The boiler system is up and running again at Chatham-Kent’s hospital, after temperature issues forced the cancellation of dozens of elective surgeries.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance said it experienced several unexpected infrastructure challenges over the last several days due to operational issues with its boiler system at the Chatham site.
The surgical program was the most significantly impacted, with reduced steam capacity limiting the hospital’s ability to sterilize surgical instruments. As a result, CKHA was forced to cancel around 75 elective surgeries over the last two weeks.
However, thanks to the efforts of the Medical Device Reprocessing team and the Operating Room staff, along with support from Bluewater Health and Erie Shores HealthCare to sterilize instruments, CKHA was able to complete 75 per cent of all planned elective procedures.
“This was a challenging time for our organization, and it highlighted the dedication and professionalism of our people,” said CKHA President and CEO Adam Topp in a news release. “I am grateful to our surgical physicians, anesthetists, operating room team, Medical Device Reprocessing department, and frontline staff, who continued to deliver care with compassion and commitment.”
A temporary boiler system is now in place at the hospital, and all systems and operations have returned to normal.
“As a healthcare organization serving our communities in an aging facility, we know that strong infrastructure is essential to safe, high-quality care,” said Topp. “We have a long-term capital and infrastructure plan in place that will guide our future investments. This experience reinforces the importance of that work, and we remain committed to strengthening our facilities for the future and seeking the necessary financial support to do so.”
