CHAPTER 8 HEALTH CARE LOCAL HEALTHCARE PROVINCIAL MEDICAL CARE PLAN (MCP) INTERIM FEDERAL HEALTH PROGRAM FINDING A DOCTOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS MEDICAL EMERGENCIES
Local Healthcare We have a modern hospital in central Labrador that offers many health services. The Labrador Health Centre, which opened in September 2000, is a fully-accredited facility located in the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Services include: Acute care, diagnostic and clinical support; community health and wellness; health protection; long-term care; mental health and addictions; therapeutic intervention, family rehabilitation and other rehabilitation services. 44 Labrador-Grenfell Health Regional Authority is an integrated health and community services board which has its headquarters in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Labrador-Grenfell Health received accreditation status from Accreditation Canada in 2010. The vision of Labrador-Grenfell Health is of healthy people living in healthy communities. Please visit http://www.lghealth.ca for more information. The hospital in Happy Valley-Goose Bay is a smoke-free and scent-free facility which includes 25 beds for inpatients, an Emergency department that is open 24 hours, operating rooms, and a 50-bed long term care facility. 13 long term care beds are in a protective care unit. Inpatient services include: Surgery, anesthesiology and dental surgery offered through day surgery and inpatient admissions A variety of family physicians Full time specialists including a general surgeon, an anesthetist and an obstetrician/ gynecologist Maternity care provided by a team which includes an obstetrician, physician residents, midwives, and registered nurses A number of visiting specialists such as, dermatologists and orthopedic surgeons, also provide services at the Labrador Health Centre on a regular basis. The hospital provides clinical support services including a pharmacy in the building, a registered dietician, and chemotherapy treatment centre and staff. Diagnostic services include laboratory/x-ray, CT scanner, radiology, mammography, and ultrasonography. Rehabilitation services that are offered include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. Outpatient services include community health/home care, mental health and addictions services, well women clinics and a satellite dialysis unit. Road ambulance and air ambulance services are provided in collaboration with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Health protection services provided at the hospital include: Environmental health, communicable disease control and health emergency management. Provincial Medical Care Plan (MCP) Each province in Canada is responsible for covering health care costs. The Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Care Plan (MCP) is a medical insurance plan which covers the cost of doctor visits for all residents of the province. You must always bring your MCP Card with you when visiting the hospital or doctor. You may be eligible for MCP coverage if you are a Canadian citizen, landed immigrant, foreign worker, or international student. MCP does not pay for ambulance service. If you use an ambulance, you will be billed for the service.
In general, MCP covers the following types of medical services: Visits to a doctor s office or hospital Operations and related treatment, including anesthesia Treatments before and after operations Maternity care X-ray services Some dental operations that have to be done in a hospital by a dentist or dental surgeon Dental coverage for children 12 and under 45 All residents of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador must have an MCP card. Whether you do it on your own, or with help from someone, you must complete an application form. This can be obtained from the MCP website at: www.health.gov.nl.ca/health/mcp/index.html. The following documentations must be attached with the application form. DO NOT SEND ORIGINALS OF THESE DOCUMENTS; USE PHOTOCOPIES. Landed Immigrants must present a record of landing documents for Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Foreign Workers must present an employment authorization (work visa). The employment authorization must be: Issued before coming to Canada For a named Newfoundland & Labrador employer For a specific job within the province Valid for at least 12 months, except for foreign health care workers All foreign applications should be prepared to present a valid foreign passport for identification purposes. MCP Coverage for International Students Health care coverage is available to international students undertaking post-secondary studies in the province. The program applies to any foreign individual student issued an official study permit by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) before entering the country. The student must be attending an educational institution for a period of at least 12 months. Dependents of students will also be covered. Interim Federal Health Program The Interim Federal Health Program (IFH) provides temporary medical coverage for certain immigrants such as refugees, who may need assistance prior to their qualification for provincial health care coverage. The IFH program provides assistance for the following: Essential and emergency health services for the treatment and prevention of serious medical conditions and the treatment of emergency dental conditions Contraception, prenatal and obstetrical care Essential prescription medications Costs related to the Immigration Medical Examination by a designated medical practitioner Finding a Family Doctor To find out about getting a family doctor you must contact the Labrador Health Centre. It is again important to take your MCP card. Without it, you must pay for the services.
46 Labrador Health Centre Hamilton River Road P.O. Box 7000 Stn. C Happy Valley - Goose Bay, NL A0P 1C0 Phone: 897-2267 Fax: 896-4032 Admitting Phone: 897-2384 Prescription Drugs You must have a doctor s prescription (which means written permission from a doctor) to buy prescription drugs (medicine) at a pharmacy. These pharmacies, also called drug stores, usually charge the same amounts for prescription drugs. If you need a prescription filled and you have to pay the full amount for it, then ask the pharmacist to give the generic drug. This means that it isn t a popular brand name drug but it s the same type of drug with the same dosage. Generic drugs are less expensive than brand names. Discuss this with the pharmacist. If you are covered by the IFH program, some prescription medications may be covered. Hamilton Drugs 366 Hamilton River Road Happy Valley - Goose Bay Phone: 896-8418 Warr s Pharmacy Ltd. 93 Hamilton River Road Happy Valley - Goose Bay Phone: 896-2963 Medical Emergencies If you have a medical emergency, you should go to the Emergency Department at the Labrador Health Centre. It is open 24 hours every day. If you need an interpreter, it may be a good idea to bring along a friend or family member who can speak English. Emergency Room Phone: 896-2399 Ambulance Phone: 896-2100 Health Help Line If you need advice on a medical issue/concern, call the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Line: 1-888-709-2929. A Registered Nurse will help assess the situation and help decide what you should do next. The nurses speak English and French. In cases where you do not speak these languages very well, ask an interpreter to help. Public Health Services Public Health, including programs related to the health of mothers and children, is generally administered through the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs). This means that there will be some different types of services. All RHAs provide the following: Education and support for pregnancy, birth and early parenting Healthy Beginnings Program (support for newborns, children & their families) Breastfeeding support
Child health clinics School health Child and adult immunization Child and youth development Sexual/reproductive health HIV counseling and testing Healthy aging Child, youth and family services Child care and intervention services 47 The range of professionals who carry out these many tasks is broad. They include nurses, social workers, psychologists, dieticians and many others with varied backgrounds. Other Community Services In central Labrador we have many other professional services and support groups to help you cope with your health care issues. Community groups like the Canadian Cancer Society, Crohn s and Colitis, Hard of Hearing, and Prostate Cancer provide support to individuals and families and often hold community events to raise awareness. In Happy Valley - Goose Bay, we have a full time Optometrist who operates her own private optometry clinic, along with several dental clinics, a chiropractic clinic, massage therapy service, a physiotherapy clinic, Reiki and acupuncture services, and a visiting orthodontist.