Gasoline spill provides limitations to Western Nunavut neighborhood’s well being companies

The Judy Hill Memorial Well being Centre in Taloyoak, Nunavut, stays closed for normal companies practically two weeks after an oil spill happened within the recently-constructed constructing.

All well being companies have been moved to the neighborhood’s previous well being facility till additional discover, in response to a Wednesday information launch from Nunavut’s Division of Well being. 

The division mentioned a gas spill cleanup on the Judy Hill centre remains to be ongoing. The spill was first introduced by the territory on Aug. 18. On the time, the division mentioned emergency companies would nonetheless be obtainable in a part of the well being centre that is nonetheless “freed from gas fumes.”

The division additionally mentioned on the time that the neighborhood’s dental staff would be moved to Cambridge Bay till the well being centre might be introduced again to full operation.

Within the Wednesday launch, the territory mentioned well being companies will proceed to be restricted to emergencies solely.

“As soon as companies can resume on the new well being centre, the Division of Well being will notify the general public,” the discharge mentioned.

Through the well being centre’s closure, the variety of sufferers requiring switch to a different neighborhood are too few to report, mentioned Danarae Sommerville, a spokesperson for the division.

In 2021, Taloyoak’s well being centre additionally closed for a time because of flooding.

The centre normally presents full-time well being care, public well being and emergency medical companies, in addition to visiting and tele-health specialist companies.

The well being centre, in-built 2015, is called after Judy Hill, a nurse who died in a medevac airplane crash in 1972.

Nunavut’s division of Neighborhood and Authorities Providers is dealing with the gas spill cleanup efforts, however has not but offered an replace on the scale of the spill or remediation efforts.

Residents in want of companies are requested to cellphone the nurse on name at 867-561-5111, and are discouraged from going to the well being centre immediately.

These with COVID-19-related questions who don’t require remedy or a vaccine appointment, are suggested to name the COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-975-8601.