Portable air conditioners and generators help cool off Carleton Place hospital
The Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital is relying on portable air conditioners to keep things cool after an equipment failure on the hottest day of the year.
A spokesperson for the hospital told CTV News Ottawa there was no air conditioning in the hospital on Sunday afternoon, as the humidex made it feel like 40 degrees.
The president of the hospital said Monday it was because of an equipment failure.
"Just when we got reopened and were heading back into normal operations, we had a heat-related equipment failure, which was entirely unanticipated and on the hottest day of the year," said hospital president and CEO Mary Wilson Trider on Newstalk 580 CFRA's "Ottawa at Work" with guest host Patricia Boal.
Wilson Trider said the hospital's maintenance team and local contractors provided portable AC units to help cool down the hospital in the short-term while they work to repair the main unit.
"We have a generator on site and some air conditioning units to regulate the temperature. There is a part that is required that our contractor partners are working on sourcing for us. Until that part is found, we will continue with these temporary solutions in order to keep an appropriate temperature in the building," she said.
News of the broken air conditioning at the Carleton Place hospital came hours after the emergency department reopened following a 24-hour shutdown. The ER at the Carleton Place and District Memorial Hospital was closed from 7 a.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday due to a shortage of nurses.
Wilson Trider said the decision was made in the interest of patient safety, but it made her very anxious.
However, she could not guarantee it wouldn't happen again.
"In the short term, we are going to do everything we possibly can to avoid having to close the emergency department again. The reality is sick leaves happen, maternity leaves happen, and vacations, which are very, very much needed for our staff who have been working under COVID conditions since March of 2020, those are very much required. Life happens," she said.
"We don't have lots and lots of people on our roster to fill in, but we are doing our absolute best, pulling out all the stops, and certainly working very closely through our Mississippi River Health Alliance partnership with the Almonte General Hospital to do everything we can to make sure we don't have to close the emergency department again, but I can't say for certain that it won't happen."
She said she did not hear of anyone who was adversely affected over the closure this past weekend, but said she understands that it's going to affect the community.
"The people in Carleton Place rely on the emergency department, so of course they're anxious when we have to close it," she said. "It does make people anxious that they have to go another community and some people may have had to travel farther than they would have liked to for care."
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Natalie van Rooy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lack of detention space could force CBSA to release detainees, internal memo warns
The Canada Border Security Agency is scrambling to find space to hold high-risk detainees that are set to be transferred from provincial jails in June.
BREAKING American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
BREAKING Allman Brothers Band co-founder and legendary guitarist Dickey Betts dies at 80
Guitar legend Dickey Betts, who co-founded the Allman Brothers Band and wrote their biggest hit, 'Ramblin' Man,' has died. He was 80.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
Police make arrests in grandparent scam that defrauded victims out of $739K
Ontario Provincial Police say they have 'disrupted' an organized crime group that allegedly used an emergency grandparent scam to defraud seniors across Canada out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
What does it mean to be 'house poor' and how can you avoid it?
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
Calgary man charged with manslaughter in death of toddler
Calgary police say Winston Campbell, 45, has been charged in the death of a two-year-old girl in 2022.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.