Surgery program at Charlotte County Hospital shutting down

The surgical program at Charlotte County Hospital in St. Stephen will be permanently shut down effective Aug. 8.

Horizon Health Authority said low surgical volume is the reason for program being closed.

Surgical procedures requiringa general anesthetic will no longer be performed at the hospital. However, minor procedures that can be carried out under a local anesthetic will continue to be offered in the hospital's walk-in clinic.

Charlotte County residents requiring surgery will be treated at other Horizon Health facilities.

St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachen said he "was not totally surprised because we knew that our doctor was going to be retiring soon and we kind of seen the light two years ago.

"But you forget about that and then you are surprised," he said. "We're losing our OR and that's not good to our community.

"It is a mistake because our community is growing. To take away services from a community that is growing is not being proactive at all."

The closure of the program will result in five operating staff being laid off, including four nurses and one environmental service employee. Unions involved were notified of the decision on Wednesday.

Surgical volume low

In a statement, Horizon said surgical volume has been low at the hospital for many years despite efforts to increase volume.

"Horizon surgical leaders and medical advisory committees have been concerned about the difficulty providing coverage and optimal care for general anesthesia surgical patients at the Charlotte County Hospital," said Dr. JohnDornan, Horizon'schief of staff for the Saint John area, which includes St. Stephen.

The decreasing volume of surgery . . .and the change in practice by surgeons make closing the OR inevitable.- Dr. John Dornan, chief of staff Saint John Regional Hospital

"The decreasing volume of surgery at the [Charlotte County Hospital]and the change in practice by surgeons make closing the OR inevitable," said Dornan. "We are tremendously thankful for the operating room staff's exceptional care to Charlotte County residents. We will continue to support the community-centric care exemplified by the CCH."

Horizon president and CEO John McGarry said the Charlotte County Hospital "will continue to play a role within the Horizon network of providing exceptional care to Charlotte County residents."

Horizon said it is looking for ways to improve primary care for Charlotte County residents, including increasing mental health services and enhancing services for chronic disease management.

Health Minister Victor Boudreau said closing the surgical unit in St. Stephen was "a clinical decision" made by Horizon.

"Basically there was only one surgeon working out of that hospital and he's decided to slowthings down, not fully retire, but to slow things down to the point they can no longer keep the OR open."