Labrador City hospital reopens after nearby fire
The Captain William Jackman Memorial Hospital in Labrador City will reopen for the first time since a major fire at an adjacent construction site forced it to close last weekend.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, the emergency room and other services, including operating rooms, labs, and diagnostic and x-ray services will be functional again.
Inpatient clients and long-term care residents will also return to the hospital.
Patients had been evacuated to a nearby church because of poor air quality caused by the blaze, which burned for nearly two days.
Labrador-Grenfell Health CEO Tony Wakeham credits the community with helping the hospital get back up and running.
“The community of Labrador West deserves praise for coming together in a time of crisis and demonstrating the real meaning of the word cooperation,” said Wakeham in a written statement.
“The successful execution of the hospital’s emergency plan was dependent on the efforts of our staff and our community partners who followed through on their commitment to help out in our time of need.”
Patients who had appointments while the hospital was closed were re-scheduled or sent to other locations.
Clients who were not contacted are asked to get in touch with the hospital next week.
