Eastern Health confirms that the health authority has been working with the Ottawa Heart Institute to provide cardiac care to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians since December of 2020.

As a result, surgeons from the Ottawa Heart Institute have been performing surgeries in Newfoundland, complementing the work of local surgeons.

It’s one of a number of initiatives the health authority says it has undertaken to improve access to cardiac surgery.

In the meantime, “robust” recruitment strategies are being employed to fill vacancies in its Cardiac Care program.