Vitalité Health Network is temporarily converting acute care beds at Stella-Maris-de Kent Hospital to palliative care and long-term beds due to a shortage of medical resources.
This will mean the transfer of some patients.
Some emergency department acute care patients in Kent will be moved to the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre (UHC) in Moncton.
At the same time, patients at the Georges-L-Dumont who are awaiting placement in a long-term care facility in the Kent region will be transferred to Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital.
“It is intended to reduce the workload for care teams and improve community access to physicians while maintaining the quality of care and patient safety,” explained Dr. Natalie Banville, senior vice-president of client programs and medical affairs.
The Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital and its emergency department will remain open and continue to provide services, despite this temporary measure that may be in effect for a few months.
The network says collaboration between the two facilities will continue until additional staff can be recruited.