ELMSDALE: A program that has driven patients across the Northern Zone to their medical appointments for the past three years is coming to an end, and people in East Hants say they don’t yet know what will take its place.
Nova Scotia Health’s Northern Zone Transportation Pilot will end on December 1, 2026, according to a letter sent to transportation providers this week.
Since August 2023, the program has offered free, non-urgent rides to health care and wellness appointments for residents of Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou counties and the Municipality of East Hants.
There were no income or screening requirements beyond living in the area, and local companies, including Handy Cabs in East Hants, did the driving.
The pilot was funded by the federal and provincial governments and was set up in response to the Mass Casualty Commission’s final report, which called for addressing unmet grief, bereavement and mental health needs in the communities affected by the April 2020 tragedy.
ADVERTISEMENT:
When it was launched, Nova Scotia Health said it would also help the health authority better understand the transportation challenges faced by rural residents, an issue it acknowledged is raised across the province.
Demand has been strong. Nova Scotia Health’s own program page now warns that the service is over capacity and may not be able to help with every request.
“On a monthly basis we transport upwards of 200 clients ranging from people with Cancer, dialysis, amputations, mental health appointments, seniors without transport and unable to make into the city or long-distance travel, said Andy Doughty from Handy Cabs located in Elmsdale.
He has seen this on a daily basis of the benefits of this service for patients that need this service.
For many riders, a ride is the only way to get to care. In areas like East Hants, there is no public transit in rural areas in East Hants, taxi fares add up quickly for people travelling regularly, and not everyone has a vehicle or family nearby.
In its letter, Nova Scotia Health said the pilot operated successfully, but that the context for health care access in the Northern Zone has changed, with more services now offered closer to home through home health models, virtual care and expanded local treatment options.
It said the program relied on federal funding with provincial assistance, that operating pressures had exceeded the budget, and that it had become inequitable and unsustainable without more funding.
ADVERTISEMENT:
The letter pointed to the province’s recent investment in community transportation in Colchester and Cumberland counties, and said providers will be listed on a Nova Scotia Health resource page so that former clients can still find them.
That leaves a gap for riders in East Hants, and for the local businesses that provided the trips.
Local residents have started a petition, “Don’t Leave Patients Stranded: Protect Transportation to Health Care!”, asking the province to delay the end of the pilot until a replacement is in place for every affected community, provide long-term funding for rural patient transportation, and work with local providers on a transition plan.
The petition was started by Jennifer Learmonth, a local business owner who works with an East Hants transportation provider affected by the decision.
The petition is online at https://c.org/zJDFNkTyjg, and a Facebook page of the same name has been created. https://www.facebook.com/Strandedpatients .
