNeil government has it backwards when it comes to health care,” said NDP Health and Wellness Spokesperson Tammy Martin. “Closing down community hospitals and ERs in Cape Breton will deepen the crisis in our health care system, not solve it. The NDP has proven solutions to offer on health care.”

First tabled by Martin last spring, the bill would ensure that collaborative emergency centres are established at every hospital without a full-service emergency room by April 1, 2020.

“The hospital closures in New Waterford and the Northside mean longer transport times for ambulances that will have to take their patients to Sydney or Glace Bay,” said Mike Nickerson, President of the IUOE Local 727, which represents Nova Scotia paramedics. “That means they’ll be unavailable for their communities for an extended period of time.” “The fatigue and burnout these paramedics feel due to offload delays adds stress to those working night and day to keep our communities safe,” said Nickerson.

Collaborative emergency centres were introduced by the NDP government and helped reduce temporary ER closures. The Liberals halted plans for more collaborative emergency centres after taking office and since then, closures have increased from 15,000 to 25,000 hours annually.

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