UPDATE: Emergency Department is now open and has resumed care services.
KAWARTHA LAKES-The Emergency Department at Lindsay’s Ross Memorial Hospital has been closed to all patients except those with critical/life threatening emergencies.
The hospital has experienced a broken watermain that is causing extensive flooding in the Emergency Room. Repairs are being undertaken at the moment.
Patients were asked to go to the nearest hospital (Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Minden, Port Perry or Orillia Hospitals).
Only patients with critical/life threatening emergency conditions were ween at the hospital.
Officials say at 6:20pm, there were 37 patients in the Emergency Department, when water began spraying down from the ceilings. The team immediately evacuated patients to the main lobby and other care areas in the hospital.
- The Fire Department was onsite helping with another issue. Within minutes they came to Emergency Department to help contain the flooding and minimize damage.
- Paramedics were also onsite and quickly notified local long-term care homes and other community partners. They stationed 2 ambulances at our doors in case we had to quickly transfer any patients.
- The ER physicians and nurses continued treating and caring for our patients in other areas of the hospital.
- Throughout the night EMS diverted 3-4 patients to PRHC, 1 pediatric patient was transferred – and 21 ambulatory patients walked in and were treated.
The Hospital continues to investigate the cause, however, they believe that there was a fault that shut off the pre-heat controls within the air handling units, causing cold air to circulate and freeze the heating coils, ultimately causing them to split. This resulted in the majority if the ER being flooded.
Engineers are onsite this morning assessing the heating system within the ER and CT Scan area.
