Horizon Health seeks permission to discharge some patients from 4 N.B. hospitals

Horizon Health is asking the N.B. government for permission to discharge patients who no longer need acute care.

The Horizon Health Network is asking the New Brunswick government for “critical state admission prioritization status” for patients who no longer need acute care from four regional hospitals.

Horizon says the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton, the Saint John Regional Hospital, the Miramichi Regional Hospital and the Upper River Valley Hospital in Waterville are all “experiencing chronic overcapacity” due to high levels of Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients waiting for services.

The health network is asking for the ability to give those patients priority to all available community-based beds in longterm care facilities.

“This is not a request we make lightly, however, despite the great effort by staff and physicians to care for all inpatients, the current situation across our hospital system is unsustainable,” a Horizon news release says.

Horizon says they currently have more than 650 patients who no longer need acute care but cannot be safely discharged as they are waiting for placement in facilities such as nursing homes.

The health network says roughly 40 per cent of their acute care beds are occupied by patients who do not have a medical reason to still be in hospital.

“This is the highest number of ALC patients our hospital system has ever seen,” the release says. “This level of pressure has a profound impact on our entire health care system.

“It means fewer beds for patients who need surgery. It causes emergency department wait times to grow longer. It forces care to be delivered in hallways, dining areas, lounges, and other makeshift spaces.”

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.