Health Scan – Atlantic Canada and Manitoba – August 2, 2024
A provincial health scan for Atlantic Canada and Manitoba for the week of August 2, 2024. Written by Wes McLean.
Manitoba
- The Manitoba government is expanding the My Health Team service into northern Manitoba, which will make it easier for people to access the health-care services and supports they need, Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care Minister Uzoma Asagwara announced today. The Manitoba government is providing $525,000 to launch My Health Team based in The Pas. Initially, the team will have a nurse and a social worker specializing in mental health and addiction medicine, with a satellite location in The Pas, to support an expansion of the mental health and addiction services currently offered at the Beatrice Wilson Health Centre. It will be the first My Health Team in the Northern Health Region and the fifteenth team operating in the province.
- The Manitoba government is taking action to improve service times for youth on the waitlist for counselling services at Huddle NorWest, Housing, Addictions and Homelessness Minister Bernadette Smith, minister responsible for mental health, announced today. The Manitoba government is providing $200,000 in funding to enable Huddle NorWest to hire 3.5 full-time clinicians to provide additional counselling appointments, serving an additional 140 youth who were previously on the waitlist.
- The people running a pioneering initiative bringing health care straight to Winnipeg’s homeless say they’re already making a big difference. It’s been a full week since the city’s brand-new mobile health-care clinic entered service. The clinic, a partnership between the Manitoba government and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre of Winnipeg, launched as part of a pilot project which is set to run for a year. Its goal is to provide primary care to at-risk populations, including those who are homeless.
Newfoundland and Labrador
- Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services says more demand on nurses, retirements and expanding services were the reasons behind last year’s jump in dependency on private agency nurses, but work is being done to throttle spending. According to documents obtained by an access-to-information request filed by CBC News, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, we spent $18.4 million on travel nursing in 2022. The following year, it increased to $90 million. NLHS human resources vice president Debbie Molloy said the difference was COVID-19-related costs, compounded by retirements and a shortage of local nurses to fill in the gaps. “We’ve also been increasing our service offerings with the Health Accord. We now have new services that we’re offering, family-care teams, urgent care, expansions in cardiac expansions and mental health services,” Molloy told CBC News on Friday.
- Labrador’s central hospital is fully staffed and doctors hope to never be in a dire staffing shortage again thanks to a teaching program bringing in six physician residents each year. While the program isn’t perfect, the staff at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay say their focus on life outside of the hospital helps draw in future doctors to consider a life in rural and remote locations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. “It’s not just the nine-to-five … it’s also the community, it’s also the coast,” said Dr. Robert Forsey. “So that’s part of building an attraction to the place.”
Nova Scotia
- The first report of the independent monitor appointed to track the government’s progress implementing the human rights remedy in a landmark case concerning housing for people with disabilities was issued today, July 31. The report by Michael Prince, a professor at the University of Victoria and expert in disability issues and social discrimination, is available on the commission’s website at: humanrights.novascotia
- The expansion of the province’s largest hospital complex has forced the permanent closure of a blood collection site in downtown Halifax. On Monday, Nova Scotia Health quietly shut down the blood collection clinic at the Halifax Infirmary to make room for a transition unit that’s being displaced by ongoing construction at the hospital. The health authority circulated an internal memo about the decision but did not issue a public notice. Joanne Dunnington, executive director of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, said the space is needed because the transition unit next to the hospital’s emergency department has to be moved to accommodate the multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Infirmary.
New Brunswick
- Power for people with disabilities should be a priority during outages, advocates say. Outages have sent people with disabilities to hospital, says N.B Coalition for Persons with Disabilities. Murielle Pitre, who has spina bifida and relies on a wheelchair, wants N.B. Power to prioritize helping customers like her during power outages. While many contend with inconvenience during a power outage, such as not being able to use their computer or watch television for entertainment, Pitre loses access to items that are not optional. “If the chair doesn’t work, it’s everything right? You can’t get to the kitchen to make food, you can’t go to the washroom, you can’t go have a shower,” she said in an interview.
- Foreign healthcare professionals are filling staff shortages in N.B. More than 1,300 internationally educated nurses have been recruited since 2019. At 3:30 one morning, Reygie De Guzman’s flight lands at the international airport in Moncton, ending an almost 24-hour journey to start her new life in Canada. She’s one of hundreds of internationally trained nurses moving to the province to help fill a healthcare staffing shortage. The mother of four said she previously worked as a registered nurse in the Philippines but will work as a personal support worker in a nursing home until she can get accredited in New Brunswick. Julie Jollimore, director of care at the Kenneth E. Spencer Nursing Home in Moncton, met De Guzman during a recruiting trip to the Philippines.
- Members of the union representing the province’s specialized healthcare professionals have voted in favour of a new collective agreement with the provincial government. “As a government, we value the important work and the dedication of these specialized healthcare professionals,” said Finance and Treasury Board Minister Ernie Steeves. “I appreciate those who worked diligently to achieve this new collective agreement and am pleased that it has been officially ratified.” The New Brunswick Union represents about 1,900 social workers, pharmacists, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, dietitians and others working in the regional health authorities and for Medavie Health Services New Brunswick. Further details will be shared once the agreement has been officially signed.
Prince Edward Island
- Health PEI advises the Emergency Department at Western Hospital in Alberton will operate on reduced hours Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4 due to a lack of staffing. The Emergency Department will be open each day from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Emergency Department will be open for regular hours Monday, August 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Island students will soon have access to more financial assistance. The new Marion L. Reid grant, named after Prince Edward Island’s 37th Lieutenant Governor and lifelong educator, encourages Island students to enter the field of healthcare studies and honours Mrs. Reid’s leadership, legacy and impact on the Island’s educational system. Beginning in the 2024-25 academic year, the Marion L. Reid Grant will provide eligible post-secondary students with an annual grant of $3,200 for up to four years if they are enrolled in one of the following programs of study at designated learning institutions anywhere in Canada:
- Cardiology Technologist
- Dental Hygienist
- Health Information Management Professional
- Medical Lab Technologist
- Medical Radiation Technologist
- Medical Sonographer
- Nurse Practitioner
- Pharmacist
- Pharmacy Technician
- Physician Assistant
- Registered Nurse
- Respiratory Therapist
- Social Worker
- Eligible students who receive this grant will be required to complete a two-year return in service work commitment in PEI upon graduation.