Latest news with #KristaLynnHowell
CBC
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Province launches 10 year health-care staffing plan using 2022 data
Newfoundland and Labrador is predicting what it will take to meet the province's healthcare needs in 21 health-care professions over the next decade. On Thursday, the Department of Health released phase one of its health human resources plan, which focuses on the retention and recruitment of health-care professionals, including nurses, therapists, laboratory workers and pharmacists. Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell said the plan aims to address gaps in the workforce by modelling the supply and demand of workers in the provincial health-care system while prioritizing their work-life balance. "We also had a focus from this report on exploring ways to automate non-clinical aspects of some professions to support an improved work-life balance for health professionals," Howell told reporters. "It allows a greater focus on patient care and will positively transform service delivery approaches." But the province's registered nurses' union is concerned the plan will miss its mark. President Yvette Coffey told CBC News the plan is based on outdated data, which fails to accurately represent the demand for nurses in 2025. "It's based on the core staffing, which what I mean by that is the number of registered nurses or nurse practitioners to a specific number of patients in their care," said Coffey, adding that data on nurse-to-patient ratios are even more outdated. "I mean like 30-40 year old data, it's based on patients who were in the hospital for surgery that today is done as an outpatient procedure. It's based on a healthier population than we have here right now," she said. The nurses union would like to see a focus on violence prevention. Otherwise, Coffey said the recruitment of nurses won't work. "This report paints a dire forecast for the future of nursing in this province with the vacancies, and I would agree," she said. "Right now we have a surge of patients and we are looking at our staff and saying, there is no more staff and you have to take on these extra patients." Howell said the new plan is a snapshot from 2022, but its outlooks are subject to change. "The model is adaptable and dynamic, and as we have new measures to put in, we will get new outputs to come out," Howell said. Phase two of the plan is expected to be released this spring and will make projections for 36 physician specialities.
CBC
29-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Stephenville in holding pattern as airport faces possible power cutoff
Social Sharing The lights remained on at Stephenville Dymond International Airport on Thursday. The question is how long that will remain the case — and what happens next, if Newfoundland Power pulls the plug. Earlier this week, the utility confirmed it issued the airport a seven-day "notice of disconnection" due to "outstanding account issues." The Stephenville town council met behind closed doors on Wednesday to discuss the situation. One current councillor — who is also a former mayor — says there is a feeling of "dismay" in the community about the status of the airport. "Right now, at this point in time, it seems like they are facing yet another crisis, which we know very little about," Coun. Tom O'Brien told CBC News. "It's an issue that the airport has to deal with, but it has big consequences for the community as a whole." O'Brien said those consequences include the potential loss of jobs at the airport, and the impact on air ambulance service to the region. On Tuesday, Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell told CBC News that officials have been working on a contingency plan in the event Stephenville's airport can't be used for air ambulance. The minister said a helicopter could be tasked, when appropriate. Other possible options include the use of existing runways in the Codroy Valley and Deer Lake. O'Brien is concerned about that, noting that "time is critical when the patient requires an air ambulance." He said the town could be part of the conversation about possible solutions, but financial aid "can't be on the table." O'Brien noted that the airport is a private enterprise. "We've got to see what the next few days is going to bring," he said. "I guess Mr. Dymond is working on something, although we don't know what. We're just on a wait-and-see pattern right here, right now, which is not a good place to be." The airport has been beset by a cascading series of financial and operational issues since it was taken over by Ottawa entrepreneur Carl Dymond nearly two years ago. The airport is facing a $2.4-million lawsuit over the installation of a new runway lighting system. A trial is set for 2026. Nearly three months ago, the airport had its status downgraded to a "registered aerodrome." A registered aerodrome is not subject to ongoing inspection by Transport Canada, but is inspected periodically to verify compliance with regulations. An investor who helped facilitate Dymond's acquisition of the airport won a default $2-million judgment against Dymond personally. As of earlier this year, the mayor said the airport owed a half-million-dollar property tax bill to the town. CBC News has not been able to reach Dymond for comment this week. Meanwhile, Newfoundland Power said that it is in continued discussions with the airport, and power will not be disconnected on Thursday.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
More and more people are waiting for alternate care in N.L.'s hospital beds
The number of patients waiting in hospital beds for an alternate level of care (ALC) in Newfoundland and Labrador has more than doubled in the last five months. According to an access-to-information request filed by the Progressive Conservatives, which CBC News has reviewed, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services said 327 people are waiting in ALC beds as of May 2025. This includes seniors requiring long-term care. That's a jump of 181 people since December 2024. "That's a full hospital. That's not good enough," PC Leader Tony Wakeham told reporters on Thursday. During question period in the House of Assembly on Thursday, Wakeham said his party filed a similar request in December. At the time, 146 people were waiting for alternate levels of care. "That number is now 327 people. That's double," Wakeham said in the house. Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell says her department recognizes the problem. "We do realize that it's a cycle where the beds are not available in our acute care system because there are a number of people waiting to be placed in whatever appropriate venue," Howell said. She added not everyone in an ALC bed requires long-term care placement. "On a case-by-case basis, the care teams will evaluate these individuals and see what the most appropriate course of action is." Wakeham believes patients waiting in a hospital bed can be detrimental to their well-being. "Your health care will go downhill. You're not getting the physiotherapy that you probably need. You're not getting the occupational therapy you probably need, and the other services are available in other facilities," he said. "The stimulation — you're not getting it." CBC has reached out to NLHS for comment. Regional breakdown The access-to-information-request breaks down where the 327 people are across the province's five health care zones. The majority of patients, totalling 103 individuals, are waiting for care in the western zone, with 78 of them at Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook. An additional 91 patients are located in the central zone, with 54 of them waiting at Central Newfoundland Regional Hospital in Grand Falls-Windsor. In the eastern-rural zone there are a total of 31 patients waiting, with 13 of them waiting at Dr. G.B. Cross Memorial Hospital in Clarenville. In St. John's, within the eastern-urban zone, 38 people are waiting in the Health Sciences Centre and 37 are waiting at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital. One patient is at the Janeway. In the Labrador-Grenfell zone there are 26 patients waiting for alternate care, with the majority of them at the Labrador Health Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
CBC
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Self-referral for colon, breast cancer screening launches through MyHealthNL app
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador have announced residents can now self-refer for colon and breast cancer screening through the province's MyHealthNL app. The Department of Health and Community Services first announced the implementation in February when the recommended screening age for breast cancer was lowered to 40. Women aged 40 to 74 can now self-refer for breast cancer screening, while people aged 50-74 can now self-refer for colon cancer screening. "Residents will have another way to easily access preventative care, and receive timely guidance and follow up information," Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell told reporters Wednesday. "Right now, you have the opportunity to do that in the palm of your hand." Dr. Pat Parfrey, head of Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, called the announcement an important one for a province with among the lowest life expectancy in Canada — driven in part by cancer mortality rates. "The highest rate of death from colon cancer in the world is here in this province. So the effectiveness of our screening is really, really important," Parfrey said. Dr. Jerry McGrath, medical director for the provincial colon screening program, says colon cancer mortality rates are high in the province. "In terms of comparing ourselves to the rest of Canada, the rates here are 50 per cent higher and the mortality rate is almost 100 per cent higher," he said. McGrath says it means Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are almost twice as likely to die from colon cancer compared to the rest of Canadians. WATCH | An app aims to get more people screened for breast and colon cancer: Eligible N.L. patients can now book their own screening for breast and colon cancer 3 hours ago Duration 1:52 The rates of colon cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador are dramatically higher compared to the rest of the country. Breast cancer rates are also higher. Now, waiting for a referral to get screened for the diseases is no more. The CBC's Mark Quinn reports. Self-referral through the app will prompt an appointment letter or follow-up phone call by a health professional. Once screening is complete, users can view their results in the app or through a letter in the mail. Howell says the app, which can also show things like lab results, imaging reports, resource links and more, has seen strong uptake. More than 131,000 people are registered through the MyHealthNL platform, she says, including more than 40,000 through the app. Parfrey says Wednesday's announcement is a first step in improving cancer screening in Newfoundland and Labrador. Future steps include giving people who need continued screening the opportunity to book their own appointment times through an electronic system, he said. However, he says the screening program's success entirely depends on people — no matter what their risk factor — availing of it. "Part of the cancer program's major endeavour is to make these screening programs more effective," he said. "The whole thing behind this app is to help people get screened."
CBC
21-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
PCs accuse N.L. government of no longer tracking travel nurse spending
Travel nurses were back in discussion at Newfoundland and Labrador's House of Assembly on Tuesday, after the provincial government couldn't provide the cost of travel nurses working in March 2025. It was prompted by MUN critic Matt Barter, who filed an access-to-information request and shared a letter from Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services that said no records were responsive to his request. The health authority wrote, "The amount has not been calculated at this time due to other priorities within the relevant department." With the province's history of spending millions of dollars on travel nursing, PC health critic Barry Petten questioned newly ordained Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell on the department's decision to stop tracking the number of travel nurses working throughout the province. "Why is the minister giving agency nurses another blank cheque?" Petten asked. Despite not having the number at the moment, Howell says the province hasn't stopped tracking its travel nurses. "We are certainly monitoring the use of agency nurses here in Newfoundland and Labrador," she said. "We do know that the reliance on agency nurses has decreased. We've been able to fill a lot of our vacancies." Petten argued if the government is tracking those numbers, that information should be easily accessible. Spending on travel nurses gained scrutiny after a Globe and Mail report revealed the provincial government spent $35.6 million on nurses from private agencies within the span of just five months — April to August 2023 — and shelled out cash for travel nurses' training and cable bills, among other expenses. Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services spent $18.4 million on travel nursing in 2022. The following year the amount had increased to $90 million. Howell didn't know why the latest numbers weren't available, but said she would get it for Petten. He maintained the government stopped its tracking. "We have tens of millions a month being paid out, yet the minister has no idea of the exact figure and doesn't even measure it anymore, even though I'm to be told they're going to try to find it," Petten said. "They're not tracking it." The back and forth concluded with Howell citing the province's improvements in weaning off its reliance on travel nurses, adding the nurses are necessary in some parts of the province. "I, for one, will not be responsible for closing a clinic because we don't have appropriate resources if a travel nurse is available," she said. "We still have to provide services to the people of this province, but we will do so in a manner that is accountable and that is responsible." CBC News has asked Howell's department for the cost of travel nurses for March 2025.
