As hundreds of area residents struggle following closure in July of the therapy pool at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH), a campaign has been launched to find an alternative solution.
According to a release from the hospital, 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.
Former Central Elgin Mayor Sally Martyn has met with hospital administration but got nowhere in an attempt to re-open the pool.
The pool had been operated by Talbot Trail Physiotherapy and now owner Chris Streib believes he has solved one piece of the puzzle.
He and Martyn are on the hunt for a suitable space in the city in which to house a therapy pool.
About 600 people relied on the therapy pool and Martyn stresses they are willing to fundraise so they can continue their rehab programs.
She explains Streib is dealing with real estate agents to determine what suitable space is available.
“He had approached agents who deal with commercial buildings. He saw two or three, but they were all something like 15,000 square feet.
“And we need, you know, 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, not 15,000 for a pool and some change rooms.”
The therapy programs at the pool were keeping individuals out of the hospital, stresses Martyn.
“And what’s happening with these people is they are going to end up in the emergency department more than they would if they were getting this treatment.
“So it’s keeping people out of the hospital. It’s a benefit to the hospital to do this, but yeah, they don’t want to do it. No, they’re not. They’re absolutely not going to change.”
The matter was discussed at a city council meeting in October.
Mayor Joe Preston explained why the matter came to council.
“It’s on our agenda to discuss, because many people don’t understand that the city does not control the hospital spending.
“We help, we meet, we talk about growth, we share with them our plans a lot, but this is a decision (to close the pool) by a board of directors at the hospital.”
myFM asked Preston whether the city would entertain a fundraising proposal from the community to cover the expense of pool repairs.
“If a great group of people came together on a huge project to save the therapeutic pool, we would certainly listen.
“We would like it to be there, but we don’t know what our role would be. It’s truly up to the hospital, not the city.”
If you have a lead on a suitable space, give Sally Martyn a call at 519-775-2292.
