In an update provided on its website, Manitoba’s Shared Health says “ten patients remain in hospital today and are being cared for by teams at HSC Winnipeg, as well as at Brandon Regional Health Centre.
Of those patients, six are in a critical care unit and four are being cared for in a surgical unit. Patients, who range in age from early 60s to late 80s, are being treated for a variety of serious injuries.
On behalf of all health-care workers, we offer our condolences to the families and friends who lost a loved one as a result of Thursday’s devastating incident. We also offer our thoughts and sympathies to the patients we continue to care for and their families as well as those who responded to the scene and all care teams involved.
The response to yesterday’s incident was provincial on a massive scale. Thirteen ambulances were involved in the scene response, with crews assessing, triaging and transporting individuals to Brandon Regional Health Centre (BRHC) and other locations where they were either treated or stabilized before being transferred to HSC. Air ambulance response was also significant, with Shared Health patient transport, STARS and LifeGuard Sask Air all providing support either at the scene or for transport between hospitals from Prairie Mountain Health and Southern Health-Santé Sud to Winnipeg.
Coordination of these transfers was managed as a combined effort by Shared Health ERS care teams on the scene, the Medical Transportation Coordination Centre in Brandon, care teams at BRHC and the Virtual Emergency Care and Transfer Resource Service (VECTRS). Combined, these resources managed the transfer of 10 patients to the most appropriate location for their care needs and also coordinated the movement of 28 patients from HSC to other health regions in order to create capacity.
Additionally, surgical teams postponed approximately eight elective procedures at HSC Winnipeg and in Brandon so life-saving care could be readily provided.
We are thankful for the work of health-care workers throughout the province for their efforts over the past 24 hours. This includes our first responders and the physicians, nurses, allied health and support workers in emergency, ICU, surgery and medicine units. It also includes social workers, spiritual care and patient relations staff in Winnipeg, Brandon and Dauphin, who have worked tirelessly over the past day to support families through some of the most difficult moments in their lives.
Tragedies like this can have a significant impact on our mental health and well-being. As per our usual protocols in a situation like this, a Critical Incident Stress Management debriefing will occur to ensure supports are available for anyone on our various teams who need it. There are also a variety of mental health supports available for anyone who passed by the scene of the collision yesterday. This includes Wellness Canada counsellors, who can be reached on a 24/7 basis at 1-866-585-0445. Information on other available mental health resources are available here: Mental Health – Health Providers – Shared Health (sharedhealthmb.ca)
Prairie Mountain Health is working with the communities of Dauphin and Carberry to provide mental health supports for individuals impacted by yesterday’s tragedy. Individuals in the health region who are struggling with their mental health are encouraged to call 1-888-379-7699 to access supports.
Finally, we are grateful for the support of our various partners, who came together yesterday to aid in the health system’s response to this tragedy. Most significantly, this includes Prairie Mountain Health, where many of the patients were initially stabilized and cared for. We also thank the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and all the other health regions, STARS Air Ambulance, Brandon Fire and Paramedic Service, the Carberry Fire Department, the Neepawa Fire Department, Lifeguard SaskAir and, of course, RCMP for their help and support.”
