N.S. Health closes blood collection clinic at Halifax Infirmary
Senior executive doesn't think the closure will have any impact on patient care
The expansion of the province's largest hospital complex has forced the permanent closure of a blood collection site in downtown Halifax.
On Monday, Nova Scotia Health quietly shut down the blood collection clinic at the Halifax Infirmary to make room for a transition unit that's being displaced by ongoing construction at the hospital.
The health authority circulated an internal memo about the decision but did not issue a public notice.
Joanne Dunnington, executive director of the QEII Health Sciences Centre, said the space is needed because the transition unit next to the hospital's emergency department has to be moved to accommodate the multi-billion-dollar redevelopment of the Infirmary.
"[We're] looking at any services that are happening within the walls of this very busy acute-care centre that could be offered elsewhere," said Dunnington.
The blood collection clinic fit the bill quite nicely, she said.
Dunnington said she doesn't expect the closure to have any impact on patient care.
The site offered up to 100 appointments a day, about 20 reserved for those with same-day appointments at other clinics and the remainder available to the general public.
Dr. Irene Sadek, head of the pathology department for the central zone, said extra blood collection appointments were added at the Bayers Lake Community Outpatient Centre and Dartmouth General Hospital in anticipation of the Infirmary site closure.
She said people have plenty of other options too.
"We have actually increased our blood collection capacity in central zone over the last two years tremendously," said Sadek. "Right now we have more blood collection appointment than in pre-COVID. We are increased by almost 20 per cent."
The space being made available by the shutdown of the blood collection site won't completely accommodate the existing transition unit, for patients awaiting discharge or transfer to a bed within the hospital complex. It now has 17 beds but there's only room for 10 in the clinic.
Dunnington said she expects the move of the transition unit to happen "in the next few weeks."
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