Waterford Hospital pulls the plug on water coolers

Staff at the Waterford Hospital in St. John's will have to look harder for acold drinks of water from thecoolers there.

• Time has come to replace Waterford Hospital, insiders say

Eastern Health confirmed Friday that it has begun reducing the number of coolers at the Waterford and other sites, in an effort to save money and be more environmentally friendly.

It said coolers will not be taken from inpatient units at the Waterford until a suitable alternative can be arranged.

Progressive Conservative MHA Steve Kent noted on hisFacebook page that hot weather and theWaterforddon'tmix, with the only air conditioning located onthedialysisunit.

Having water to drink is a basic human right that all are entitled to.- Mark Gruchy

"This ancient building does not have adequate air conditioning and does not have areas for staff or patients to cool off during hot weather," Kentwrote.

He saidin some areas of government, the staff chip in andget their own coolers, but that shouldn't have to happen at the Waterford.

"I'vebeen told that at other sites, staff sometimes rent water coolers and pay for it out of their own pockets," he wrote. "Maybe this is OK for office settings, but nursing units should be provided water for their residents and patients."

'Totally unacceptable'

Jerry Earle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees,alsoscoffs at the notion of staff paying for their own H2O.

"That's totally unacceptable," he told CBC. "In most modern workplaces it shouldn't be expected that working women and men would have to pitch in and purchase a water cooler. They can't pitch in and hide it away so residents can't have access to it."

Earle said he'sbeen told it's unbearable working at the hospital on hot days, addingit's unrealistic to expect peopleworking 12-hour shiftsto drag around bottled water all day.

"It's just not practical.It's not an office environment where you can have ice water, drinking water, readily available. You're out working on a unit in a patient population,continously."

Water runs brown

Mark Gruchy of the Community Coalition for Mental Healthsays lack of air conditioning is one thing, but he's told the tap water runs brown.

"The Waterford Hospital is the last place in Newfoundland and Labrador that needs anything taken from it," he told CBC."Having water to drink is a basic human right that all are entitled to.

"When you're in a state of distress and you need to recover to come back out into society, obviously not having things as basic as access to water,in a building that has temperature-regulation problems, is counterproductive to healing."

Gruchy saidthe removal of the coolers isnothing more than an attempt to nickel and dime the hospital to save a few dollars,and willhave serious human consequences.