Closure ‘couldn’t happen at a worse time’

BRANDON — A 78-year-old woman who has stage 4 lung cancer says she’s “frustrated and scared” knowing the hospital in Dauphin may not reopen for up to a year and that would require her to travel for treatment.

“I know it’s affected a lot of people, probably worse than me, but in my personal case, it couldn’t happen at a worse time,” said Janice Nybo, who lives on a farm a few kilometres south of Dauphin.

“I’ve been using that hospital quite a bit in the last three months.”

Severe flooding in the basement of the Dauphin Regional Health Centre, owing to a massive amount of rainfall in late June, caused a power outage and damage to its HVAC system. The building was evacuated on Canada Day. Fifty-four patients were sent to nearby health centres, including 24 patients who were transferred to the Brandon hospital.

Nybo was recently diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the right lung, a slow-growing cancer typically found in the outer region of the lungs, she said.

“I’m in a lot of pain all the time, and I’m also very short of breath all the time,” said Nybo, who uses an oxygen machine and often feels fatigued.

Eight days after a month-long stay at the Dauphin hospital in May, Nybo had to be readmitted because she was struggling to breathe.

“Now I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn’t have that hospital. I’d had to go 30 miles to Ste. Rose, and I don’t know if I’d have made it,” Nybo said.

She was flown to Winnipeg for biopsies before being discharged about two weeks ago.

Since Dauphin’s hospital has shut down, Nybo has had to drive about 30 minutes to the Ste. Rose Health Centre to frequently have her chest catheter drained, blood drawn and a few IV iron transfusions.

“What I’d like to see is a hospital working soon,” Nybo said.

Premier Wab Kinew said last week he was told the Dauphin facility may not reopen for nine to 12 months — a situation he called “unacceptable.”

He told reporters the province planned to “throw a ton of resources” into bringing the hospital back online as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said in a statement Thursday the province is “working with the regional health authorities to secure additional medical supports and expedite repairs at Dauphin Regional Health Centre so full services can be restored as quickly and safely as possible.”

Nybo acknowledged how hard nurses and doctors are working to care for patients, and that it will take time to repair the costly damages, but having limited health-care services in Dauphin is “very frustrating.”

“If you’re having a stroke or whatever somewhere, like you could be gone before you get to Ste. Rose or wherever,” she said.

She said nurses in Ste. Rose told her they are overwhelmed by the increased patient load despite having health-care staff from Dauphin work at their hospital.

The latest census data show Dauphin has a population of more than 8,000 people, with the Parkland region having nearly 45,000 people.

Prairie Mountain Health said last week that cleanup of the Dauphin hospital’s basement continues as its electrical and mechanical consultants and insurers work to determine the extent of the damage.

The health authority is waiting for final reports from its consultants, which will help guide the work to restore the hospital, including timelines to secure replacement components and restore electrical and mechanical functions.

A temporary triage clinic has been set up in the Dauphin Community Health Services building to assess patients and provide minor treatment or to send them to the closest ER in Ste. Rose or Grandview.

Ste. Rose du Lac is 40 kilometres east of Dauphin while Grandview is 45 km west.

Prairie Mountain Health said appointments with local oncologists will continue at the Dauphin Medical Clinic, but treatments for cancer patients will be moved to places such as Russell, Neepawa or Brandon.

The health authority’s CEO Treena Slate said in a statement last week she recognizes the closure has led to additional stress and uncertainty for cancer patients.

“CancerCare Manitoba and Prairie Mountain Health are actively working toward bringing cancer treatment services back to Dauphin as soon as it is safe and feasible to do so,” Slate said.

They are also working to bring laboratory and diagnostic services as close to Dauphin as possible.

All surgeries and endoscopy procedures, as well as X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI and lab appointments are being offered at other locations in the health region. Alternative arrangements have been made for maternity and dialysis patients.

Tory Dan Mazier, the member of Parliament for Riding Mountain, voiced his concerns in a letter addressed to the province and Prairie Mountain Health on Wednesday, asking them to provide a clear update on the timeline to reopen the hospital.

While in the community Tuesday, he said he was not allowed to tour the basement to assess the damage and was instead offered a virtual meeting with health officials in two weeks.

“Residents and health-care professionals facing immediate disruption should not have to wait weeks for Prairie Mountain Health leadership to engage with their elected representatives,” he said in the letter.

Mazier called for federal assistance to support the restoration of hospital services.

Nybo said she has to wait for more biopsy results before being presented with a treatment plan.

Her oncologist told her she may have to receive intravenous chemotherapy in Brandon, Neepawa or Portage la Prairie. However, if the treatment is pill-based, she can remain in Dauphin.

Adding to the stress, she and her husband have been dealing with water seepage in their basement as a result of the heavy rainfall.

— Brandon Sun