PORT HAWKESBURY - With vacancies in physicians, nurses and other medical professionals plaguing medical clinics and hospitals in southern and western Cape Breton for several months, Nova Scotia's Minister of Health and Wellness got a wide range of questions and concerns when she brought her province-wide community consultations tour to the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. 

Michelle Thompson was joined by several members of the DHW  nd the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) to hear local residents' comments and attempt to answer their queries on the first Friday night in December. These included DHW Deputy Minister Janine Lagassé, NSHA chief executive officer Karen Oldfield, NSHA Eastern Zone vice-president of operations Brett MacDougall, NSHA Eastern Zone medical executive director Dr. Don O'Brien, NSHA Eastern Zone director of community and rural health Glenn Cox, NSHA Eastern Zone acute care services director Michelle DePodesta, and NSHA Eastern Zone executive director of emergency health services Jeff Fraser.

Over a 100-minute question-and-answer session with Strait Area residents, which came only hours after a similar community consultation held at the Inverness Fire Hall, the minister and her colleagues heard several questions from local residents of every backQWground and age group. Chief among their concerns was the infrequency of open hours for the emergency department at the Strait-Richmond Hospital in Evanston, which implemented a closure model requiring only a few minutes of advance notice to the general public this past June, and the struggles to attract and retain doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals over the past three years. 

"Obviously, the Strait-Richmond is a vital part of our system here - it's a key pillar, a cornerstone," MacDougall told the Civic Centre crowd, drawing applause from some of those in attendance. 

"We do know we had some challenges," added Cox, "and we're working hard to get the hospital back to where the community needs it."

All footage from the December 2 health care community consultation at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre was provided to Telile Community Television by the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness.