EDMONTON – Overnight flooding at the Misericordia Community Hospital forced the evacuation of 53 patients and resulted in the cancellation of all 46 elective surgeries that had been scheduled for Friday.
No ambulances are being sent to the Misericordia until further notice, Jan Schimpf, vice-president of operations, acute care at the hospital, said Friday.
A valve on a toilet on the third floor broke around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, hospital officials said in a media advisory Friday afternoon.
“They were mopping up and sucking water up here all night,” explained Wayne Slobodian, a patient at the Misericordia. “(With) all the racket, I couldn’t sleep. So I got up and I came down and the water is coming from the third and in through the second and into the lobby here, and it was total chaos.”
Twenty-five medicine patients on a third-floor unit were moved to other units throughout the hospital.
Water seeped through the floor, flooding a unit on the second floor. Twenty-eight mental-health patients on a second-floor unit were temporarily moved to the hospital’s chapel, and then into the day surgery unit.
“They did remarkably well. They transferred quite easily and took it all in stride,” said Scott Baerg, vice-president of operations, mental health services at the Misericordia.
Eight of the mental-health patients affected by the flooding have been moved to other facilities. Others had been previously scheduled to be discharged Friday. Some are being moved to other units in the hospital.
Hospital officials say it’s unclear when the affected mental-health and medical units will re-open, but say it won’t be anytime soon.
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“Until we actually understand the work that has to happen and that work is completed, those units will be closed,” said Schimpf.
Water also affected the main floor, including the gift shop and diagnostic imaging area.
“This is the most extensive flooding we’ve had at the Misericordia that I can recall,” said Jennifer Fougere, vice-president of operations, support services.
“Having to close two patient units, and having to relocate that number of patients is quite extensive.”
Fougere said the cost of the damage is unknown. It is not known when patients will be able to return to the unit.
No sterile areas such as operating rooms were damaged in the flood.
It remains unclear if elective surgeries at the Misericordia will resume on Monday.
With files from Global News.
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