Neonatologist hired at Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Health PEI has hired a new doctor to work with premature and sick newborns in Charlottetown.

Dr. Beth Ellen Brown, originally from Charlottetown, will return to the city and work at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital as a neonatologist.

Neonatology is a branch of medicine that focuses on the care of newborn babies.

In a news release, Health PEIsaid the hiring of Brown will allow for creation of a provincial neonatology service.

The service will be an expansion of the QEH's neonatal intensive care unit and will allow for more Island babies who are sick or born premature to be able to "receive care closer to home," the release said.

Brown completed her medical degree at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, followed by a pediatrics residency at Western University. Now she is returning to the Island after completing training in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Dalhousie University.

"As an Islander born and raised there is nothing more satisfying then being able to come home and work and be with your friends and your family," Brown said.

"This has been a dream I've hadprobably,you know, since I was really a young girl I always dreamed of working at the QEH. In what capacity?I wasn't really sure, but at the age of 10 I knew I wanted to be a pediatrician."

When the neonatal service becomes fully operational, babies born premature up to 12 weeks early, and full-term babies in need of advanced intensive care won't have to be transferred off the Island to get the required care.

"I'm so so excited that we were able to recruit Dr. Brown back to Prince Edward Island," said Health and Wellness Minister James Aylward.

While some babies needing surgical and other specialized care will still have to be transferred off P.E.I., those babies will be transferred back sooner and the amount of time families have to be apart will be reduced.

In addition to hiring a full-time neonatologist, government will be making additional hires including a neonatal nurse practitioner, respiratory therapists, a registered nurse and other supports for the neonatology service.

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