Officials in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough say the fight against the overnight closure of Eastern Memorial Hospital has some momentum.
Canso’s hospital closed it doors from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. as of Sunday; health officials say the reason is a lack of nurses.
After May’s regular municipal council meeting Wednesday, Vernon Pitts, the warden of Guysborough, said things have been moving quickly ever since.
“People in government departments have been in contact with us almost on a daily basis,” he said. “I’ve had numerous contacts with our MLA (Lloyd Hines)- he’s fully onside, and he’ll be doing whatever he can to bring our concerns forward.”
Pitts said a committee made up of political leaders and community members has been formed with a $10,000 budget, and they’ll hold their first meeting soon.
He said he believes things will work out in the end.
“All we can do is be optimistic going forward- our glass is still half-full, it’s not half-empty,” he said. “We’re going to get our nurses back, and our hospital back up and running.”
Pitts said ER visits to the hospital have been up.
He said the need is there, which everyone involved in the process realizes- the only question is how they fulfill that need.
