The mayor of Bonavista is providing an encouraging update on ER services at the local hospital.

John Norman says most of the ER shifts at the Bonavista hospital are covered for March and the staffing situation for April is also looking positive.

He says after working closely with Eastern Health and the Health Minister, they now have four newly-funded positions for Bonavista, including two more nurse practitioners and two more family physicians.

That’s in addition to the traditional physician and nurse practitioner positions that previously covered the ER and family clinics.

The positions have been posted and once filled, will result in the highest staffing levels ever seen at the Bonavista hospital. The hospital has locum coverage for March and April, and some physicians are in discussions with the possibility of being signed full-time.