PUGWASH – Construction of a new health care facility is still on track for Pugwash, but that doesn't mean residents are growing concerned by what they feel are delays.
“We’re feeling as if it’s something we’ll have to see ito believe it,” Pugwash resident Joe Webb said Monday, a day after attending a public meeting on health care that was organized by Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin. “Sometimes I feel like they’re blowing smoke up our you know where. In the end we’re left wondering are we going to get a new hospital, or not? It’s almost like here we go again.”
Pugwash residents were promised a new hospital to replace aging North Cumberland Memorial Hospital by two successive governments. First, the former NDP government announced in 2011 a new hospital would be built, then Premier Stephen McNeil was in Pugwash last spring to announce the facility would be built. He expected construction would begin this fall.
To Webb, and others in the community, things have gone silent, but Marla MacInnis from Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal said the process is ongoing and the public will be invited to participate in the discussion about what the new centre will look like.
“The project is moving forward as anticipated. As announced on Dec. 1, 2017, we awarded Architecture49 with the contract to design a new health care facility to serve the Pugwash community and surrounding area,” MacInnis said in an email to the Citizen-Record.
Since the contract was awarded, she said, Architecture49 has been working with the design team and the project steering committee to develop a schematic design to meet the health needs of the community now and into the future.
“Preliminary drawings have been presented to the design committee for consideration. Meetings are also being held with the hospital and primary care staff to obtain their input on the proposed design,” she said. “As the project proceeds, there will also be an opportunity for the community to view the design as well.”
She anticipates the final schematic design will be complete by late spring.
Smith-McCrossin said the goal of the meeting, attended my more than 100 residents, was to give people a place to voice their concerns and to hopefully have their questions answered by representatives from the Nova Scotia Health Authority.
“They’re concerned and upset with the current health care situation,” she said. “There were people there from the Nova Scotia Health Authority to answer questions and to update the community on what they’re doing about physician recruitment, physician coverage of the emergency centre and to provide an update on the construction for the new health centre.”
The MLA said she was encouraged by the answers, but she will continue to question the government about what’s being done to alleviate the situation that has included weekly closures of the ER.
She said the premier gave a timeline when he came to Pugwash last spring, but she doesn’t feel that schedule is being met.
“I think people are tired of politics and not being told the truth,” she said. “People just want honest answers and sometimes that’s hard to get, even for me as the MLA. All I can do is to continue reminding the government not to forget their promise.”
She said what people don't want to see is the situation linger until the next election when it’s announced again.
“We need progress and action. People are tired of words, let’s see some action,” she said. “Until we see results we need to keep pushing to make it a priority.”
Webb said that’s good, but he doesn’t want to play politics. Instead, he wants someone to answer questions and alleviate fears in the community about what options are available if there’s an emergency because a lot of people don't feel comfortable calling 911 or 811.
“People don’t know what to do. They say call 911, but there are a lot of people who are scared to call 911,” he said. “They are scared to call because they’ve heard about people accidentally calling the number and getting visit from the police. They don’t know what a real emergency is.”
Webb also feels the province needs to explore alternative methods of delivering ER services, such as using technology to link rural hospitals to doctors in larger, regional centres when the small community ERs are closed.
He said people are also confused about what happens when the ER is closed and someone shows up. He said people, on one hand are told to stay away from the hospital when the ER is closed, but are also told they’d be looked after if they did go to the closed ER.
Webb said the health authority needs to communicate with the community so its residents know what’s going on and whether their needs will be met in when they’re sick.
“I don’t have a lot of confidence in the system right now,” he said. “I don't think the community does either.”
Twitter: @ADNdarrell
