The Horizon Health Network says it plans to stop using travel nurses by the end of August.
The health authority made the announcement in its quarterly report released Thursday.
“Horizon will have only 30 travel nurses predominantly within emergency departments and intensive care units until the end of August,” said the report.
The health authority had a peak of 250 full-time equivalent travel nurses in July 2023. That number dropped to around 80 full-time equivalents as of February.
Margaret Melanson, the health authority’s president and CEO, said they have made significant progress with recruitment efforts.
Melanson told reporters that Horizon saw a net increase of just over 200 hundred nurses during the first quarter of this year.
“Our recruitment is a multi-faceted approach, so we are certainly carrying out our outreach as much as possible to all of our domestic students … as well as reaching out internationally,” she said.
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Officials have also embarked on a “very aggressive, proactive” marketing strategy to promote New Brunswick, said Melanson.
Horizon also reported it had hired 65 new physicians in the first quarter, which is a net gain of 44.
While that is promising news, Melanson said the health authority continues to recruit aggressively.
“We have additional vacancies presently, particularly in the primary care areas within family physicians,” she said.
“Beyond that, we know that there are large numbers of existing family physicians, many in solo practices, that are in that baby boomer generation if I can say, who will be retiring or downsizing their practices in the very near future.
Since Horizon’s last report in March, Melanson said there are 57 improvement projects currently underway in all regional hospitals, as well as at seven community sites and 23 separate departments and programs.
