More surgeries rescheduled after Halifax hospital complex hit with 2nd water-main break
Heat and water have been restored at a Halifax hospital complex whose power plant was hit by two water-main breaks within 24 hours..
Patients and staff at the site — which includes the Halifax Infirmary, the Veterans Memorial building and the Abbie J. Lane building — have been using portable toilets due to the breaks, and temperatures inside the buildings were cooler than normal on Thursday.
In a release issued at 5:50 p.m., Nova Scotia Health said it is asking people to not drink the water.
"Three days of water testing will be required before tap water can be considered drinkable," the health authority said.
"Fire suppression will not be restored right away. Enhanced fire monitoring is in place throughout the site."
Nova Scotia Health said that only emergency and time-sensitive surgeries will go ahead on Friday.
Earlier Thursday, the provincial health authority warned of ripple effects at other hospitals in the Halifax region, with some surgeries at the Victoria General and Dartmouth General being rescheduled to accommodate more urgent cases that would normally be handled by the Halifax Infirmary.
"The most significant impacts are to surgery and dialysis," Nova Scotia Health spokesperson John Gillis told reporters. "It's not possible to proceed with dialysis and difficult to proceed with surgery under these conditions."
The Halifax Infirmary includes an emergency department as well as inpatient and surgery units, while the Veterans Memorial building has more than 200 long-term care patients. The Abbie J. Lane provides mental health and addictions services.
A portable toilet outside the Halifax Infirmary is shown Thursday. (Paul Palmeter/CBC)
Gillis said the hospital was cold enough on Thursday that some people were wearing coats and extra layers.
Without water, toilets can't be flushed. Another major concern, Gillis said, is the sprinkler system won't work if there's a fire.
As of Thursday at 5:30 p.m., the fire suppression system still had not been restored, but Nova Scotia Health said enhanced fire monitoring is in place throughout the site.
Blood collection and ambulatory appointments will go ahead on Friday virtually, if possible, the authority said.
"Visitors and support persons for patients at the Halifax Infirmary site are limited to one per patient in order to reduce the number of people present in the facility."
The initial break happened at midday on Wednesday in a water-main line in the steam plant. Gillis said that was repaired, but there was a second break in the same pipe around midnight.
Firefighters hooked up a line from a hydrant to feed the boiler system of the QEII Halifax Infirmary complex on Thursday following a water-main break. (Brett Ruskin/CBC)
The health authority said in a news release that bottled water has been brought in and portable hand-washing stations and washrooms have been set up near main entrances.
Gillis did not indicate why the water main broke, but said it was not caused by nearby construction on the Infirmary expansion project.
Outpatient blood collection at the Halifax Infirmary was closed on Thursday for a second day. Patients were being told instead to go to the blood collection clinic on Bayers Road at the time of their appointment, or call 902-473- 2074 to reschedule.
The emergency department is open, but patients without emergency concerns are being asked to visit another emergency department or virtual/community access point.
Patients with other appointments will be contacted to relocate them, reschedule them or hold them virtually.
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