GUYSBOROUGH – Eastern Memorial Hospital in Canso has been experiencing a shortage of physicians that has resulted in a pattern of overnight emergency department (ED) closures for at least one week per month. And that problem is about to become worse now that a second of the hospital’s former complement of four doctors retired this summer.
Dr. Cathy Felderhof notified Nova Scotia Health (NSH) of her intention to retire more than two years ago. No replacement to fill her spot in the four-week rotational physician coverage schedule has yet been found, leaving two doctors to provide service to the local clinic and the hospital – each of whom is under a one week on and three weeks off contract.
This latest ED closure in Canso spanned from July 8 to 11, with the nearest emergency department 50 kilometres away at Guysborough Memorial Hospital.
Susan O’Handley, co-chair of the Canso Stakeholder Working Group, told The Journal in an email on July 8, “It is very unfortunate that we find our ER closed from time to time. Since Dr. Sullivan left two years ago, and no replacement was found for him, we now are at a point where a second retirement has occurred. Dr. Felderhof, after faithfully serving our communities for a number of years, has taken a much-deserved retirement. Our other two physicians are doing the best they can and certainly are appreciated by the community for doing their best to try to help cover times when there is no one else available, but they have other commitments and lives.
O’Handley continued, “We are disappointed that the efforts of Nova Scotia Health and the community have not seen any success in finding replacements, but we are all trying our best. Both the Health Advocacy Group and the Stakeholders Group continue to cooperate with Nova Scotia Health in their recruitment efforts.”
Bill MacMillan, a member of the Canso Health Care Advocacy Group, said on July 8, “With this closure this week, there is very little information in the community about what this really is about. People are getting upset about it and everybody is concerned. But it’s not just a one-week situation. For the foreseeable future, that fourth week isn’t covered. So, it means one week every month the clinic could be closed and people won’t have access on the phone for booking appointments for the next time the doctor is in and the only saving grace we have is Dr. Chris [Millburn] – in the next three vacancies, this week and two other weeks – early and late in August – Dr. Chris has agreed to do virtual care….what that means is he’ll be available to any of the nurses at the hospital for any in-patients… That’s all we’ve got here. So, if we have an emergency somebody’s got to call 911, 811 or they’ve got to drive to Guysborough or drive to Antigonish.”
MacMillan went on to explain that after the retirement of Dr. Sullivan, two doctors from the four-week rotational scheduled worked to cover the week left vacant, but with a second retirement, “The fourth week now is totally vacant. That creates a couple of problems for us. It means that there is no doctor in the community, period, for a whole week. It also means that when our doctors are here, they cover the bills, they pay the bills at the clinic. They pay for the staff, one staff person is on duty at the clinic, they pay for utilities at the clinic and they also pay the rent at that building which is the Canso Professional Co-op – with no doctor here there is nobody to pay that bill and there’s nobody to answer the phone and continue to book appointments.”
Vernon Pitts, warden of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG), sent comments to The Journal regarding the EMH situation via email: “In regard to ED closures in Canso, from what I’ve been seeing and hearing, this is now a sign of the time we are living in. Canso ED is not facing anything different than other jurisdictions. We have seen the ED at the Guysborough Hospital closed more times than I care to count or remember. In Nova Scotia we have actually faced Regional Hospital EDs being closed. MODG has stepped outside the box and we have allocated funding for both nursing and doctor recruitment.
“I expect things to continue on the present course until such time as the provincial government and the College of Physicians get their act together and come up a suitable solution. The solution is out there but it comes down to both parties’ willingness to work together constructively with the realization that both parties just might be required to change/improve policies as well as practices,” Pitts wrote.
