Nestled in the mountains and forests of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, up along the Cabot Trail, three doctors are working together to offer their community complete family medicine.
Drs. Nicola Smith, Rebecca Hoffer, and Carly Crewe work in Neil’s Harbour, a small fishing community around 2.5 hours from Sydney, Cape Breton, and Halifax, and 5.5 hours from Halifax.
In addition to caring for patients at Highlands Medical Clinic, the doctors also work at Buchanan Memorial Hospital, where they maintain a 24-hour emergency department (ED) and a 10-bed inpatient unit. They also treat patients at the nearby long-term care facility.
They treat between 3,000 and 3,500 patients through the clinic, as well as tourists to the emergency department, and serve the towns from Cape Smokey to Meat Cove. Due to its remote location and the high prevalence of chronic diseases among the older population, cooperation is essential.
Every employee at the hospital is empowered to maintain the emergency room open year-round since they are aware of how much the community depends on them.
In this isolated community, bad weather is always a wild card. A flood in 2021 washed away the road between Ingonish and Neil’s Harbour, forcing many hospital staff to take the three-hour journey or travel via boat or helicopter. They persisted and managed to keep the facility operating. Regular locums, particularly Drs. Tim Woodford, Luke Harnish, and Tom Currie, are also credited by the doctors for keeping the emergency department operational all year round.
By offering care in the clinic, emergency department, and inpatient unit, physicians are able to genuinely follow patients as they progress through life.
Since all three doctors are generalists at heart and find great fulfillment in the diversity of their work, they all attribute their decision to rural family practice. However, they are also able to pursue their individual interests while working as a team.
Dr. Hoffer enjoys managing complex chronic diseases, while Dr. Crewe specializes in mental health and offers specially scheduled psychotherapy sessions. Due to Dr. Smith’s love of teaching, medical students and residents frequently visit Neil’s Harbour, which has become a well-liked training location.
They try to give as much care as they can in the community because of their remote location.
Dr. Smith, a Dartmouth native, has been employed at Neil’s Harbour for nine years. She joined the clinic because she wanted to work with the renowned family doctor, Dr. Ken Murray. Additionally, he recruited Dr. Hoffer, a Montreal native who had previously worked as a locum in other Canadian areas before relocating to Cape Breton. Born in Ontario and trained in Alberta, Dr. Crewe joined the practice in 2022.
Read more about this inspiring story at: https://www.yourdoctors.ca/blog/health-care/neils-harbour/
Reference and photo credits to: https://www.yourdoctors.ca/
