Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter has announced in a speech earlier this month plans for a $16-million collaborative primary care clinic in Queens County. The overarching goal is to bring Better Care Sooner to Nova Scotia residents by reshaping how emergency care is delivered.
The collaborative care clinic will have space for five family physicians, a nurse practitioner, family practice nurses and other health professionals.The new plans also call for an upgraded 22-bed inpatient unit.
Additionally the Better Care Sooner is poised to:
-improve access to primary care, especially in smaller communities.
-make emergency care more patient-centered and streamlined.
-provide care that is better tailored to those whose needs are more complex (i.e. seniors).
-increase public awareness of 911 and the healthlink nurse line 811.
-make changes to the way health care is funded (reward better, patient-centered care).
The government states that roughly 84 percent of ER visits at the hospital would be better addressed by primary care.
Dexter says the province is committing $2.5 million to the project while the Region of Queens Municipality has committed $1 million.
About $11 million comes from the Queens Foundation and private donors, and another $1.5 million still needs to be raised.
Check out the whole story at http://www.canadaviews.ca/2010/12/23/improvements-will-ease-er-overcrowding-access-to-care/
