Several health facilities are affected by power outages. The Fleury Hospital, in Montreal, reports that elective surgeries, radiology tests and endoscopy procedures are canceled on Thursday. Outpatient clinics are also closed. In Outaouais and western Montérégie, many CLSCs are closed.
At the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the majority of the sites — including the two hospitals — have electricity. Thirty facilities are however “affected directly or indirectly” by the breakdowns, indicates its spokesperson Jean-Nicolas Aubé. A dozen residences with continuous assistance and 15 group homes are plunged into darkness. The CLSC Saint-Henri is too.
Four CHSLDs as well as the University Institute of Geriatrics of Montreal (IUGM) operate with generators. At the CHSLD Louis-Riel, the refrigerator is “not functional”. “At CHSLD Réal-Morel, the generator does not power the kitchen,” says Jean-Nicolas Aubé. Gas-powered rental fridges and freezers are on the way. » Cold meals will be served.
The CISSS de Laval indicates for its part that 11 facilities are without electricity. “Some of them don’t have a generator, but most of them are administrative sites,” says communications advisor Marie-Eve Despatie-Gagnon. The others are a supervised apartment and a resource welcoming few users, she specifies. The CISSS de Laval home care teams are currently contacting people who need electricity to operate respiratory devices or perform dialysis.
The CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal is also trying to reach its approximately 25,000 users receiving home care. “Calls are made according to their vulnerability rating, if they need oxygen, for example,” said spokesperson Christian Merciari. The establishment also says that it is in communication with private seniors’ residences and intermediate resources on its territory to help them if necessary.
Further details will follow.
No fire inside!
Public Health reminds the public never to use barbecues or combustion heating sources indoors to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Remember that carbon monoxide is a toxic, odorless and colorless gas. The main symptoms of mild poisoning are headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. More severe poisoning can cause fainting, seizures, coma and even death.
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