Vernon Jubilee Hospital’s leaking toilet has been repaired but the question of when the aging facility will be replaced has yet to be answered.Newly installed toilets sprung a leak on Monday 
because of a loose connecting pipe, said Peter Du Toit, the Interior Health Authority’s North Okanagan communities administrator. Water then leaked through the floor into a light fixture that caused some “discolouration.” The water from the second floor toilet then flowed into a medication room in the emergency department on the first floor, he said.“There was an assumption on (the doctors’) part that it was sewage,” Du Toit said. “It was actually clean water.”As a precaution, doctors decided to lock down the medication room because of fears of contamination, Du Toit said. A thorough examination of the room found no evidence of tainted medication, he said.Du Toit said he wants to assure people that the hospital is still a safe place for patients. He said staff’s rapid response to the possible contamination shows that the hospital maintains a high standard of care.“For me the good part was how quickly staff acted to preserve the quality of care,” he said. “Everything was done out of concern for patient care.”Hospital oncologist Ed Hardy, said Tuesday that the toilet problem had been dealt with.“Everything is back operating the way it should,” he said.However, he said it was “symptomatic” of the aging issues plaguing the facility.“Officials from the Ministry of Health came through a couple weeks ago and administrators were quick to point out the flaws,” he said. “They’ve been slow to get an actual response from the government on when they will replace the entire structure.”However, Du Toit disagreed with the assessment that the plumbing problem was yet another example that the building has passed its expiration date.“I think the way it happened is not an indication of an older building,” he said. “This can happen in a new one.”Du Toit said the existing hospital will eventually be replaced but not in the first phase of construction which includes the new tower. He said the plan is for the existing structure to be rebuilt in a future phase
.Okanagan-Vernon MLA Tom Christensen said the provincial government has yet to guarantee funding for the hospital’s expansion and replacement. He said that his discussions with the Ministry of Health indicate that confirmation of provincial pay outs could be coming soon.“I’m increasingly frustrated in terms of having a final answer,” he said. “I’m very optimistic though that we will soon have the confirmation that will allow the project to move forward.”While everyone sees the need for the hospital to be upgraded, Christensen said that a phased approach is the best way to address the facility’s most problematic areas, including the emergency department and ambulatory care.“Obviously the critical part of this is that it takes time to build these things,” he said. “Unfortunately we can’t build everything we want to right away; it would be great if we could build a new hospital tomorrow.”
because of a loose connecting pipe, said Peter Du Toit, the Interior Health Authority’s North Okanagan communities administrator. Water then leaked through the floor into a light fixture that caused some “discolouration.” The water from the second floor toilet then flowed into a medication room in the emergency department on the first floor, he said.“There was an assumption on (the doctors’) part that it was sewage,” Du Toit said. “It was actually clean water.”As a precaution, doctors decided to lock down the medication room because of fears of contamination, Du Toit said. A thorough examination of the room found no evidence of tainted medication, he said.Du Toit said he wants to assure people that the hospital is still a safe place for patients. He said staff’s rapid response to the possible contamination shows that the hospital maintains a high standard of care.“For me the good part was how quickly staff acted to preserve the quality of care,” he said. “Everything was done out of concern for patient care.”Hospital oncologist Ed Hardy, said Tuesday that the toilet problem had been dealt with.“Everything is back operating the way it should,” he said.However, he said it was “symptomatic” of the aging issues plaguing the facility.“Officials from the Ministry of Health came through a couple weeks ago and administrators were quick to point out the flaws,” he said. “They’ve been slow to get an actual response from the government on when they will replace the entire structure.”However, Du Toit disagreed with the assessment that the plumbing problem was yet another example that the building has passed its expiration date.“I think the way it happened is not an indication of an older building,” he said. “This can happen in a new one.”Du Toit said the existing hospital will eventually be replaced but not in the first phase of construction which includes the new tower. He said the plan is for the existing structure to be rebuilt in a future phase
.Okanagan-Vernon MLA Tom Christensen said the provincial government has yet to guarantee funding for the hospital’s expansion and replacement. He said that his discussions with the Ministry of Health indicate that confirmation of provincial pay outs could be coming soon.“I’m increasingly frustrated in terms of having a final answer,” he said. “I’m very optimistic though that we will soon have the confirmation that will allow the project to move forward.”While everyone sees the need for the hospital to be upgraded, Christensen said that a phased approach is the best way to address the facility’s most problematic areas, including the emergency department and ambulatory care.“Obviously the critical part of this is that it takes time to build these things,” he said. “Unfortunately we can’t build everything we want to right away; it would be great if we could build a new hospital tomorrow.”
No comments:
Post a Comment