Message from Canterbury District Health Board Chief Executive David Meates

None of us will forget the last two weeks and while the impact of the Saturday 4 September earthquake will continue for some time, our health services are now close to their normal level of activity. At today’s Board meeting, it was a time to reflect on what had happened and how our people and systems had responded.
The verdict was that the response had been extraordinary. As Nigel Millar, our Chief Medical Officer said, “no-one said no to anything”. On so many occasions, CDHB staff and people working in health across Canterbury put their own needs to one side to make sure others were cared for. People who were not rostered to work turned up to help. Some at the end of the day went home to no home or no running water or power and then came back to work again the next day. The response was the same from clinical and non-clinical staff – some of whom (including security, maintenance, engineering, orderlies and our emergency response team) turned up very shortly after the quake – still fearful and uncertain about the full impact of the earthquake but more concerned about the people who rely on us for their care.
Our people were outstanding and our emergency plans worked. We were in many ways fortunate that casualties were light and CDHB buildings and systems remained virtually intact. However, I have no doubt that had things been even more difficult we would have still coped.
Board members said today that they wanted to express their appreciation for the tremendous dedication of the people working across the Canterbury health system in their immediate and ongoing response to the earthquake They commended the professionalism, resilience, co-operation and compassion shown by everyone in the health sector during the state of emergency in the past two weeks and thanked those from other District Health Boards and the Ministry of Health who came to assist.
Our Emergency Operations Centre was stood down today and our attention, like that of other large Canterbury organisations, will be focussed on recovering from this event. Our Community and Public Health Division is co-ordinating CDHB’s recovery plans with the priority on the health of our community.

Coping With The Impact of The Earthquake

Unfortunately our collective nerves are still being jangled by unwelcome aftershocks. A lot of people are feeling frayed around the edges – worried about what has happened, emotional and very tired.
Even if they have not been directly affected, they may be worried about family and friends. It is definitely a time for patience and being a little more lenient on those around you.
The vast majority of people will recover from this experience emotionally but it may take a few weeks or months. A very small number of people are likely to have ongoing difficulties. If you feel that things are not settling, you should contact your General Practice for advice on how to get help. Please be aware that you can access Workplace Support through your HR advisor or line manager.
To help get through this difficult experience, it really is important to take time to look after ourselves. Many of us will feel much better simply by talking to family, friends, neighbours and colleagues about what has happened. Regular sleep patterns, if the aftershocks are not too disruptive; eating healthily,
Keeping physically active and pacing yourself will help reduce tension and anxiety. There is no set way of improving the way you feel. Whatever feels right for you will work best.

Water

Water testing carried out by ECAN and Christchurch City Council has revealed high levels of human faecal contamination in all Canterbury Rivers, river mouths and the Estuary, but minimal contamination on beaches from Taylors Mistake as far north as Woodend beach. The Avon River is particularly badly affected east of the Fitzgerald Avenue Bridge, but West of the Fitzgerald Avenue Bridge the river is at the pre-earthquake level.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Alistair Humphrey, said “This is great news for surfers who want to get out this weekend, but sadly it looks as if the estuary and the rivers will remain contaminated until all the sewerage pipes can be fixed, which could take several months. This means that shellfish and whitebait are dangerous as they will be contaminated with human faeces. Consumption could lead to gastroenteritis, hepatitis or other serious health conditions”

Community and Public Health are planning to work with kayakers, rowers and yachting clubs to consider what remedial action needs to be taken over the summer to ensure their safety. In the meantime, signage will remain in place warning of the danger of coming into contact with contaminated water.

Community and Public Health, in conjunction with ECAN, the Christchurch City Council and other local authorities monitor the quality of recreational water at several key sites and put up signage when results indicate that the water may be dangerous.

“As soon as the data indicates that human contamination is no longer occurring we will remove the signs” said Dr. Humphrey “ but if you see a warning sign please do not go in the water or collect shellfish or whitebait. The signs are there for a reason - please do not ignore them.”

Health Services
• Hospitals, GP surgeries and pharmacies are fully functional
• The Christchurch Hospital tunnel is closed
• The Emergency Department is steady
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit remains at capacity
• Elective surgery has recommenced
• All Birthing Units are open.
• Public health continues to monitor gastro illnesses in sentinel practices; no increase noted in the past 24 hours.
• The temporary respite ward at The Princess Margaret Hospital will close next week. The ward was set up to assist people who needed extra help to stay well during the state of emergency.
• The Staff Car Park has been cleared for use by our Structural Engineers and is now open on all levels and can be used fully from today onwards. There are a couple of pillars with safety fencing around them, please drive and reverse near them carefully.
• All CDHB parking charges will be reinstated on Monday 20th September.

Kind Regards
David Meates

ENDS

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