In 1990, a therapeutic pool was installed in the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital’s south building, one of the only therapy pools in Elgin county.
Therapy pools are designed specifically for aquatic therapy and hydrotherapy, and the pool has been a valuable resource for many people over the past thirty years. The warm temperature of the water helps to increase blood flow and relax muscles.
In recent years, the pool was being rented out to Talbot Trail Physiotherapy, and hasn’t been used by STEGH for some time.
On July 10th, a failure in the pool system caused the flooding of adjacent, critical hospital areas, resulting in severe infrastructure damage.
Following the incident, the pool was immediately drained, and STEGH called upon a third-party mechanical engineer to assess the damage.
The report revealed that the infrastructure supporting the pool would require approximately $350,000 to repair, and even with these repairs, the risk of another flood cannot be eliminated due to the age and condition of the pool.
The constant exposure to chlorinated water has caused accelerated degradation to equipment, including damage to electrical systems in adjacent areas.
St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital and Talbot Trail Physiotherapy apologized for the delay in communication, and announced a decision has been made to close the pool.
The closure will be discussed by city council at Monday’s (Oct. 7) meeting and myFM spoke with Mayor Joe Preston, who suggests this is beyond the hospital’s scope to repair.
Preston went on to explain why the pool closure is appearing on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
We asked Preston whether the city would consider a fundraising proposal from the community to cover the expense of pool repairs.
While the therapy pool was a valuable privilege in the community of St. Thomas, safe hospital operations take priority.
“The decision to leave the pool empty was not made lightly, but was necessary to ensure both fiscal accountability and continued safe operations at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital,” advises correspondence released by STEGH and Talbot Trail Physiotherapy staff.
“The risk of a recurring leak in the mechanical room is too high and the decision to not refill the pool is made prioritizing safe operations and to ensure the highest standards of patient care within our community.”
Written by Emily Ryckman, myFM Parkside Collegiate Institute co-op student
