Prince County Hospital hemodialysis unit to close temporarily for renovations

A hemodialysis unit in Prince County Hospital will be closing temporarily for renovations, which are needed in part due to high humidity issues in the space.

Officials with Health P.E.I. say the humidity issues have been fixed, but cupboards in the unit need to be replaced due to moisture damage caused by high humidity and manufacturing problems.

The closure is expected to take place over a two-week period in either December or January, and will mean some patients will have to travel farther for treatment.

Tignish resident Greg Gavin is one of those patients. He regularly receives dialysis at PCH. He was told that Western Hospital cannot treat him during the closure, and that he must seek treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown.

"Most days after my treatment I feel very tired and just completely drained, and now I gotta drive an extra two-and-a-half hours to get home," he said.

Spencer MacDonald, the manager of the provincial renal program, said re-distributing patients and staff between QEH and Western Hospital is not an easy task, but they will do their best to ensure the transition is smooth.

"It’s not ideal,” he said. “But because of the nature of dialysis, this is how we have to do it, and we have to ensure that it's safe for all the patients to get their treatments."

Liberal MLA Hal Perry recently raised concerns about the PCH dialysis unit on social media. He said families and staff have complained to him about issues such as mold, high humidity and water leaks.

"The humidity is so high that the floors are slippery, there's moisture coming off the windows and doors where they have to put towels just to catch it," he told CBC News of the complaints he has heard.

"It's unsafe working conditions, it's unsafe care environments for the patients and it's disruptive to patient care."

Health P.E.I. says there hasn't been leaks, and that there was a small bit of mold at one point, but it was quickly dealt with.

MacDonald said upgrades to the ventilation system and dehumidifiers placed in the unit have helped address concerns about slippery floors.

"I feel that we've done a lot of good work to ensure that the unit is comfortable for patients coming here every day, and safe for staff to work in."

MacDonald said this closure will be solely to replace the millwork.