Have surgeries resumed at Bellingham’s hospital after ‘water chemistry imbalance?’
Most surgeries continue to remain on hold at Bellingham’s St. Joseph hospital as it continues to work through a “water chemistry imbalance” that is impacting sterilization, though the hospital reports “good progress” was made over the holiday weekend.
The hospital reported to The Bellingham Herald last week that it began postponing most surgeries on Wednesday, Sept. 2, due to the water issue.
All surgeries have been postponed except for patients who require immediate, emergent surgery and cannot be transferred to another facility without facing a higher risk, PeaceHealth spokesperson Bev Mayhew told The Herald last week.
“We are status quo in terms of surgeries, i.e., only for those patients for whom transfer would pose a risk,” Mayhew wrote in an email update Tuesday, Sept. 8, “however, the engineers made good progress over the weekend working on and testing the various systems. We should get a better idea later today and tomorrow.”
The water chemistry imbalance affects equipment that is necessary to support the hospital’s operating rooms, particularly sterilization for operations, last week’s statement said.
The issue is on-site, as the water used is separate from water used by residents in Bellingham, Mayhew reported last week, adding that a national water chemistry expert has been hired to perform tests and determine the nature of the problem.
“We understand and appreciate the profound impact this situation has on our community, and most immediately, our patients and their families, however, we always act out of an abundance of caution to preserve our utmost commitment to patient safety,” PeaceHealth’s Northwest Chief Nurse Officer Roseanna Bell said in the hospital statement.
The hospital’s Emergency Department remains open for all patients during the closure, according to the statement, and transfers will be made when appropriate and necessary.
“Our high standards for sterilization are designed to prevent infection and help ensure the safest care,” Bell said in the statement. “We are giving our full attention to resolving this problem as quickly as possible and return our operating rooms to full capacity. Simultaneously, we are evaluating a variety of back-up plans and longer-term strategies to help minimize future disruptions.”
The hospital intermittently has had to postpone surgeries the past few weeks because of the same issue, Mayhew told The Herald, but she reported that most scheduled surgeries during that time have been performed.
