Nova Scotia's telehealth line handed more than 130,000 calls in its third year of operation, according to the department of health.
HealthLink 811 is a free service providing callers with access to registered nurses 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The 29 nurses answer general health questions or, if warranted, advise callers to head to an emergency room.
The service is three-years-old and the minister of health got the help of a one-year-old to mark the occasion Thursday.
Lesley Magee dialed 811 when her young daughter Violet appeared listless after a vaccination.
"I thought that maybe she has had a reaction to her vaccination. It wasn't the case. It was a normal reaction to the vaccination but I wanted some kind of reassurance.I didn't think it was serious enough
"I called 811 and got the reassurance that I needed. And I've used it a couple of times since just for normal baby health situations and the nurses have always been very, very helpful and I've always been very happy with the responses that I've received and happy that I haven't had to go to the doctor," said Magee.
The province has spent $700,000 making sure Nova Scotians know the tele-health service exists.
David Wilson, the minister of health, says it's worth the cost.
"I think it's been quite successful to get that information out to Nova Scotians. To know that there's another option than to just show up at emergency room or call 911," he said.
On average, Nova Scotians call the service 360 times a day.
The 811 line is an attempt to ease emergency room overcrowding. Wilson says he's even ready to look at a UK-based model, where paramedics and nurses make house calls.
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Quelle/Source: CBC News, 08.08.2012
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