Emergency
To make an appointment
Go to an emergency service or call 911
The Emergency Department is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that patients can be treated as quickly as possible.
Our teams handle a range of medical issues, from minor ailments to life-threatening emergencies.
How triage works
A specialized nurse greets each patient, assesses their condition and determines the priority level for their care.
Each case is categorized according to a five-level national triage and acuity scale, from non-urgent to resuscitation.
This categorization ensures that the most urgent cases, i.e. the most vulnerable patients, are treated first.
Level 1 - Resuscitation: Conditions that are considered threats to life or limb requiring immediate aggressive intervention.
Level 2 - Emergent: Conditions that are considered threats to life or limb, or its function, requiring immediate intervention.
Level 3 - Urgent: Conditions that could potentioally progress to a serious problem, requiring emergency intervention.
Level 4 - Less urgent: Conditions related to patient age, distress or potential for deterioration or complications.
Level 5 - Non urgent: Conditions that can be acute, but non urgent, or part of a chronic problem.
Patients who do not require urgent care may have to wait longer if an urgent case arrives that takes priority. Therefore, patients who arrive after you may be seen before you because their condition is more serious.
If your condition worsens after your assessment, it is essential that you request a reassessment.
When to go to the Emergency Department
If you (or someone in your care) have an urgent medical condition or are experiencing a crisis, go to the Emergency Department at the nearest hospital or call 9-1-1.
Do not drive if your condition makes you unfit to so do (for example, if you suspect you have a heart problem, severe pain, difficulty breathing or altered consciousness).
If you have any questions or doubts about your state of health, contact Tele-Care at any time by dialing 8-1-1. Tele-Care staff will be able to advise you on the need for urgent care and guide you through the next steps.
If you are a victim of sexual or domestic violence, go to the nearest Emergency Department to receive support and a forensic examination.
At triage, simply ask to see the SANE program nurse; you won’t have to explain the reason for your visit.
For less urgent situations, consider these alternatives.
Several options are available to you in case of an unexpected health issue.
- Primary health care provider
- Tele-care 811
- Wals-in clinics
- Pharmacies
- Sexual health services
- Addiction and mental health services
Don’t have a family doctor or nurse practitioner?
To determine the best care path for your situation, visit the Government of New Brunswick's Access to Health Care pag
Here's how families can help staff reduce hospital overflow:
- VAcate the room as soon as possible after discharge (by 11:00 a.m.)
- This way staff will be able to care for other patients who are waiting for care.
- Ensure the patient's return home in a timely fashion
- Staff will inform the family of the planned discharge in advance.
- Use outpatient services, unless you have an emergency:
- Virtual care clinics- eVisitNB
- Outpatient clinics
- Tele-care 811
- Extra-mural Program
- Home Care
- As needed, take the necessary steps for nursing home placement
- Contact the Department of Social Development to have yhe patient added to a priority list.
- Department of Social Development: 1-833-733-7835
- Senior services: 1-855-550-0552
Share your experience and improvement ideas with us: Write to us at Qualite.Quality@vitalitenb.ca.
Acadie-Bathurst
- Tracadie Hospital
- L’Enfant-Jésus RHSJ† Hospital – Caraquet
- Chaleur Regional Hospital – Bathurst
Beauséjour
Northwest
- Grand Falls General Hospital
- Edmundston Regional Hospital
- Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Joseph de Saint-Quentin
Restigouche
- Campbellton Regional Hospital
