New ER Model Could Result In More Frequent Closures At Local Hospital

STRAIT AREA - This week's edition of TELILE 24/7 begins with an interview outlining a new Emergency Room (ER) staffing model at the Strait-Richmond Hospital that could result in more frequent, and more abrupt, closures at the Evanston facility. 

An interview with Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) Eastern Zone Director of Rural Health, Angela MacArthur, begins at 1:45 with the revelation that the Evanston hospital's outpatients department could now shut down with only a few minutes' notice, based on patient-capacity levels that will be checked multiple times during the run of a given day. 

"We may have to make a decision, on days when the ER has been advertised as being open with a physician on duty, to close early as we have reached full capacity," MacArthur told TELILE 24/7 host Adam Cooke. 

Installed this past week, the new ER model is designed to deal with several staffing shortages at the Strait-Richmond Hospital, including ten registered-nurse (RN) vacancies and an ongoing struggle to maintain regular physician hours at the 42-year-old hospital. 

Also on this week's episode: 

12:41 - Nova Scotia Education Minister Becky Druhan issues a statement to TELILE 24/7 defending the lifting of mask mandates in Nova Scotia public schools on May 24. 

14:13 - With results arriving last week from a privately-commissioned survey of Port Hawkesbury residents about the three-year-old lane realignment on Reeves Street, Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton is hoping two upcoming committee meetings will give town officials a chance to properly review the data. 

17:01 - Our TELILE 24/7 Pride Month coverage continues with a studio interview with the founder of the Cape Breton Transgender Network, Veronica Merryfield. 

38:50 - With COVID-19 gathering limits lifted across Nova Scotia on March 21, several cultural events and community festivals that have been on hold in Port Hawkesbury for the past two years are in full swing over the next two months. Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton talks about flag-raising ceremonies for Filipino Independence Day on June 12 and National Indigenous History Day on June 21, as well as July's Festival of the Strait and the July-August Granville Green concert series. As well, the town is planning to offer its pool free of charge to nearby Potlotek First Nation on July 17 and 18, for aquatic activities that will take place as part of the 2022 Mi'kmaq Summer Games. 

48:10 - Nova Scotia Education Minister Becky Druhan releases a statement to TELILE 24/7 regarding her May meeting with officials from the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP) concerning the francophone school board's desire to see legislation passed that would enshrine French-language education rights across Nova Scotia. 

48:40 - Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton explains why two of the three rezoning motions recently brought to the public hearing stage have returned to the town's Planning Advisory Committee for further study, and gives some insight on why concerns raised at a May 26 hearing on these motions led town council to review the rules of Nova Scotia's Municipal Conflict of Interest legislation at last week's regular town council meeting. 

53:14 - The show wraps up with the latest segment of TELILE 24/7's light-hearted "Fast Five" segment, featuring the founder of the Cape Breton Transgender Network, Veronica Merryfield.