For Immediate Release
November 4, 2003
Nurses go to court for independent testing
in mould clean up at the Foothills hospital
The Calgary Health Region continues to block independent verification of toxic mould testing and remediation at the Foothills Medical Centre. The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) is going to court on November 6 to seek protection for nurses who have been experiencing rashes, nosebleeds, respiratory and other symptoms. The Region has announced an action plan for further testing and clean up of the affected dialysis unit at the hospital but it fails to address all of the nurses’ concerns.
“We approached the Region with four specific suggestions on their action plan, including that they begin the clean up as soon as possible and allow our expert representative to conduct independent tests before, during and after,” says UNA Foothills Vice President Michelle Senkow. “The Region refused our requests and in order to assure the protection of nurses we have asked the court to intervene,” she said.
“The Calgary Region took the appropriate action in closing the Airdrie school classrooms where exactly the same mould was found as at the Foothills,” says Senkow. “Why aren’t the patients and staff at the Foothills getting the same protection? We understand that there was a clean up done at the school last spring, but the problems have continued. Nurses need to be assured that the clean up at the Foothills will put a stop to the symptoms nurses have been experiencing.”
Alberta Workplace Health and Safety was conducting a joint Employee-Employer investigation and remediation process that uncovered several toxic moulds at the Foothills earlier this year. But UNA’s expert representative was blocked from independent testing. Workplace Health and Safety unilaterally stopped that process and turned remediation over to the Calgary Health Region which has also blocked outside independent testing. UNA has an application before the courts for an outside expert to conduct an air quality investigation and to reverse the decision to shelve the joint committee. That application is slated to be heard on January 12 and 13th.
“We are not waiting until January,” says Michelle Senkow. “Our members continue to be sick and action must begin immediately.”
Court of Queen’s Bench will hear UNA’s application for an interim order to allow outside expert involvement at 10:00 am on Thursday, November 6.
More than 60 Registered nurses have experienced health problems on the dialysis unit at the Foothills. Other Employees have also been affected.
-30-
| 
