O'Leary residents fear losing outpatient services as Health P.E.I. looks at consolidating

Health P.E.I. is looking at consolidatingoutpatientservices in the West Princeregion, a move that has O'Leary residents worried about losing yet another health-care service in their community.

Currently, people can haveshort procedures that don't require an overnight staylike getting a cast removed, receiving antibiotics intravenously, having iron infusions and blood transfusionsin both Alberton and O'Leary.Collectively, these services are known as ambulatory care.

Health Minister Mark McLanetold CBC News on Friday that consolidation is not in the cards at the moment.

"We're acknowledging the problem, and the issue. I think it's important to communicate with the staff, and they'll just work through it," he said. "My understanding is it's mostly nursing that's the shortage in those two facilities, so a couple nursing hires could have a great impact."

But a senior manager at Health P.E.I. told CBC News that it is indeed looking at putting all those services in one location due to concerns raised by staffmembersaboutincreased workloadand the number of patients needing more serious care.

No decision on merging ambulatory care in West Prince but the idea 'feels right,' Health P.E.I. says

11 months ago

Duration 0:57

'We feel like it probably should be amalgamated into one ... our staff have made very very valid points,' Dylana Arsenault with Health P.E.I. says of the service offered in Alberton and O'Leary.

"I think what we can say is we feel like it probably should be amalgamated into one," said executive director of hospital services and patient flow Dylana Arsenault.

"I think we feel comfortable in that. I think our staff have made very, very validpoints in regards to that...To me, that feels right and I can't deny that."

Thousands of people access outpatient servicesin West Prince every year, but Arsenaultsaid hospital staff feel stretched dividing services between the two hospitals, and reportfeeling more supported and better resourced when they are together in one site.

'We don't want to take anything away'

O'Leary Community Health Foundation chair Eva Rodgersonsays she's fearful of her hospital losing yet another service. The province closed thehospital's emergency department in 2008.

"We're really hoping that it's not a loss," she said.

Health P.E.I. has mergedambulatory careservicesforWestern Hospital in Alberton and Community Hospital O'Leary in the past to help address summer staffing shortages.

Rodgerson is concerned a permanent consolidation would favour Western Hospital, which already has the region's only emergency department.

"We don't want to take anything away from the residents or the services at Western Hospital," she said."That was never the goal.

"The goal was to provide a service that was much needed here for the residents here. Sowhat we'd like to see is the same service continue for both facilities."

A focus on local health care

O'Leary resident Darren MacKinnonknows firsthand how crucial it can be to be able to receive care close to home.

His son lost a limbafter a motorcycle hit him while he was walking through town, and was treated as an outpatient in O'Learyafter spending months in a hospital outside P.E.I.

"It provided a high level of localized care and an ability to connect with all of his previous caregivers," MacKinnonsaid.

"It also provided his caregivers, ourselves as his parents, an opportunity to continue with getting our lives back to somewhat of a normalcy again, and have a semi-normal work life again."

Ambulatory care in West Prince should stay as local as possible, residents say

11 months ago

Duration 1:25

'Location is key and there's a large surface area from the O'Leary area that we need to ensure gets represented,' says Darren MacKinnon.

He said that flexibility can bea huge factor in therecovery process.

"I understand that our health-care system has many challenges today, but I think we also need to maintain a focus on making sure we are here for our local residents."