TRURO - Visitors parking at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro will notice some changes when the new pay-for-parking system comes into full effect.
The new system will come online at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 4.
There will be a charge of $2 for the first hour and $1 for each additional hour to a maximum of $5 per visit. Additional hours are broken into 15-minute segments and visitors will be charged 25 cents for each quarter hour.
“These fees are very similar to those in place in other parts of Nova Scotia,” said Tim Tucker, operations manager with the Colchester East Hants Health Centre Foundation, in a media release. “Money raised from parking fees will help the foundation continue to meet its mission of enhancing healthcare for residents of Colchester and East Hants.”
Anyone parking at the health centre frequently over a certain period of time may purchase a weekly pass for $15 that will allow them to come and go as they please.
Anyone visiting the health centre will be prompted to take a ticket before entering the parking lot. Upon leaving, they can either pay the fee at one of the inside kiosks at the main and emergency entrances by Visa/MasterCard, debit or cash or pay by Visa/MasterCard only at the gate. This means there will be no cash left anywhere outside. Signage will be put in place reminding visitors to take parking tickets and the options for payment upon leaving.
Parking is not an insured health service in the province of Nova Scotia, meaning money from the government does not cover costs related to parking. Revenues are used to cover maintenance, lot upgrades and snow removal, while also helping the foundation contribute to specialized equipment and programs at the health centre.
A recent partnership with the Colchester East Hants Health Authority on a medical education program will bring undergraduate medical students from Dalhousie University to the Colchester East Hants Health Centre in Truro to complete their core clinical rotations. This program is a first for our area.
“This partnership gives students much-needed hands-on medical training, helps expose them to this region of the province and, hopefully, it will lead to them returning as residents and possibly returning to establish family practices,” said Tucker. “This is an excellent opportunity for this region, the health centre and the students involved.”
Parking is a cost not covered by MSI (the government). If you had read the article, it said that.