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Moncton to MiramichiNew BrunswickThe IssuesHealth care
Vitalité looks to develop its own telemedicine service to support Stella Maris ER
Published Apr 29, 2026 • Last updated 6 hours ago • 2 minute read
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Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital, pictured here in this file photo, lost its overnight emergency department service in October 2025. Efforts are still ongoing to restore the service through the hiring of additional doctors and the possible creation of a telemedicine system. BRUNSWICK NEWS ARCHIVESArticle content
Vitalité Health Network is making strides in its efforts to resume overnight emergency department service at the Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital.
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Four new doctors – with three of those set to provide ER service – have been recruited for the region, according to Dr. France Desrosiers, president and CEO of Vitalité Health Network.
Since Jan. 1, Vitalité has recruited a total of 17 physicians, with one departure, said Dr. Natalie Banville, Vitalité’s vice-president of medical affairs, who provided a recruitment update in French during Vitalité’s quarterly board meeting held in Moncton Tuesday.
“It is extremely positive,” Banville said, of the fourth-quarter results, which cover the period through to March 31.
This latest development continues momentum Vitalité experienced last year when it recruited the largest number of physicians in a single year in recent memory.
Vitalité saw a net gain of 41 new doctors after 18 departures were factored into the equation.
A shortage of medical staff was cited as one of the reasons for Vitalité’s “temporary measure” of eliminating overnight ER service at Stella-Maris-de-Kent Hospital last October.
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Six months later, the Saint-Anne-de-Kent ER is still admitting patients only until 5 p.m. After these hours, patients requiring urgent care have to travel to Moncton or Miramichi until the Stella Maris ER resumes its operations at 8 a.m. the following day.
In an interview, Desrosiers told Brunswick News that Vitalité plans to resume overnight service at the Stella Maris ER within the next year.
In addition to the hiring and onboarding of new doctors, Desrosiers said Vitalité is exploring the creation of its own telemedicine service to support the reopening of the ER overnight.
Telemedicine uses technology – like video calls – to connect patients with physicians working remotely. It’s currently used at two rural Horizon Health Network hospitals to support their ER operations.
In February, Horizon confirmed that it had extended its contract until the fall with Ontario-based Teladoc Health Canada, which has been providing telemedicine service at Grand Manan and Charlotte County hospitals.
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Desrosiers told Brunswick News that Vitalité is exploring the creation of its own telemedicine system using doctors already within its own health network.
“It’s like Teladoc, but Teladoc is a private service and it costs a lot for the population, so we want to look at this kind of service that we can organize ourselves,” she said.
In addition to the loss of overnight ER hours, Stella Maris has been without acute care beds for some time due to a lack of resources. The “temporary measure,” which saw the gradual conversion of acute care beds to palliative and long-term care, was announced back in January 2024.
Earlier this year, Desrosiers faced questions about the status of those acute care beds when she appeared before a legislative committee.
Beausoleil-Grand Boutouche-Kent MLA Benoît Bourque asked Desrosiers if the acute care beds would reopen this summer if Vitalité’s plans went well. Desrosiers indicated yes, although she didn’t give an exact date for when the reopening would occur.
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