Two dozen Dauphin patients moved to BRHC

A total of 54 patients have been evacuated from the Dauphin Regional Health Centre due to severe flooding in the Parkland region, with 24 of those having been transported to the hospital in Brandon.

“Those folks were either moved by our low acuity contract provider in the province, patient transport services, our ambulances within emergency response services, or air assets that were mobilized for the transportation,” said Jason Little, Shared Health’s COO of emergency response services.

Some of the patients were transferred to the new beds in Brandon’s critical care centre that opened last month, Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said during a press conference on Thursday.

Dauphin patients were evacuated in response to a power outage due to significant flooding in the hospital’s basement. Prairie Mountain Health, the province and other health officials made the decision to evacuate the health centre on Wednesday.

“Our main power source was knocked out, as well as the HVAC system and computer network access,” Slate said. “But we sustained power to the adjacent personal care home and the adjacent community health services building.”

Slate said reopening the hospital is top of mind and is in contact with the province on the next steps, but she couldn’t provide a definite timeline.

An insurer and restoration company are assessing the damage, and water is still being pumped out of the basement. Restoring the HVAC system is also a big priority to ensure safe patient care, she said.

For now, medical equipment, including blood pressure monitors, from the emergency department have been moved to a temporary space in the Dauphin Community Health Services building to assess patients and provide minor treatment or send them to a nearby ER, Slate said.

She said Dauphin has “very limited” health-care services at the moment and is lacking access to diagnostic services.

Doctors and nurses are available to provide a primary assessment, but those needing surgery will be transferred to the nearest appropriate ER, Slate said.

All scheduled surgeries and procedures for the next seven days have been cancelled, the regional health authority said on its website.

Slate was unable to provide details on how many surgeries or procedures have been cancelled.

All X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI and lab appointments have also been cancelled until further notice. Patients will be contacted directly with more information.

“We were able to have some staff from other areas support us, and we are working with the staff who would normally be working in Dauphin to ask them where they would be able to assist us across the region, including Brandon,” Slate said. “So, that is a positive.”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara thanked all the health-care staff who have been willing to temporarily work at other sites. They acknowledged how challenging and stressful the past 24 hours have been for people affected by flooding in the region.

“I know that there have been a number of folks, front-line teams, who have been working throughout the night and the night prior to keep patients safe, to maintain continuity of care and support and to be there for families and for patients during what is a very complex evacuation process and a rapidly evolving situation,” Asagwara said.

“I want to be clear that health services remain operational and available in the region.”

The minister confirmed Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has made requests for support from the federal government.

Asagwara said the province will be reviewing how it can improve its response to emergencies, like the one in Dauphin, in the future.

Slate said she couldn’t speak to how “unusual” it is to have the hospital’s main power source be located in the basement.

“However, to the minister’s point, we always take opportunities to learn from any event that occurs, so that we can reduce risk,” Slate said.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com