Beginning Sunday, June 2, the Western Hospital emergency department in Alberton will temporarily operate from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. until stable 24-hour emergency service is restored this fall, said Deborah Bradley, executive director of Community Hospitals and Primary Health Care for Health PEI.
“In the last year we have often needed to close the emergency department overnight primarily due to physician shortages, which has led to confusion on hours of operation,” Bradley said. “A consistent 14-hour schedule will allow more predictability until October when the Collaborative Emergency Centre is established.”
As a Collaborative Emergency Centre (CEC), Western Hospital’s emergency department will offer physician-based care from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Care will be provided overnight (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) by a registered nurse and an emergency medical technician (sometimes referred to as a paramedic), who will be in contact with a physician by phone.
Temporarily moving the emergency department to a 14-hour schedule will allow physicians at the O’Leary Health Centre to provide up to approximately 500 more primary-care appointments to West Prince-area patients over the summer months. The number of available appointments at the health centre is expected to further increase after the CEC begins operating in October.
Based on the Nova Scotia model, the Western Hospital CEC is intended to restore access to stable, around-the-clock emergency services in West Prince. It was part of government’s Better Access, Better Care announcement in March that also included two new rapid-response emergency vehicles – one stationed in Kings County and another in West Prince – and a new ambulance dedicated to transferring patients between facilities.
Islanders should always call 9-1-1 or visit a hospital emergency department for urgent medical needs. For non-urgent care, visit your general practitioner or nearest walk-in clinic at www.healthpei.ca/walkinclinics.