Patients uncertain of options after St. Thomas hospital closes longtime therapeutic pool [Video]

The closure of a long-time therapeutic pool at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital (STEGH) has left the patients who used it unsure of their next steps.

On Tuesday, hospital officials announced that the saltwater pool, drained last month following a flooding incident, would remain dry, saying in a statement that the move was to “ensure continued safe operations at our hospital.”

“Everyone’s wondering what they’re going to do, because there’s no alternatives,” said Rob Viscontas, referring to those in his hydrotherapy class. More than 700 people used the pool every month.

“There’s no heated pools in the St. Thomas area that does this… There’s people way off worse than I am, but I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s a weird situation.”

In a statement, the hospital said a flooding incident on July 10 impacted “critical hospital infrastructure,” including a mechanical room, and an engineering report found that extensive equipment and mechanical upgrades …