2021-01-13

LOCAL BRIEFS

New hospital protocol tackles emergency department overcrowding

Patients assessed as having "emergent or urgent" health issues will prioritized at Lunenburg's hospital to avoid the potential of overcrowding when the emergency department nears closing time, the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) says.

The patient overcapacity protocol, in place at Fishermen's Memorial Hospital since early December, is designed to better manage patient volumes.

"In recent months, there has been a growing number of patients arriving at the emergency department near the 10:30 p.m. closing time," the NSHA said in a statement. "As a result, staff and physicians are frequently working well past the end of their shift to see patients."

The overcapacity protocol comes into effect when the number of patients assessed and not seen is greater than the number of patients that can be safely managed within the time remaining before closing.

"Doctors and nursing staff will regularly assess workload and patient flow in the emergency department throughout the evening," said the NSHA.

Under the new protocol, patients arriving will be assessed and anyone needing less urgent care will be told to come back to the emergency department the next day, go the next nearest open emergency department or make arrangements to see a primary care provider.

Sprinkler pipe damages prompts grocery store evacuation

Shoppers in a Bridgewater supermarket trying to scoop-up goodies for New Year's celebrations had to leave their carts behind after a vehicle busted a sprinkler pipe, causing a fire alarm activation inside the east side building.

"A delivery truck, which was reversing, backed in off-target [and] damaged a sprinkler pipe," Mark Boudreau, a spokesman for Atlantic Superstore's parent firm Loblaw Companies, told LighthouseNOW in an email.

Water poured from the Atlantic Superstore's sprinkler system as town volunteer firefighters responded just before 11 a.m. to the December 31 alarm activation at the Davison Drive grocery store.

"The damage was in the garbage room and it was minor," Boudreau said.

No one was hurt.

"The fire department completed their investigation," Boudreau added, "and returned the building to us to reopen within a few hours."

No charges resulting from multi-vehicle crash

Law enforcement concluded an investigation into a December 27 vehicle accident in Italy Cross, determining no charges will be filed in relation to the case.

Sgt. Andrew Joyce, a spokesman for the province's RCMP, confirmed to LighthouseNOW the file is closed with no reasonable grounds to present any allegations in court.

Paramedics and police, along with volunteer firefighters from three departments, responded during the noon-hour to section of Highway 103 near the Middlewood/Italy Cross community boundary where three vehicles were involved in a crash. First responders were told two vehicles collided head-on.

The incident involved a Kia Soul sport utility vehicle, and two Mazda 3 compact cars, Joyce told LighthouseNOW in an email. On social media at the time, RCMP described the collision as "serious."

Joyce told The Canadian Press emergency crews dealt "with some entrapment caused by the incident." Bridgewater and Mill Village volunteer fire departments responded to the scene with specialized extrication tools in mutual aid.

Two men and two women - all over the age of 18 - were hurt. A man and woman were in one of the Mazda 3s, Joyce indicated, while the others were sole occupants of the other vehicles involved.

The incident resulted in a temporary closure of a section of Highway 103 between Exit 15 at the Italy Cross Road intersection, and Exit 16 where it connects with the Hirtle Road and Camperdown School Road.