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Ste. Anne’s hospital will probably be closed until next week after its cooling system suffered a freon leak, Southern Health officials say.
The hospital in the southern Manitoba town was evacuated Monday after its cooling system stopped working.
The 21 patients at the hospital were sent to Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach, about 15 kilometres south, and Boundary Trails Health Centre, about 110 km southwest of Ste. Anne.
“Hopefully this will not be a long closure,” said Dana Human, interim CEO of Southern Health, which oversees the hospital. “We are looking at next week at some point.”
The health authority is still investigating to determine the source of the problem, with people working “pretty much around the clock” to figure it out, she said during a media call on Wednesday afternoon.
The temperature started to rise at the hospital in Ste. Anne, a town of about 3,000 people 45 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, as temperatures outside rose to the high 30s last weekend.
Maintenance staff couldn’t find anything wrong at first, Human said, but the temperature continued to rise.
The cooling system “wasn’t keeping up, and then we experienced a freon leak,” she said, adding that’s when the decision was made to evacuate.
“It was an unprecedented situation, but the staff acted on it very quickly.”
Hospital services include an emergency room, a lab, obstetrics, surgery and diagnostics, including X-rays and electrocardiograms.
Shared Health said in a post on social media that walk-in laboratory, X-ray and EKG services are available at the Bethesda Regional Health Centre, and at the De Salaberry District Health Centre in St-Pierre-Jolys, 35 km to the southwest.
Open Health Niverville also has lab services by appointment, Tuesday to Thursday.
Emergency cases are being redirected to other hospitals. People with life-threatening emergencies should dial 911.
Once the air conditioning is working again, it will be tested, and Ste. Anne’s hospital will have to clean and restock before opening, Human said.
Troubleshooting is underway, and an update will come when there’s a more specific timeline for reopening, she said Wednesday afternoon.
“We are about halfway there, from the last reports that I received.”
Conrad Maurice found a “closed” sign on the door when he showed up for blood tests on Wednesday morning.
“Usually I have to come here … for blood every month,” he said. “Now I will have to go back to Steinbach, I believe.”
Maurice, who lives in Ste. Anne, said he needs monthly tests to monitor his blood sugar because he has diabetes, and his doctor is considering putting him on insulin.
“I enjoy coming here … [because] they’re so efficient, fast and friendly,” he said.
Now he has to go to a clinic in Steinbach or to Winnipeg, he said.