‘I’m terrified’: Dauphin residents concerned about hospital’s future as repairs could take months

Residents are worried after Shared Health confirmed the hospital in Dauphin will remain closed for months due to flood damage. Jeff Keele reports.

Some Dauphin residents are feeling stressed and anxious around the uncertainty of when the hospital might reopen again, following flood damage last week.

The hospital had to evacuate 54 patients after floodwaters flowed into the basement, damaging many critical systems for the hospital.

Health officials say it will take a week or two to determine how long repairs to the hospital will take, but they note it will likely be months.

“I’m scared. I’m terrified,” said Susan Thiele, a resident of Dauphin for 40 years. “This is an elderly community, and with this closure, I know the hospital is trying to do what they can, but the communities that they’ve opened for emergency care are both like 30-minute drives away.”

Thiele said she suffers from long-COVID, which has resulted in issues with her heart. If she suffers a heart attack while the hospital is closed, she isn’t sure if she would make it to the other hospitals that are in Ste. Rose and Grandview.

“In the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘I could be screwed.’ It’s worrisome.”

She is also concerned about people like her four-year-old grandson who requires an EpiPen, or people that need regular dialysis treatments, or even expecting mothers who might have to travel long distances for emergency care.

“I think some people are starting to realize now the problem that this is going to cause our community, our whole area. Our hospital, it’s not just Dauphin. It serves at least 40,000 people in the whole Parkland area, plus people from up in The Pas come here for diagnostic services. Even up to like Ashern and the Interlake come here for services,” she said.

Treena Slate, the CEO for the Prairie Mountain Health Region, said the electrical infrastructure in the building has extensive damage and it will take some time before they are able to figure out a timeline for all the repairs.

While they wait for more answers, she said all avenues are being explored on how they can start getting parts of the hospital running sooner, like using external generators.

“We’re highly motivated to get things up and operating at Dauphin Hospital as soon as we can. Like I said, perhaps considering a phased approach as we go through this,” said Slate.

“Definitely months or an extended period of time for that, you know, full closure. But we want to see what we can do in the shorter term.”

Following the evacuation, health officials were able to set up an assessment clinic in the building connected to the hospital to help determine a person’s needs and arrange any services they require.

The hospitals in Ste. Rose and Grandview have also been beefed up with more nurses and doctors to accommodate the increased patient loads at those two locations, Slate said.

She notes the decisions being made with the hospital are not being taken lightly, as this doesn’t just impact the Dauphin area; it can impact the entire hospital system in the province.

Moving forward, she said some people who require regular treatments like dialysis will have to travel to other locations, and she has heard that some are temporarily moving so they are closer to supports.

“So we arrange that accommodation for them and otherwise we are assisting to support transportation.”

As for those people who are anxious about potential life-threatening events happening while the hospital is closed, Slate said it’s important for people to know that calling 911 is the best option.

“We want to assure people that 911 should always be called in the case of any crisis or emergency, no matter what,” she said. “If folks are not sure, Health Links, 811, will help direct people according to what service might be provided.”

Health officials are also working to increase primary care resources in the community as well as mental health and addiction supports in Dauphin, Ste. Rose and Grandview.

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the current timeline in Dauphin is not what the province was hoping for and additional help is being requested.

“We have asked the federal government for increased medical supports and for repairs at Dauphin Regional Health Centre to be expedited so full services can be restored as quickly and safely as possible,” Asagwara said in a statement to CTV News.

In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the federal minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience said they have received a letter from the health minister.

“Federal officials are connecting with Manitoba to discuss the letter, and we remain committed to work with the government of Manitoba to find solutions to help (reduce) the pressure on critical infrastructure like the Dauphin hospital and work on a path to recovery in the Parkland Region,” the spokesperson said.

Asagwara said the province is wanting to work with the people delivering care in the area to “find creative solutions” so people can continue to receive the care they need in their community.

“That’s why we are bringing physicians together early next week for a dedicated meeting to provide a fulsome update on the work underway, hear directly from them, and collaborate on immediate and longer-term solutions. We will also be meeting with nurses, allied health and other staff in the immediate future. The expertise of frontline providers is essential to getting this right.”

Whatever the solutions end up being, Thiele hopes work is done quickly to return services to the level they were at before the flooding and that all the physicians return to the hospital.

“It’s hard to get doctors to small communities. We’re so fortunate, and if we lose them, how are we going to get them back? It’s very scary,” said Thiele.

“I’m terrified we’re going to lose it.”