New Brunswick’s Horizon Health Network offers virtual ER services

Horizon Health has launched a new virtual care option in Sussex and St. Stephen, N.B.

It’s been a challenge that’s been loud and clear across the entire country, including right here in the Maritimes.

“We have had difficulties with some of our emergency departments maintaining staff, physicians and nurses 24/7,” said New Brunswick Health Minister John Dornan.

However, a new initiative that combines care and technology is looking to fill some of those gaps in New Brunswick.

Horizon Health Network launched a virtual care option in the Sussex Health Centre and Charlotte County Hospital (CCH) in St. Stephen, N.B., emergency departments as part of a one-year pilot project.

The idea is to offer an “alternative pathway to care and potentially quicker access to those experiencing urgent, non-life-threatening medical issues,” according to the organization.

It points to symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, urinary tract infections, mild respiratory issues, mild aches and pains, rashes or allergic reactions, mild abdominal pain or minor infections as options for virtual care.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

“These centres are able to call a physician that could be anywhere in the country. They have video access to those patients, they interpret the results, and most patients are able to be treated adequately and go home,” said Dornan.

“I think this is a way of keeping some of our smaller centers open, providing excellence and care, using team members that might not be on site, and respecting the ability of the team members that are on site. I’m very pleased.”

Horizon Health Network points out that patients will still be assessed and registered as usual through the emergency department but will then be offered to see a remote doctor if their symptoms fit the criteria.

After that, the virtual physician, on-site nurse and other hospital staff will help diagnose and prescribe treatment.

“My thoughts are anything is positive that’s going to help provide care to our residents and expediate the process and also help the staff deal with the influx of people coming in,” said Allan MacEachern, mayor of St. Stephen.

“If it’s a mild issue and it can be taken care of and moved to a different avenue type of thing and taken care of by a doctor online with the help of a nurse and medical staff at the hospital, then that makes a lot of sense. It just puts the person in need in the right hands.”

He said there are scenarios where a patient might go in for one thing, like a sore arm, and the doctor notices something different, which is why he believes a hybrid model, like the one being offered, is the best option.

Horizon says since last November, more than 270 patients have been seen through Teladoc Health.

However, in Nova Scotia, that number is even higher.

“The virtual emergency space was actually stood up by Dr. Jan Sommers in the Truro area back during COVID and that’s really where we took the proof of concept and moved it into Yarmouth and All Saints,” said Virtual Urgent and Virtual Emergency Nova Scotia provincial co-lead, Tanya Penney.

“We’ve been seeing anywhere between 800 to 900 patients in the past year in this space, so it’s been really helpful for those two sites where there’s been some physician resourcing issues.”

In Nova Scotia, two virtual options are currently offered, which are:

• VirtualUrgentCareNS, which Penney says is offered at 23 sites
• VirtualEmergencyNS, which is offered at Yarmouth and All Saints Hospital

“We’re looking to expand to a third and a fourth over the next couple of months and it actually has a clinical resource attached to it inside the emergency department,” she said.

“I don’t think virtual care is necessarily going anywhere. I think it’s something that we need to grow and the most important piece from a patient perspective is how it is that we integrate it with the in-person care and use it most appropriately.”

A handful of patients who have had the chance to use the new virtual care model in New Brunswick commented online that it was fast and efficient, and a method they would use again in the future.

“The service was great,” wrote Cindy Stillman, who went to Sussex.

“He ordered all the tests that needed to be. (I) was skeptical at first but will definitely use it again.”

Whitney Dunn-Borthwick says she took her 11-year-old daughter to CCH before Christmas.

“It was one of the best experiences I’ve had in the ER,” she wrote.

“We were in and out of the ER in one hour with x-ray results and a prescription in hand.”

Horizon Health Network also stated they are working with the provincial government to establish a community care clinic in Sussex this year to help further ease the pressure being faced by the emergency department.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.