Digby General Hospital Emergency Department - Update

Physician coverage has been secured for the July 27- 29 weekend. This means that the Digby General Hospital emergency department will be open each weekend this summer from 8PM Friday to 8AM Monday.

South West Health is working to find short and long term solutions to provide some weekday emergency services as well as more access to primary care. The current situation is that the emergency department will be closed weekdays in July from 8AM Monday to 8PM Friday.

When the emergency department is closed at Digby General Hospital, people are asked to go to another hospital for emergency services, such as Yarmouth Regional Hospital. People with a family physician should contact their physician for non-urgent medical issues. People with urgent emergency problems should dial 911. Emergency Health Services

paramedics know which emergency departments are available and they also know where best to direct patients based on the patient's condition. Paramedics can also administer medical interventions and life saving care during transport.

Even when the DGH ER is closed, nursing staff will remain in the emergency department to manage booked ambulatory appointments such as wound care, blood transfusions, intravenous treatments and other follow-up care that has been ordered by a physician. Should someone arrive at the DGH ER not realizing the emergency department is closed,

nursing staff will triage with paramedics and take appropriate action.

Digby physicians (Drs. Mark Bander, John Black, Paula Carmichael, Richard Denton, V. Lafkovici), will be on call 24/7 for their own patients if they are admitted to hospital or if they have lab results that requires a timely physician intervention. A physician or nurse

practitioner will monitor lab and diagnostic test results of people without a family physician. Patients without a family physician requiring hospital admission will be redirected to Yarmouth Regional Hospital.

Dr. Ken Buchholz has agreed to be the collaborating physician for Dara Lee MacDonald, the nurse practitioner on Long and Brier Islands. Formerly Dr. Roy Harding was the collaborating physician. Dr. Harding has made arrangements with Ms. MacDonald to follow-up with some of his former patients. Ms. MacDonald will contact those patients to book appointments.

South West Health has had difficulties, particularly over the past year, in providing 24/7 emergency coverage at Digby General Hospital. Three local physicians have been providing ER coverage from 8AM Monday to 8AM Friday and locums have been providing weekend coverage from 8PM Friday to 8AM Monday. This has left gaps traditionally on Fridays and on some holidays.

One of the three local physicians supporting the emergency department is moving at the end of June and another is going on maternity leave. The third physician is understandably reluctant to be the only local physician supporting weekday emergency coverage. This physician is deeply committed to the community and is actively working with South

West Health on possible solutions, including working with a nurse practitioner. South West Health is working to secure adequate and sustainable funding for nurse practitioners. Digby County residents requiring emergency services should visit

Yarmouth Regional Hospital Emergency Department (60 Vancouver Street, Yarmouth), Annapolis Community Health Centre Emergency Department (Annapolis Royal), Soldiers Memorial Hospital (Middleton) or Valley Regional Hospital (Exhibition Street, Kentville). If necessary call 911. Emergency Departments under the South West Nova District Health

Authority use a triage system that gives priority to emergency cases.

Physician unavailability has caused South West Health to restrict the hours for emergency service at Digby General Hospital. The public is reminded to call 911 in the case of an emergency. An ambulance can only be dispatched by dialing 911.

South West Health apologizes for any inconvenience these closures at Digby General Hospital may cause the residents of Digby County.

There are things that you can do to stay healthy and to help avoid a trip to the Emergency Department, such as; wear your seat belt and drive safely, wear safety equipment at work and play, don't smoke, wash your hands often and don't drink and drive.