Collaborative Emergency Centre will Provide Better Health Care for Musquodoboit Harbour

The province's sixth collaborative emergency centre will open in Musquodoboit Harbour, Premier Darrell Dexter announced today, July 20.

People living in the community and surrounding areas will soon have improved access to same- or next-day medical appointments and 24/7 emergency care.

Collaborative emergency centres fulfill a key commitment of the province's Better Care Sooner plan.

"Good health care is a top priority for Nova Scotians," said Premier Dexter. "Today's announcement of Nova Scotia's sixth Collaborative Emergency Centre will bring residents of Musquodoboit Harbour peace of mind, as well as more accessible and consistent health care.

"When Canada's premiers meet in Nova Scotia next week, collaborative emergency centres will be one of the examples of innovation we will discuss that mean better care for Canadians."

Collaborative emergency centres keep emergency rooms open, reduce patient wait times and provide a team-based approach that offers continuity of care. This ensures patients can get the appropriate treatment before a minor health issue turns into a health crisis.

"Having a CEC model in our district will help us to provide consistent and reliable care for our communities," said Chris Power, CEO of Capital Health. "We look forward to beginning this new approach to care at Twin Oaks Memorial Hospital this fall."

The services at the centre will include:

• access to primary health care by a team of professionals, including doctors and nurses, for 12 hours a day, seven days a week
• same-day or next-day access to medical appointments
• 24/7 access to emergency care.

Overnight, the Musquodoboit Harbour collaborative emergency centre will be staffed by a nurse and a primary-care paramedic. As with all Collaborative Emergency Centres, physician oversight will be provided by telephone.

"We welcome having the CEC model in Musquodoboit Harbour," said Dianne DeYoung, chair of the Eastern Shore Musquodoboit Community Health Board. "This model will support the health needs of our citizens and those in the surrounding communities."

Nova Scotia's first collaborative emergency centre opened in Parrsboro in July 2011, and two others have opened in Springhill and Tatamagouche. Centres have been announced for the communities of Pugwash and Annapolis Royal.

The province will announce several more collaborative emergency centres this year.

For more information on the province's Better Care Sooner plan, please visit www.gov.ns.ca/health/bettercaresooner.