Moncton Hospital works to divert non-urgent cases from ER

Chief of staff and emergency room physician Dr. Serge Melanson is introducing a new program at the Moncton Hospital that will give patients with non-emergency medical needs options other than waiting for hours at the ER.

"The best example would be a parent arriving early in the morning with a child,perhaps with a fever and an ear ache, coming into our busy ER waiting room and maybe looking at a wait of five or six hours before they see a doctor," said Melanson.

"What we're going to do is offer the the possibility to contact their own family doctor on their behalf. Our staff will do that for them. We'll organize an appointment for them later that day.

"We'll give that information to the parent, some Tylenol to the child. They can go home to their own home and rest for a few hours and see their own family doctor later that same day."

The program, put in place by Horizon Health Authority, was announcedthe day after Vitalit Health Authority asked people to avoid going the emergency room at the Campbellton Regional Hospital unless they faced an urgent health issue.

• Campbellton hospital emergency room under pressure

Melansonsaid emergency roomovercrowding is too common.

"There's no doubt, I sit on regional boards and I hear and review statistics from other departments and the problem is widespread throughout the entire province."

The problem is widespread throughout the entire province.- Dr. Serge Melanson, Moncton Hospital chief of staff

Melanson said the Moncton Hospital is the only one in the province actively booking appointments for patients. If it works to slow traffic coming into Moncton's ER, he hopes it spreads.

"We've been in contact with different ER departments around the province and they are very interested in hearing what our experiences are going to be like because I think there may be a big opportunity to promote this throughout the entire region."

Patients surveyed

About 300 patients in the Moncton emergency room waiting room were recently asked the reason for their visit and Horizon said most were there because they were unaware of alternate treatment options, such as after-hours care or calling Tele-Care.

Nancy Melansonwas waiting at theMonctonemergency room with her husband on Tuesday morning andthinks the new initiative is a good idea.

"In our experience they are letting too many walk-in type patients into the emergency ward," she said.

This is Melanson's second trip to the ER in two weeks. She says her husband still hasn't seen a doctor.

She first brought her husband in two weeks ago when a walk-in clinic wouldn't see him because of his serious medical history. She said the couple waited from 2p.m. until midnight before giving up and going home.

So many people were in the waiting room for so long, she said it started to feel like a party.

"We were getting to know each other, that's how bad it was."

Melanson hopes her husband will get in to see a doctor soon, with no family physician she feels like they'll just have to wait.

"We have no other options."