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Charlottetown, PEI, February 13, 2007
The Departments of Obstetrics and Pediatrics of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital regret to announce that, due to a shortage of nursing positions, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be reducing its beds from 12 to 5. As well, the hospital will no longer be able to deliver babies less than 34 weeks gestation.
When the NICU was established in 1997, the predicted number of babies to be cared for was 18 per year, and a commitment was made to look after premature babies born as early as 32 weeks gestation. This commitment of Obstetrics, Pediatrics and Nursing to develop and maintain skills in looking after these high-risk infants has resulted in a busy unit with close liaison with the tertiary care center in Halifax. This has allowed many premature Island babies to be born and cared for here, eliminating the risks of transport to the babies. As well, many high-risk Island babies born in Halifax are transported back to the QEH after a short stay in the IWK Health Centre nursery, minimizing family separation.
The number of high-risk babies admitted to the NICU has risen to over 60 per year, including babies born here and babies transferred back from the IWK in Halifax. The initial complement of nurses has not been expanded to meet these needs. Because high-risk babies require nurses with special training, nurses from other areas of the hospital cannot fill in during illnesses, etc. This has lead to serious issues with nursing burnout and overtime expenditures.
Almost two years ago, it was recognized that more nursing positions were needed to address the burgeoning number of Island babies needing special nursery care. Proposals have been submitted which would fully address the shortfall.
“The Department of Health is aware of the crisis and has been provided with the necessary in-formation to solve the problem” said Dr. Peter Bethune, Department of Obstetrics. “The hospital is spending one quarter of a million dollars a year in overtime in this unit. If the unit were to close, the hospital projects the province would pay $2.7 million to have these babies looked after at the IWK in Halifax, not including the cost of helicopter transportation, which is thousands of dollars per flight. As well, the parents would be forced to travel to Halifax to be with their baby, incurring significant travel and accommodation expense, risk of inclement weather, being cut off from other siblings and family support - often for weeks at a time.”
Dr. Mitch Zelman, Pediatric Department Head, agrees: “The NICU staff take great pride in their ability to look after our Island babies. It is our hope that the Department of Health will take im-mediate action to increase the number of NICU nursing positions to ensure the unit will stay in existence”.
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The Departments of Obstetrics and Pediatrics of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital regret to announce that, due to a shortage of nursing positions, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be reducing its beds from 12 to 5. As well, the hospital will no longer be able to deliver babies less than 34 weeks gestation.
When the NICU was established in 1997, the predicted number of babies to be cared for was 18 per year, and a commitment was made to look after premature babies born as early as 32 weeks gestation. This commitment of Obstetrics, Pediatrics and Nursing to develop and maintain skills in looking after these high-risk infants has resulted in a busy unit with close liaison with the tertiary care center in Halifax. This has allowed many premature Island babies to be born and cared for here, eliminating the risks of transport to the babies. As well, many high-risk Island babies born in Halifax are transported back to the QEH after a short stay in the IWK Health Centre nursery, minimizing family separation.
The number of high-risk babies admitted to the NICU has risen to over 60 per year, including babies born here and babies transferred back from the IWK in Halifax. The initial complement of nurses has not been expanded to meet these needs. Because high-risk babies require nurses with special training, nurses from other areas of the hospital cannot fill in during illnesses, etc. This has lead to serious issues with nursing burnout and overtime expenditures.
Almost two years ago, it was recognized that more nursing positions were needed to address the burgeoning number of Island babies needing special nursery care. Proposals have been submitted which would fully address the shortfall.
“The Department of Health is aware of the crisis and has been provided with the necessary in-formation to solve the problem” said Dr. Peter Bethune, Department of Obstetrics. “The hospital is spending one quarter of a million dollars a year in overtime in this unit. If the unit were to close, the hospital projects the province would pay $2.7 million to have these babies looked after at the IWK in Halifax, not including the cost of helicopter transportation, which is thousands of dollars per flight. As well, the parents would be forced to travel to Halifax to be with their baby, incurring significant travel and accommodation expense, risk of inclement weather, being cut off from other siblings and family support - often for weeks at a time.”
Dr. Mitch Zelman, Pediatric Department Head, agrees: “The NICU staff take great pride in their ability to look after our Island babies. It is our hope that the Department of Health will take im-mediate action to increase the number of NICU nursing positions to ensure the unit will stay in existence”.
-30-