New Transitional Bed Facility Aims to Ease Strain on Nova Scotia Hospitals
A new facility in West Bedford is set to welcome its first patients on Tuesday, offering a crucial step towards addressing bed shortages in Nova Scotia’s healthcare system. The West Bedford Transitional Health Centre will provide care for those who no longer require the intensity of acute care but aren’t quite ready to go home. This innovative approach tackles a persistent problem, according to Dr. Christy Bussey, medical executive director for the central zone.
“We know that lack of mobility is probably the common reason that patients stay in hospital,” said Bussey. “We need to target that specifically here at West Bedford so patients can maintain their skills and improve them with time.”
Beyond Hospital Walls: Creating a Restorative Environment
The centre aims to address what Bussey calls “over-medicalization,” a phenomenon where constant checkups, treatment, and the acute care environment itself can have diminishing returns.
“Isolation is a factor for patients in an acute care environment too,” she explained. “Any of us who have been in hospitals, we know that that’s not a restorative environment.”
Initially, two patients from the central zone will transfer to the centre, with 68 more expected within the next three months. Nova Scotia Health will refer patients aged 18 and older. The centre will be staffed by a team of three nurse practitioners, with support from visiting physicians.
By freeing up acute care beds for more urgent cases, officials hope to lessen pressure on the overall system. This move promises a ripple effect, potentially shortening emergency department and ambulance offload wait times and boosting morale for both staff and patients.
What are the potential limitations of relying on Physician Assistants too address Nova Scotia’s healthcare staffing shortages, and could this approach unintentionally create new challenges in the long run? [[1](https://www.nshealth.ca/sites/default/files/documents/Chance Brief – physician Assistant Primary Health Care.pdf)]
could this be the solution Nova Scotia’s overworked healthcare system needs, or just a bandage on a much larger problem?
