Some worried of domino effect at Chalmers Hospital following overcrowding issues

The ambulance bay at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital will no longer be used for patient care.

A sort of domino effect happening at Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital has some concerned about the future of certain services.

The hospital has struggled through overcrowding issues for over a year – which is how long the medical transition unit (MTU) in the facility’s ambulance bay has been operating.

The 13 beds were created in the garage, where there’s no running water or proper washrooms, to help with the overcrowding in the hospital.

Now, Horizon Health Network is promising to move those beds to another wing, but not before moving other services elsewhere, like a complex game of dominoes.

“We have patients that are within hallways, within waiting rooms, within family rooms and other locations. None of these locations is ideal or provides the quality of care that we want to have,” said Horizon’s CEO Margaret Melanson.

Right now, she says there are 142 patients waiting in hospital for a long-term care bed.

Melanson says they are working with government partners to find a sustainable solution for those people, but this plan will help in the meantime.

“At this point in time, we need to plan realistically for how we can increase our capacity knowing that the numbers of these patients may actually increase,” she said.

A plan for those people is needed now, Richard Losier, CEO of the N.B. Association of Nursing Homes, insists.

“My biggest frustration is that we don’t have a bed plan. And what I mean by that is that there’s no new capacity in New Brunswick right now,” he said.

Losier says there are about 90 nursing home beds that are scheduled to open this summer, but none are in the Fredericton, Saint John or Moncton areas where the overcrowding is most acute.

With a growing senior population, he feels more capacity is critical for their future care.

“We’ve been talking about the ALC situation in the hospitals over the last year, it’s not a surprise,” he said.

Losier says he is working with other partners and government on a shorter-term plan, which should be completed by the end of the month.

Future of the ambulance bay questioned

The ambulance bay will still be used for administering care, said Melanson.

The plan is to turn it into an extension of the emergency department. Renovations should begin after the MTU is officially moved.

While the ER needs the space, so do paramedics, says David Coon.

“It’s inhumane to unload people who are, you know, at risk of dying, in the snow. In the snow, in the wintertime, outdoors,” he said. “We need a working ambulance base.”

In a statement, Horizon Health added that the renovation of the ambulance bay will include “bathrooms, handwashing sinks, and other necessary infrastructure.”

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