More people will soon be able to receive life-saving dialysis treatment in Liverpool through a $30,000 provincial investment at Queens General Hospital.
“We know that people need and deserve care closer to home,” said Public Works Minister Kim Masland, MLA for Queens, on behalf of Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness. “Improving healthcare doesn’t always mean a complete overhaul. Sometimes we can deliver more care faster by simply building on what’s in place. Adding one shift to this unit will make a world of difference for the people who are waiting for care or needing to travel hours to get it.”
Expanding hours at the six-station unit at Queens General Hospital will address the wait list. The unit currently operates two shifts a day, six days a week; a new evening shift will allow up to 12 more patients to receive critical care, close to home.
Funded under the 2023-24 capital plan, it will take effect this summer and will eliminate the need for patients to travel to Kentville or Halifax.
“The foundation trustees strongly support maintaining renal dialysis as an essential service at Queens General Hospital and are pleased to see that this critical care is being expanded with extended hours of operation.”
– Dr. Al Doucet, board Chair, Queens General Hospital Foundation
“We are excited with the news that the expansion will bring patients closer to home. Being close to home is not only beneficial financially, but for the patient’s overall health.”
– Erin Mansfield, licensed practical nurse, Liverpool dialysis unit
Quick Facts:
— $3.58 million is also being invested to expand renal care at Sutherland Harris Memorial Hospital in Pictou; an additional eight dialysis stations will be set up, enabling care for up to 22 more patients each week
— a temporary, six-station dialysis unit opened in September at the Cumberland Regional Health Care Centre in Amherst; the hospital’s redevelopment project includes a new, permanent 12-station dialysis unit
— six-station dialysis sites have also been added in Digby, Glace Bay and Dartmouth, and a 12-station site has been added in Kentville
— the dialysis unit at Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville recently expanded to include an evening shift six days a week, bringing total capacity to 72 patients
— patients on dialysis usually receive treatment three days a week, and treatment takes four to five hours
Additional Resources:
Action for Health, the government’s plan to improve healthcare: https://novascotia.ca/actionforhealth
Nova Scotia Health’s renal program: https://www.nshealth.ca/renal-program
Source: Release
