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Greg Boone, director of public affairs, said the trip to Norfolk, England, to investigate the East of England Ambulance Service could cost an estimated $20,000. A similar model could be applied to New Waterford in the future.
"The money for this will come from the revenue we receive from our banking machines in some hospitals and from interest income through our bank deposits," said Boone.
When asked why the district is spending money on the trip at a time when surgeries and other services are being cut, Boone said the district has a responsibility to "look to other areas for advice and what is done in clearance north face jackets other areas not only in the province, but across Canada and sometimes North America."
He said as far as the district is aware, there is nothing similar to the East of England Ambulance Service model in North America.
"We are aware not everyone is going to agree, but we have a responsibility to try and find a solution to the emergency department issues that we face, particularly in New Waterford."
Joe Bruce, chair of the New Waterford and area community health and awareness committee, said saying $20,000 is not part of the district's operating money, is pathetic.
"You don't find money, it is all part of north face on clearance the health system," he said.
"It's sad that the administration thinks that way. It is our community's tax money."
A delegation of workers from the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital is making the trip to England in March, to view the East of England Ambulance Service model, which dispatches a nurse and paramedic to visit patients, instead of the patients visiting the emergency room.
Boone said two family doctors, two emergency department nurses and the manager of the emergency room department, as well as the district's chief nursing officer, will be making the trip.
"The district is looking at this for the New Waterford area only, and it is only an option at this stage," he said.
"What we are looking at is a team where there is an emergency room nurse and a paramedic mobile and on the road, responding to calls."
Boone said the emergency room would remain open in the day.
"It would operate overnight by taking services to the people where they live or where they are located, rather than having them come to the hospital overnight."
District staff will experience the service firsthand in England, travelling afterhours with the team to see how the process works.
Boone said the district has worked 10 years in consultation with communities on the struggle for providing 247 emergency room service. He said more than 75 per cent of emergency department visits across the province are for lessurgent and nonurgent health issues. The New Waterford emergency room averages three overnight visits each day.
"This is about being innovative and doing something different and about enhancing access to emergency care and primary care for that period of time," said Boone.
Bruce said the problem is there aren't enough doctors to staff the New Waterford emergency room.
Bruce said the New Waterford hospital at one time had a colonoscopy machine to test for cancer and a surgeon visiting the hospital twice a week for evaluations and surgeries. He said if emergency service is eliminated, the cuts will continue to get worse.
"They are nitpicking. I so agree with all the comments here . Yes we have to pay a large cost to ambulance fees when needed , so I can just imagine the cost to have them come to your house with a nurse etc. it still doesn't justify it !!!
Looks like they are really trying to stickhandle around this one. Hope they are not dipping into the hospital foundation funds again. Improper use of this money raised in the community could cause real serious damage to future desperately needed fund raising. I would suggest an audit but I know the auditors would never reveal the real truth else they would lose the audit contract. The Cape Breton Post has an opportunity to show some actual journalistic integrity here and get to the facts and not just accept the spindoctors' version of the truth. Let's take advantage of the conservatives trend to eliminate personal privacy and bring everything and everyone's secrets into the open. Ask Vic Toews, its all fair game now.
The question begs to be asked if this East of England model has already been visited by the health district representing Parrsboro NS, and is currently in use there, why in the world does a committee from CBDHA have to go to England?! Someone in the province has already studied, initiated, and possibly made some adaptations to this same model to suit the local needs. Talking to provincial counterparts about what did and didn't, or does or doesn't work, would probably be far more beneficial and cost efficient than sending a committee to England, regardless of where the funding is coming from! Couldn't these "funds from ATMs and interest income" be put to better use?! Wouldn't we all love to go to England?! But most of us have nothing else left to sacrifice to fund such a venture! And our health is failing to boot! Shame on CBDHA for even discussing such a project in light of the current fiscal dilemna, when our community is looking at losing health services and people are very likely facing job loss, some of whom are the only breadwinners in their family. Is this CBDHA's idea of fiscal responsibility?!! There really seems to be a group at the top of the pyramid, who over and over again, are determined to reinvent the wheel and show that only they know best.