New Brunswick | Point Lepreau emergency notification system to be tested Jan. 19
Point Lepreau | 17 Jan 2010
Residents in the Point Lepreau region are advised that a test of the emergency notification system will take place on Thursday, Jan. 19.
“In the event of an emergency, the emergency notification system will be used to advise residents of important safety information,” Public Safety Minister Robert Trevors said. “I encourage residents in the Point Lepreau area to participate in this important test so as to ensure that all contact information is accurate and that the system works as planned.”
The test is being conducted by the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization in partnership with NB Power / Point Lepreau Nuclear Generating System.
When residents receive the test message, they should listen to the message and then follow instructions to confirm they have received it. The results will allow the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization to assess the efficiency of the system.
There has been an emergency notification system in place in the region since Point Lepreau opened. The improved system has been in place since 2009. It gives residents the option of receiving alerts to their home, work or mobile telephone, or via e-mail, text message or fax.
Residents who have moved from the area, or whose contact information has changed, should contact the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization (1-800-561-4034) or the Musquash Fire Department (506-672-2702 or 506-659-2907).
Background – Lepreau Emergency Notification System
Receiving messages
● When you see NB EMO / OMU NB 453-2133 or Unknown name 453-2133 on your telephone call display, this means the call is coming from the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization.
● When you answer the telephone, you will hear: “The following is a message from the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization.” Then, a computer-generated voice will ask you to hit “1″ to listen to the message.
● When you receive an emergency notification message, listen to the entire message.
Confirming receipt of messages
● Listen to the message, and then wait for confirmation instructions: “To confirm receipt of this message, please hit 1.”
or
● If you receive the message on your voice mail or answering machine, the message will include a telephone number (1-866-505-4912) and a confirmation number. Call the number, enter the language (1 for English, 2 for French) and when prompted, enter your confirmation number and hit the pound (#) key.
New Brunswick | Trauma services in northeastern part of the province will remain unchanged
Bathurst NB | Trauma services in northeastern New Brunswick will remain unchanged, Health Minister Madeleine Dubé announced on November 18th.
The provincial government is basing this decision on an analysis that indicates a single, level 3 trauma centre in Bathurst presents staffing and infrastructure challenges.
“The provincial government has decided that the best course of action is to maintain trauma services in the northeast as they exist, with enhanced co-ordination and communication to deal with the challenges that have been identified,” said Dubé.
In July, the minister released a review of the provincial trauma system’s first year of operation. It revealed the system is much improved, but it identified concerns with the way the system is operating in Miramichi, Bathurst and Campbellton.
The hospitals have been taking turns providing level 3 trauma care. The review expressed concerns about the lack of clarity about this situation and the potential for confusion and undue delay.
The review recommends that a single, level 3 trauma centre for the northeast, located in Bathurst, would address these concerns. A second consultant, Waymark Network Inc., was hired to examine the situation and the impacts of establishing a single level 3 trauma centre; provide advice about how these issues may be addressed; and detail the impacts of any changes.
“Waymark Network is still finalizing its report,” Dubé said. “Given the feedback we have received, however, I prefer to put concerns to rest in the communities as soon as possible.”
New Brunswick | Physician assistants to work in Fredericton ED
Fredericton NB | Physician assistants will soon begin working in the emergency department of the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.
“Today is National Physician Assistant Day and what better way to observe this important day than to announce that physician assistants are being introduced into our health care system,” said Health Minister Madeleine Dubé. “This team-based approach will have physicians working closely with physician assistants and this will contribute greatly to health-care delivery by improving access to services, decreasing wait times in the emergency department and optimizing patient care.”
Physician assistants are university trained and highly skilled health care professionals who support physicians in providing a wide range of medical care.
“We are pleased to welcome physician assistants Kathleen Harvey and Lori Jackson to our team and are excited to be part of the implementation of this new health care discipline in New Brunswick,” said Donald J. Peters, president and chief executive officer of Horizon Health Network. “As a new health discipline, the physician assistants are currently being integrated into the multidisciplinary health care team. It is anticipated that when they are fully integrated early in the new year, patient care will be enhanced through improvements in wait times and reduction of patients leaving the emergency department without being seen.”
Harvey and Jackson joined the hospital’s emergency department over the summer months. Harvey received her training through the Canadian Forces and has worked in primary care settings throughout Canada, Bosnia and Dubai. Jackson received her training at the University of New England in Portland, Maine, and has worked in the areas of primary care and general surgery in Maine.
“We are fortunate to have such high qualified and experienced physician assistants join our team,” said Dr. Graeme Young, chief of Emergency Medicine at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital. “We are very positive about their arrival as they see up to 20 patients a shift and provide the full spectrum of emergency medical care.”
Physician assistants’ functions include:
● conducting physical exams;
● diagnosing and treating illness;
● ordering and interpreting tests;
● developing treatment plans;
● providing preventative health care; and
● assisting in surgery.
National Physician Assistant Day is celebrated across Canada to acknowledge the physician assistants practising in various clinical settings and the contributions they make to health care.
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