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Urgent Treatment Centres in Parrsboro and North Sydney provide regular access to urgent treatment


At the Northside Urgent Treatment Centre, Victoria Jessome, RN and Kelly Oake, LPN, prepare an IV for a patient.

By Margaret Angus

Residents of North Sydney, Parrsboro and surrounding communities now have regular access to urgent treatment when they need it.

“Without it, I don’t know where I would have been,” said Parrsboro resident Bliss Walton of his recent visit to the local urgent treatment centre located at South Cumberland Community Care Centre.

Having experienced rapid weight gain over several weeks, suffering with extreme fatigue and unable to see his family doctor, Walton got an appointment at the urgent treatment centre within four hours of calling.

Walton, who describes himself as borderline diabetic, said he was thoroughly assessed by nurse practitioner Debbie Blois, and sent home with a plan to manage and improve his symptoms.

“This was my best visit ever,” he said.

Previously, Walton and other residents like him would have been challenged to access urgent treatment, as the collaborative emergency centre in the town frequently had to close due to lack of physician availability.

Blois said she appreciates practicing at the urgent treatment centre because “each day is completely different, and I get to provide a combination of urgent treatment, some primary care for those without health care providers and the very important healthy lifestyle advice. Poor diet and lack of exercise are at the root of most chronic diseases today, so I take every opportunity to address this at every visit.”

The Parrsboro same day/next day service at the primary care urgent treatment centre, which opened in December 2021, provides access to care for individuals with unexpected, but non-life-threatening health concerns.

Examples of the types of reasons to go to the urgent treatment centre include:

  • mild abdominal pain
  • mild strains/sprains
  • mild headaches
  • earaches
  • sore throats
  • minor infections
  • skin and eye irritations
  • mild asthma
  • small lacerations
  • short-term mental health support
  • minor respiratory issues

The centre is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The model is well received by patients, as evidenced by a few of the many positive comment cards received:

  • “Very respectful and helpful, quick to get the care we needed.”
  • “Front desk staff was pleasant and efficient. All staff were helpful and professional. Triage nurse and Dr. Snair were on task and fantastic!”
  • “Fast, professional, so happy with service – 10/10!”

The Northside Urgent Treatment Centre in North Sydney, operated under the emergency medicine program, meets the following types of urgent treatment needs:

  • mild abdominal pain
  • simple fractures
  • limb sprains
  • mild muscle strains/sprains
  • mild headaches
  • earaches
  • minor infections
  • skin and eye irritations
  • mild asthma
  • small lacerations
  • mild mental health support
  • minor respiratory concerns

Duane Jessome, manager, said the opening of the centre in November 2021 was a game-changer for the community.

Jessome grew up in North Sydney and worked at Northside General Hospital, along with several family members, for the bulk of his career. But prior to COVID, the model for emergency care wasn’t working.

He described how the emergency department’s hours gradually dwindled over time – from 24-hour service more than 10 years ago, down to two days a week, eight hours a day.

When COVID-19 hit, and Cape Breton Regional Hospital needed additional staff, nurses from Northside General were redeployed and the emergency department at Northside was closed.

“There was a lot of worry in the community,” Jessome explained.

Northside serves a large geographic area, with most areas having limited to no bus routes, and no local taxis running late in the evening.

For two years, people had to go to the regional centre for urgent, non-emergent treatment. Jessome said when Northside emergency department closed, the team knew they needed something, but needed to figure out what that looked like.

A group of team members from across departments came together to build a new model. The group met for months to plan and prepare, and it continues to meet.

“We had to make some drastic changes. The urgent treatment centre is not an emergency department,” said Jessome. “Each person has to be assessed and has to meet requirements to get an appointment.”

Since the beginning, the team has been committed to making the model as successful as possible.

“We have a meeting every morning. We start off by asking – what are we doing right? What can we improve? I’m a firm believer – if you own the system, you’re part of the system. It’s a great place to work.”

Initially, the centre was open four days a week. Now it’s open five days – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The centre can accommodate 32 appointments in a 12-hour day, 21 in an eight-hour day. They offer booked appointments and walk-ins, although when they get down to only 10 time slots left, they stop accepting walk-ins.

“Not a day goes by that an appointment isn’t used,” said Jessome. “You can call and cancel your appointment if something changes. We always backfill cancelled appointments.”

The service has been well received. “It’s a huge benefit for the community. You can sit in your home and then come for your appointment.”

Jessome said the new model is as great a gift to the urgent treatment centre team as it is to the community.

“It’s a feeling of pride to be able to say to the community, ‘We’re here.’”