Health Scan – Atlantic Canada and Manitoba – August 23, 2024
A provincial health scan for Atlantic Canada and Manitoba for the week of August 23, 2024. Written by Wes McLean.
Manitoba
- Manitobans will see cost savings with the introduction of no-cost coverage of prescription birth control, beginning Tuesday, Oct. 1, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today. In Budget 2024, the Manitoba government announced a plan to make prescription birth control free for all Manitobans. The Manitoba Pharmacare Program will cover the full cost of about 60 commonly used birth-control methods including the pill, intrauterine devices, hormone injections and others.
- The Manitoba government is denying allegations that it caused injury or damage to a 31-year-old mother of two who had COVID-19 and died while waiting to be transferred to an Ontario hospital. Krystal Mousseau, from Ebb and Flow First Nation in western Manitoba, died on May 25, 2021, after her health deteriorated during an ambulance ride from the Brandon Regional Health Centre to the Brandon airport. Krystal was on a ventilator and put in a medically induced coma prior to her transfer, but then went into cardiac arrest and was taken back to the Brandon hospital where she had another heart attack, went into shock and suffered multisystem organ failure, according to a statement of claim filed in 2023 by her mother, Elaine Mousseau.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- With Thursday’s grand opening of Connections for Seniors’ new housing centre, older adults experiencing homelessness in St. John’s will soon have a new option to turn to when they need help. “The building is something that we have been dreaming of for a while,” said Mohamed Abdallah, co-founder and executive director of Connections for Seniors, a non-profit that supports adults 55 years of age and older. Their new housing centre is located in the former deanery of St. Patrick’s Church on Patrick Street. When fully operational, the shelter will offer 35 beds as well as a number of drop-in services, all aimed toward helping seniors find housing.
- A town on Newfoundland’s southwest coast has been scrambling to find drinkable water for its residents after E.coli was detected in the community’s water supply, a town official said Friday. Isle aux Morts announced on its Facebook page Wednesday that E.coli had been detected in the water building, near the town’s fire hall. People use the potable water-dispensing unit, which purifies water, to fill up bottles for their own use. At the time, the town was told the tap was still safe to drink, but Deputy Mayor Thomas Herritt said they were contacted Thursday and told not to drink from it.
- The construction of a new addictions treatment centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay will go a long way to help people in need, says Mental Health and Addictions Minister John Abbott, but it’s still a ways away. The centre, announced Monday by Lake Melville MHA Perry Trimper in a CBC News interview, is part of dealing with addiction problems in Labrador through a long-term lens, he said. Abbott said the province has long known about the need for this kind of centre in Labrador.
Nova Scotia
- Construction has started on a new collaborative care clinic that will bring together healthcare services throughout Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). The Sydney River Health Centre will provide access to seven different healthcare services and programs, with capacity to support about 30,000 patient visits a year. It will open in 2025. “Nova Scotians want healthcare they can count on from a team of connected healthcare professionals,” said Addictions and Mental Health Minister Brian Comer, MLA for Cape Breton East, on behalf of Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “This is a first-of-its-kind facility in our region, and it will improve how patients receive the healthcare they need.” The health centre will offer new and expanded services, while other services will be relocated to the new location.
- Newborns across the Maritimes will now be screened for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), through a genetic test added to the Maritime Newborn Screening program. The screening, done at birth, will provide early diagnosis and access to care sooner for infants with the disorder. The screening program expansion, which took effect Monday, August 19, is a partnership between the Province, the Maritime Newborn Screening program and Muscular Dystrophy Canada.
- Nova Scotians can now access more information about their ultrasound results through the YourHealthNS app. Ultrasound reports completed from August 5 onward will start to be available in the app today, August 19. The report includes the body part examined, the reason for the ultrasound, findings and a comparison with any previous ultrasounds. Reports completed after August 5 will be available through the app 14 days later. “We continue to grow the app by adding more records for Nova Scotians to access about the healthcare they are receiving,” said Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. “This is valuable information for patients to have at their fingertips that will support them to take a greater role in the healthcare they receive.”
New Brunswick
- An outbreak of whooping cough (Pertussis) has been declared for the entire province. This expands an outbreak initially declared on the Acadian Peninsula at the end of June. “We are expanding this outbreak to the entire province due to a higher number of cases of whooping cough than usual in multiple health regions,” said Dr. Yves Léger, acting chief medical officer of health. “Public Health is monitoring the situation closely and working with health-care professionals, community partners and the public to decrease the risk.” There have been 141 cases so far this year, exceeding the five-year average of 34 cases per year. While most have been in Zone 6 (Bathurst and Acadian Peninsula region), more than half the new cases in recent weeks are outside that region.
- The family of a man who died waiting for care at the Fredericton hospital’s emergency department two years ago is suing healthcare providers for negligence over his death, alleging “reckless and outrageous acts and omissions” in his care and treatment. Susan Mesheau of Fredericton, executor of the estate of her brother Darrell Mesheau, has filed a notice of action against Horizon Health Network and two nurses. Darrell Mesheau, 78, spent about seven hours in the waiting room of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital ER before he was discovered slumped and motionless in a wheelchair by a licensed practical nurse around 4:30 a.m. on July 12, 2022.
Prince Edward Island
- The provincial government is launching a new Health Innovative Fund to help unlock opportunities and ideas that will strengthen the PEI healthcare system and improve access to care for Islanders. The Health Innovation Fund provides one-time financial assistance to new projects or initiatives that support best practices in health care, implementation of new technologies, and application of new approaches across the health care system. The fund is designed to foster innovation and creative solutions to improve healthcare services for Islanders. Applications for the fund are open to healthcare facilities, healthcare provider groups, health-related organizations, colleges and professional associations, as well as business innovators offering solutions that support the health and wellness of Islanders.
- Health PEI’s midwives are playing a vital role in supporting Island families throughout the birthing process. Since launching in May of 2024, midwifery services have helped deliver 10 babies on Prince Edward Island. Harriet Dreise, who delivered her son Ruben on May 15th, is one of the first mothers who have benefited from the midwives’ care. Dreise, originally from the United Kingdom, was excited about the prospect of receiving personalized care from midwives, something she was accustomed to in her home country. The full profile can be found here: Health PEI midwives help Island families navigate the birthing process | Government of Prince Edward Island.