Hospital closure causes fear, frustration

A 78-year-old woman with stage 4 lung cancer says she is feeling “frustrated and scared” knowing the hospital in Dauphin may not reopen for up to a year, requiring her to travel for treatment.

“I know it’s affected a lot of people, probably worse than me, but in my personal case, it couldn’t happen at a worse time,” said Janice Nybo, who lives on a farm a few kilometres south of Dauphin.

“I’ve been using that hospital quite a bit in the last three months.”

Severe flooding in the basement of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre due to a massive amount of rainfall in late June caused a power outage and damage to its HVAC system. The building was evacuated on Canada Day with 54 patients sent to nearby health centres, including 24 patients who were transferred to Brandon.

Nybo was recently diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the right lung, a “slow-growing” cancer typically found in the outer region of the lungs, she said.

“I’m in a lot of pain all the time, and I’m also very short of breath all the time,” Nybo said, adding that she uses an oxygen machine and often feels fatigued.

Eight days after a month-long stay at the Dauphin hospital in May, Nybo was rushed back by her husband to its emergency room and readmitted because she was struggling to breathe, she said.

“Now I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn’t have that hospital. I’d had to go 30 miles to Ste. Rose, and I don’t know if I’d have made it,” Nybo said.

She was later flown to Winnipeg for biopsies before being discharged about two weeks ago.

Since Dauphin’s hospital has shut down, Nybo has had to drive about 30 minutes to the Ste. Rose Health Centre to frequently have her chest catheter drained, blood drawn and a few IV iron transfusions.

“What I’d like to see is a hospital working soon,” Nybo said.

During a press conference last week, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said he was informed the hospital in Dauphin may not reopen for nine to 12 months — a situation he said was “unacceptable.”

He told reporters the province was going to “throw a ton of resources” into bringing the hospital back online as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a statement Thursday that the province is “working with the regional health authorities to secure additional medical supports and expedite repairs at Dauphin Regional Health Centre so full services can be restored as quickly and safely as possible.”

Nybo acknowledged how hard nurses and doctors are working to care for patients, and that it will take time to repair the costly damages, but having limited health-care services in Dauphin is “very frustrating.”

“If you’re having a stroke or whatever somewhere, like you could be gone before you get to Ste. Rose or wherever,” she said.

She’s heard from nurses in Ste. Rose du Lac who say they are feeling overwhelmed by the circumstances despite having health-care staff from Dauphin come work at the hospital to aid an influx of patients.

The latest census data show Dauphin has a population of more than 8,000 people, with the Parkland region having nearly 45,000 people.

Prairie Mountain Health said in a news release Thursday that cleanup in the hospital’s basement continues as its electrical and mechanical consultants and insurers work to determine the extent of the damage.

The health authority is waiting for final reports from its consultants, which will help guide the next steps to restore the hospital, including timelines for securing replacement components and restoring full electrical and mechanical functions.

In response to the hospital’s floodwater damage, a temporary triage clinic has been set up in the Dauphin Community Health Services building to assess patients and provide minor treatment or send them to the closest ER in Ste. Rose du Lac or Grandview.

Ste. Rose du Lac is 40 km east of Dauphin and Grandview is 45 km west.

Prairie Mountain Health said appointments with local oncologists will continue at the Dauphin Medical Clinic, but treatments for cancer patients will be moved to places such as Russell, Neepawa or Brandon.

The health authority’s CEO Treena Slate said in a statement on Thursday that she recognizes the hospital’s closure has led to additional stress and uncertainty for patients with cancer.

“CancerCare Manitoba and Prairie Mountain Health are actively working toward bringing cancer treatment services back to Dauphin as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so,” Slate said.

They are also working to bring laboratory and diagnostic services as close to Dauphin as possible.

All surgeries and endoscopy procedures, as well as X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI and lab appointments are being offered at other locations in the health region. Alternative arrangements have also been made for maternity and dialysis patients.

Dan Mazier, the member of Parliament for Riding Mountain, voiced his concerns in a letter addressed to the province and Prairie Mountain Health on Wednesday, asking them to provide a clear update on a reopening timeline.

During a visit to the community on Tuesday, he said, he was not allowed to tour the basement to assess the damage and was instead offered a virtual meeting with health officials in two weeks.

“Residents and health-care professionals facing immediate disruption should not have to wait weeks for Prairie Mountain Health leadership to engage with their elected representatives,” he said in the letter.

Mazier said he’s heard from health-care workers who’ve raised concerns about a lack of direction. He’s spoken with the federal minister of emergency management and has called for federal assistance to support the restoration of hospital services.

Prairie Mountain Health said it’s committed to sharing timely updates with staff, patients and the public as information becomes available.

Nybo said she spoke with an oncologist from Brandon on Wednesday about her next steps.

She has to wait another couple of weeks for more biopsy results to come back before being presented with a finalized treatment plan, she said.

Her oncologist told her she may have to receive intravenous chemotherapy in Brandon, Neepawa or Portage la Prairie — however, if the treatment is pill-based, she can remain in Dauphin.

Nybo was in remission since undergoing six weeks of treatment for lung cancer in Brandon five years ago. She had six rounds of chemotherapy and 30 rounds of radiation, she said.

At the same time as her recent diagnosis, Nybo and her husband have also been dealing with water seepage in their basement as a result of heavy rainfall. She said their sump pump has been keeping up but noted the field across from their home was “completely underwater.”

» tadamski@brandonsun.com