Vandalism at Foothills Medical Centre causes postponement, rescheduling of some surgeries

A small number of surgical procedures were postponed or rescheduled after someone discharged fire extinguishers in the McCaig building at Foothills Medical Centre early Tuesday, according to Alberta Health Services.

Several sprinklers were set off  resulting in contamination and flooding, AHS said.

Along with some surgeries, inpatient laboratory services were also temporarily affected.

"Some scheduled surgical procedures which required rapid lab services during surgery were delayed," the AHS statement read. 

"All cases were reviewed by our medical teams to ensure the ongoing safety of patients and most surgeries were accommodated."

The medical centre had 79 scheduled surgical procedures booked on the day. Some of those are being rebooked, while others were performed on Wednesday. Full laboratory services resumed as of 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

"We understand this is upsetting for patients and families," AHS said.  "But it was the best decision to maintain patient safety."

Calgary police confirmed that they responded to a call at approximately 6:40 a.m. on Tuesday at Foothills for reports of a person who was believed to be causing damage inside one of the buildings on the medical centre campus. 

Officers took a 31-year-old Calgary man into custody. Police said hospital security helped remove the man from the building, noting no one was harmed in the process. 

The man has since been charged with three counts of assaulting a peace officer, one count of assault with a weapon and one count of property damage over $5,000. The man is slated to appear in court on March 30.