Stretched to the max

Talk of a shortage of nurses in this province has been ongoing for some time now. It's been in the news for years really, but it isn't until it hits close to home that one really grasps the seriousness of the situation.

Last week Debbie Forward, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses Union went public with concerns about the reallocation of nursing positions at the Fogo Island Health Center. Central Health's proposed changes will see the number of nursing staff at the facility cut to two - one registered nurse and one licensed practical nurse (LPN) from midnight to 8 a.m.

To care for the long-term care patients this may be adequate, but what if an emergency should arise? How then does the nursing staff respond?

Ms. Forward said nurses are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place - so to speak. Do they both attend to the emergency, or does the LPN remain at the nursing station and oversee the care of the resident patients and acute care patients?

How would you feel if you had a loved one residing at the facility knowing that there may be occasions when those residents are left uncared for due to an emergency?

One might say, what are the chances that one of these patients would even wake up during the night at the same time as an emergency? Sure the chances may be slight, but is that a chance that Central Health can afford to take?

Isn't it sad that it has to come to this?

But really, Central Health can't totally be shot down for this decision. They have no relief nurses on Fogo Island and you can't just pick up the phone and call up a relief nurse in Gander on a particular morning should one of the staff nurses call in sick.

Both sides seem to have very valid points in their arguments. Unfortunately it is the health care system in general that is the sufferer.

The bottom line is that the province needs more nurses. It will be too late once an emergency case on Fogo Islands succumbs to injuries because there wasn't adequate staff at the facility to provide the proper care, or a long-term care patients falls while staff are tending to an emergency situation.

Nursing staff in this province take great pride in the work they do and the care they offer their patients but they are only human and they can only do so much. Being stretched to the limits will only add to their already stressful lives. They certainly don't need that.

Perhaps it's time for government to step up and make this soon to be have province a more attractive place for nurses. Maybe then more of them will be content to live and work in this province making it a healthier place for all, especially those dedicated nurses already working in this province.

- Dave Cooper, Associate Editor