For one parent, being able to call 811 when their child had an allergic reaction – and the health centre and pharmacy were closed – got them through a worrying situation.
The registered nurse answering the phone was able to suggest home remedies and kept the family calm, the woman said. She asked for anonymity to discuss her child’s medical condition.
“I’ve never waited for more than 10 minutes for a nurse to call me back,” she said of the NWT’s 811 service. She has called when her children had fevers, when they fell and hit their heads and, one time, when a child had eaten too many fruit-flavoured chewable Tums tablets.
This article is the third in a three-part series where we meet the registered nurses behind the NWT’s 811 non-urgent health line, learn what training they’ve done to be ready to meet the needs of NWT patients, and understand what types of questions the 811 nurses are able to answer. To help protect the nurses’ privacy, Cabin Radio is only using their first names.
“I can call 811 to get some guidance and peace of mind, and that’s huge for parents,” she said, noting the helpline saved her from multiple trips to the emergency room.
“As a parent taking your small child out of their homes, taking them into emerg can be not only a lot of work, but traumatizing for anybody involved. So having the ability to call 811, know you’re speaking to a credible health professional, and potentially and hopefully avoid having to go to emerg at all, is a lifesaver.
“Sometimes I know everything’s OK. But I want to hear it from a professional.”
Danielle MacIntyre, who manages the 811 program for the NWT government, says 811 helps people get information from