Self-care should be a priority during this time, but it can be hard to remember to attend to personal needs in the middle of a pandemic.
Dr. Heather Johnson, a primary care physician in Bridgewater says that people will still have ongoing health issues despite the fact that there is a pandemic and they don’t want people to forget about their own healthcare needs.
“Most primary care physicians are still in their office taking calls and trying to look after their patients. That care might be different than what people are used to; lots of visits are being done by phone or virtual platforms. There are some things we still need to do in person like baby immunizations and seeing people after they are discharged from hospital,” she said.
Johnson says during this time of year the number of people visiting drop-in clinics across the zone are usually much higher but there has been a definite drop in people accessing the services.
“I think it’s because people are staying home and doing all the things that Dr. Strang is asking them to do, but we want to remind people that if they are sick and have an emergency the emergency departments are still open and they need to access it when they need it,” she said.
Going forward Johnson said we will likely see changes in how things are done but people still need to keep in mind all the public health measures put in place to keep everyone safe.
There are walk-in clinics at Eastern Kings Memorial Health Centre, Western Kings Memorial Health Centre, South Shore Walk-In Clinic, Digby & Area Health Services Centre, Digby General Hospital Unattached Clinic-Consultant’s Office and Shelburne Family Practice.
811 is also available for people with health questions or seeking advice and is open 24-hours a day 7-days a week.
