Taloyoak emergency services moved from new health centre to old one

Nearly two weeks after a fuel spill forced a partial closure of Taloyoak’s health centre, emergency services have been moved from that facility to the hamlet’s old health centre, Nunavut’s Department of Health said Wednesday.

When the spill was announced Aug.18, the Health Department said emergency services would be available in a section of the health centre that was free of fuel fumes.

But after an increase in fuel smells was detected inside and outside the building, it was decided to move emergency services to the old health centre to ensure staff and patient safety, department spokesperson Danarae Sommerville told Nunatsiaq News.

Only emergency services will be available at the old health centre, the department stated. More services cannot be offered there because the space is shared with other Government of Nunavut offices, such as social services, income support, legal and justice, Sommerville said.

She said the old health centre is capable of handling emergent care service.

The new health centre was built in 2015 to replace the old one constructed in 1987.

The GN will notify the public when the fuel cleanup is complete and services can resume at the new health centre, the Health Department said.

Until then, Taloyoak residents are advised not to go to the health centre directly. Instead, anyone who needs health services should phone the on-call nurse at 867-561-5111.

Anyone with COVID-19 questions and who does not need treatment or vaccination can phone the COVID-19 hotline at 1-888-975-8601.

The fuel spill in Taloyoak was caused by a failure of the control system for fuel supply from the main tank outside to one inside the health centre, a GN spokesperson said last week.