Carbon monoxide (CO) was very much on the minds of people in the Saskatoon Health Region (SHR) last week.
First, the SHR provided an update on their investigation into the CO leak that took place at St. Mary's Villa on December 26.
Then they announced that CO detectors installed in a Watson facility prevented another such incident on February 18.
A final report on the CO exposure at St. Mary's Villa is expected in mid-March and will be publicly available, it was noted. But the SHR didn't want to wait until then to update people on what their investigation into the St. Mary's Villa incident has unveiled so far.
"Throughout this whole thing, we've been promising people regular communication," Shan Landry, vice president of Commuity Services with the SHR, told the Journal.
So on February 15, they issued a press release.
According to that release, every long term care facility in the SHR is receiving enhanced CO detectors for installation in their facilities. The enhanced detectors are more sensitive that typical residential monitors and are able to detect low levels of CO.
St. Mary's Villa has had 11 enhanced detectors installed since the CO leak on December 26.
Air sampling at the Villa has also taken place. Done by an independent company, they have reaffirmed that the air at the Villa is safe and clear of CO.
In the early hours of Boxing Day, several residents and staff of the Villa were transferred out of the Dust wing after exhibiting symptoms of CO exposure. There were no CO detectors in the facility at the time.
Twenty-four residents, five staff and two visiting family members were assessed and treated at Humboldt District Hospital.
Three residents, aged 89, 94 and 98 have since died since the incident. It is believed that CO exposure was one of the contributing factors in their deaths. The regional coroner's office is investigating.
"We are very sympathetic to the families of the residents who passed away," said Landry "This incident has been very difficult for staff and the community and we are working to make residents, patients, staff and families feel safe when they want into a Saskatoon Health Region facility."
One of the first things to be done following the discovery of the leak at the Villa was to decommission one of the facility's boilers which had malfunctioned.
The Villa has three boilers, Landry explained, with one used as a back-up. Right now, with the malfunctioning unit shut off, the facility is being heated with the other two, functioning boilers.
"We have two now that are in perfect working order," Landry said.
But they will be replacing the malfunctioning boiler, so that a back-up is in place again.
The SHR has been authorized to issue a request for proposal to replace the boiler and associated heating system components.
The SHR has been busy, noted Landry. The situation management team has been meeting every morning, she noted, to see how things are going on different fronts, from Occupational Health and Safety to facility mechanics.
"We're checking in on a regular basis, all the time," she said.
The critical incident review process has included interviews with over 30 staff, residents and families. These interviews will assist in the completion of the final report and with recommendations for changes and improvements related to the CO incident, the SHR noted.
Critical incident stress debriefing has and is continuing to be offered to those who need to access counselling.
This incident, she noted, is on a lot of people's minds in Humboldt and especially at the Villa, Landry noted.
"It was a very serious incident and we absolutely wish it had not taken place," she said.
It has been especially hard on Villa staff, it was noted.
"It's really been very, very difficult for the staff," said Landry.
Most are recovering now, and a number are taking time off. The SHR is providing whatever support the staff needs, Landry said.
"As they have a need, we will fill it," she said, as they recognize the importance of their staff, both now and at the time of the incident.
A debriefing was held in Humboldt two weeks ago as part of the Emergency Response review. Representatives from the SHR, emergency services, SaskPower, the Ministry of Health, physicians and other staff were there to discuss the emergency response to the CO leak and improvements that could be made to the process.
At that meeting, many kudos were apparently given to Villa staff.
"To a person, people were making it known how remarkable the staff were," said Landry.
Though the staff members were suffering some effects from their own exposure to CO, and were not entirely sure what was happening, at the height of the crisis, their first instincts were to look out for the safety of the Villa residents, Landry noted.
"That was noted by everybody," Landry said.
As they are learning from the Villa incident, Landry noted, they have been receiving calls from around the world. The long-term effects of CO exposure are not well researched, she explained, and people around the world want to see the final report on this incident.
The SHR is continuing to work with other health regions on a long term plan for the installation of CO detectors that will be hard-wired into electrical systems, enabling emergency services to be alerted automatically when CO is detected in a facility.
CO detectors save the day
Just a few hours after that press release was issued, the SHR had another CO incident to deal with.
A CO detector alarm went off at Quill Plains Lodge, a long-term care home in Watson, at approximately 7 p.m. on February 15. Employees responded immediately, and thanks to their actions and the CO detector, there was no need to evacuate the building.
SHR maintenance staff determined that an exterior vent was blocked with snow, causing a back-up of CO into the facility, triggering the detector. The snow was removed from the vent, doors and windows were opened and SaskEnergy responded within the hour to confirm no levels of CO in the facility.
One staff member who works near the heating system reportedly experienced mild flu-like symptoms but has since reported good health, the SHR stated in a news release issued February 18. No other residents or individuals have demonstrated symptoms of CO exposure.
"The employees at Quill Plains Lodge acted wisely and quickly to prevent carbon monoxide exposure, and we're so thankful for a positive outcome to this situation," said Anne Neufeld, SHR interim vice-president of finance and administration. "This event is a strong reminder to everyone in the community that carbon monoxide detectors work and that heating systems should be carefully maintained and monitored to prevent such an incident in your own homes and workplaces."
Enhanced CO detectors were installed to replace the existing detector at the Lodge on February 16.
