Dr. John Dornan, chief of staff for the Horizon Health Network, speaks during a news conference on March 16, 2020. (Photo: Government of New Brunswick/YouTube)
Health officials are urging people to use the new COVID-19 community assessment centres properly.
The centres are designed to reduce visits to emergency departments and lower the risk of transmission.
Dr. John Dornan, chief of staff for the Horizon Health Network, said these are not walk-in clinics and you need an appointment to go there.
“If people feel that it’s a shortcut to go to these clinics directly, you will have undone our whole purpose,” said Dornan during a news conference Monday.
“Please respect our advice. To go to these assessment clinics, call 8-1-1 or your family doctor, who can set up an appointment to be seen there.”
Horizon has set up assessment centres in Saint John, Moncton, Fredericton and Miramichi. The Vitalité Health Network has opened centres in each of its zones: Beauséjour, Northwest, Restigouche and Acadie-Bathurst.
Dornan said there are things you can do to help Tele-Care 8-1-1, which has been “overwhelmed” by calls in recent days.
“If you’re just calling for information, go to our website. If you know that you’re already self-isolating and you’re not unwell, don’t bother calling. But if you’re not really sure, call and you will be directed accordingly,” he said.
Visitor Restrictions
Both health authorities have banned all visitors from their facilities, with a few exceptions to the rule.
Horizon is still allowing visitors in the palliative care, intensive care, neonatal intensive care, obstetric and pediatric units. Vitalité has made exceptions for the palliative care, obstetric and pediatric units.
In these units, one designated visitor is allowed, which could be a member of the patient’s immediate family or their care partner.
Dornan is asking people to respect the restrictions to help curtail the spread of the virus.
“If someone meets their friend for a cup of coffee … picks up a virus, which is transmittable for at least a few days, and walks into our facility and interacts with lots of people there, we’re sunk,” said Dornan during a news conference Monday.
Surgical Access Reduced
Both health networks are also reducing surgical access to concentrate on more urgent cases.
As with the visitor restrictions, Dornan said they believe it will lower the transmission risk in their facilities.
“We are concentrating on doing surgery on people that need it today. Urgent surgeries, limb-saving surgeries, cancer surgeries and the like,” he said.
People who are anticipating elective surgeries will be contacted to reschedule, said Dornan.
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