Preparations for the next phase of work at Lloydminster Hospital to replace the main air supply lines and lower level ducting is now under way.
Those were impacted by a flooding event June 9. The HVAC system is now operational and the custom ordered ducting and supplies are to arrive over the next week. Installation will start as soon as possible; the completion date is expected to be later this summer.
David Fan, CEO of Prairie North Health Region is reporting air temperature and air quality as excellent. According to a health region news release, fresh cool air is again being delivered throughout the hospital via the facility’s in-house heating, ventilation and air conditioning system and temporary ducting that bypasses the damaged lines.
“Air quality test results from July 14 show no fungal spores detected, or very low spore counts well within acceptable ranges,” Fan explained. “According to our air quality experts, this is a real achievement, considering that outdoor spore counts were very high. We have also installed special filters to deal with smoke in the air from wildfires in British Columbia.”
He adds that “guided by our experts and the work of our staff, our efforts to ensure a safe, comfortable environment for patients, employees, physicians and all those who visit the hospital, have produced tremendous results in this difficult situation.”
The health region adds that staff and patients may hear the sounds of jackhammering over the next week, as removal begins in the basement crawl space of concrete to facilitate replacement of the damaged ducting. The areas most likely to be impacted are the laboratory and medical imaging departments.
“We’ll be doing as much as we can to mitigate the noise,” Fan stated, “including installation of sound barriers, scheduling of the jackhammering outside of regular daytime service hours, and performing the work over brief intermittent periods of time. “We’ll be monitoring the situation as well and responding as appropriate,” he said.
Precautions will be taken to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the new ducting to be installed.
“Once again, we express our appreciation to our contractors and staff for their leadership and action in dealing with this crisis situation for the past month and a half. Your efforts and expertise have been invaluable. We also ask for the continued support, patience and understanding of our staff, patients, physicians and public as we work toward full restoration of our HVAC system,” said Fan.
