Occupancy rates at Vitalité Health Network hospitals are high as they prepare for the holiday season.
They announced on Thursday morning that a service slowdown will occur for the holidays to give health care workers a much-needed break.
Despite the slow down, patients with an appointment during this period must report at their scheduled date and time unless advised otherwise.
Nearly half of their facilities are currently operating at over 100 per cent capacity.
This includes the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre, where the bed occupancy rate is 104 percent. There are also 5 COVID-19 patients on-site, one of whom requires intensive care treatment.
At the Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital, the occupancy rate is 125 per cent. The health authority has asked members of the community to only use the facility for emergencies over the holidays.
“Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, the Network’s dedicated health care workers are continuing to keep our health care system operating to the best of their abilities and with professionalism. We acknowledge that we are sometimes unable to provide everyone with care as quickly as they would like. This is why we ask you to remain patient as we give our sickest and most vulnerable patients the priority,” reads a statement issued on Thursday.
Given the rising case count in New Brunswick, Vitalité will continue to operate at a high alert level with a continued ban on visits.
