N.B. news: Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital’s new discharge lounge helping patient flow [Video]

Fredericton’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital has been a labour of love for Louise Corey.

“I met my husband here, had my children here, its part of my life,” she said.

She was a nurse at the hospital for 33 years, wheeling in a patient on the day the Chalmers first opened its doors in 1976.

Now, she’s president of the Chalmers’ Hospital Auxiliary team – which runs the coffee and gift shop, and a hair salon – volunteering and collecting money for projects within the hospital.

Recently, the auxiliary gave $10,000 toward the creation of discharge lounge, meant to transition patients to a comfortable area while they wait for a final treatment or their loved one to pick them up – while freeing up a much needed bed.

“This was set up with that intention that it would be a short stay for a few hours, go home from there,” Corey explained. “Sometimes it’s just waiting to have a cast off or have an …