CCC continues in our effort to keep the public informed of the many challenges facing New Brunswickers. In June we hosted a health summit which was well attended. The content and takeaways are summarized in this newsletter. These on-going summits allow people space to learn best practices, communicate with one another, express their concerns and exchange ideas.
CCC has a great team of health professionals led by Diane Murray, a retired nurse who has been involved in many aspects of the delivery of health care services over the years. Also, our in-house consultant, Patricia Seaman, who does research and writes articles on our behalf, has been a great addition to our team. One of our health team members is Ken McGeorge who has undergone major cardiac surgery but is recovering well in hospital and should be home in the next week or so.
Many of you know Ken and others will recognize his name by the many “op eds” he has written on health and long-term care reform over the last two or three years.
One of the things that is constant, in this day of age, is change. It is difficult for people, especially seniors, to adapt to a new way of doing business. The days of having your own family physician are in jeopardy. Young people are not attracted to the medical field given the stresses that the profession imposes. While many people believe primary physicians are well paid, they are the lowest paid in the system according to the New Brunswick Medical Society.
Notwithstanding all the negative press, progress is being made. You now have access to your medical records, surgery wait times for knees and hips have been significantly reduced, you can access a family physician or nurse practitioner through evisitNB. Still, much more needs to be done.
The wave of the future is the team approach whereby clinics have a mosaic of health professionals including family physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, dieticians, psychologists and social workers. To make this happen, communities must be more engaged and play a role in the decision-making process.
Together we can impact change to be a vibrant lab and showcase for the rest of provinces in Canada.
To read the entire newsletter, please visit: CCC Newsletter: August, 2024 (mailchi.mp)