Ste Anne Hospital re-opens after cooling system breakdown

Ste Anne Hospital re-opened on Wednesday after closing on July 13 due to rising temperatures within the building reaching uncomfortable levels.

Temperatures reached between 32C to 34C between July 11 to 13 with humidity ranging between 40 percent to 80 percent in Ste Anne.

Southern Health interim CEO Dana Human said the decision to close the hospital was made on July 13 as the air cooling system had malfunctioned during the weekend and into Monday. Maintenance also found a freon leak from the air conditioner.

“We currently are exhausting every resource we possibly can to be able to remedy the situation,” said Human during a Zoom call on July 15.

Human said the situation was unprecedented and it was the site lead that suggested moving patients to other hospitals as the facility became hotter and more humid.

Twenty-one patients returned to the hospital this Wednesday after being evacuated to Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach and Boundary Trails Health Centre in Winkler. Diagnostic testing and surgical procedures were rescheduled during the closure.

Southern Health re-opened the hospital after repairing the air conditioning, inspecting and cleaning the site, and restocking supplies. The emergency department also re-opened this Thursday to full-time hours.