Mattawa Hospital and Mattawa Pharmacy respond to emergency crisis at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park
When Sarah Blythe (Rx2017) woke up on June 21 she was looking forward to a day of tubing with friends at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. She had no idea how critical her skills as a pharmacist would soon be in a community-wide emergency.
That evening, as Blythe and her friends gathered for dinner, a dark sudden storm rolled in across the lake. A downburst – powerful winds that rapidly hit the ground during a thunderstorm – struck the park that evening, knocking down trees, flooding areas and levelling parts of the campgrounds.
Blythe, along with several other cars, were trapped behind a few fallen trees blocking the road to Mattawa, a small rural town in Northeastern Ontario. As they assessed the damage to try to find a way out, they encountered Dr. Patricia Ann Makuch who was urgently trying to get through to the Mattawa Hospital.
“I originally didn’t realize there was an emergency until I ran into Dr. Makuch,” Blythe says. “She mentioned Samuel de Champlain had been hit hard and that many people were being sent to the hospital.”
Using toe straps and chainsaws, the group worked together to clear the road just enough for cars to pass through. Dr. Makuch tried to call the hospital to let them know she was delayed but cell service was down.
Blythe returned home hoping emergency crews had things under control. But the next morning, she woke to a slew of missed calls from the Hospital. Cell service was still unreliable but when she finally got through, she discovered that the hospital was in a state of emergency with a higher-than-normal volume of patients and needed help.
Fallen trees blocking the road to Mattawa, Ontario. Photo credit: Sarah Blythe.
Fallen trees blocking the road to Mattawa, Ontario. Photo credit: Sarah Blythe.
Fallen and broken trees at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park. Photo credit: Sarah Blythe.
“As the owner of the Mattawa pharmacy, it wasn’t a question of if I’d open the pharmacy on a Sunday when we’re usually closed – it was how I’d get there,” Blythe adds.
The highway was officially closed and the township workers had to co-ordinate a police escort to drive in front of Blythe into Mattawa. During the 30-minute drive into town, cell service held up and Blythe was able to co-ordinate with Dr. Makuch, who was now assessing patients in a temporary triage area set up in the arena next to the hospital. Around 70 families were evacuated from the park, many with only their pets and clothes on their backs.
“These families had to leave everything behind – vehicles, clothes, medications,” Blythe says. She and Dr. Makuch quickly came up with a plan to supply every patient with a one-week supply of medications, to give them time to return home and access their own pharmacy.
Blythe and her staff member worked together to manage the workload together. They picked up the prescriptions from the physician in the arena and brought them to the pharmacy, filled them and Blythe then delivered the medications directly to the patients in need.
“It was an intense and humbling experience — a reminder of how resilient and generous our community is when it matters most,” Blythe adds.
With the internet down, billing became an issue. Blythe waived the pharmacy dispensing fees and the Hospital covered the cost of the medications, so patients had less to worry about.
“It was really scary to think what would have happened if my team couldn’t get to the pharmacy. We had backup plans if I was stuck, my pharmacy technician would’ve come in and I’d have signed off on things verbally, a rare exception,” says Blythe.
Though the pharmacy is well-stocked, it’s in a small rural town so it doesn’t carry everything. “It was sheer luck no one needed a large quantity of a unique medicine,” adds Sarah. “If they had, I would’ve submitted a request to get it in the next day.”
Looking up health cards was another hurdle, but Blythe was able to call a friend for help.
During this stressful time, she leaned on a lesson learned from a professor during her time at Waterloo Pharmacy. “Treat the patient not the lab value,” Blythe says. “This mindset helped me focus on delivering care with compassion and empathy – I was really worried about all the people in the area, if there was anything I could do to take the slightest bit of stress or worry away, I would’ve done it.”
Strong relationships between Blythe’s team and the hospital staff, including Christine Thompson, vice-president of clinical services at Mattawa Hospital and Dr. Makuch made a huge difference.
“In an emergency having a relationship already established where you know you can trust and rely on one another is key,” Sarah adds.
Emergency crews worked tirelessly day and night to evacuate people, clear the roads and manage flooded areas. The park, a major tourist attraction, will remain closed for the 2025 season. Had the storm hit a week later, children attending summer camps at the Canadian Ecology Centre would have been affected.
“I’m grateful I was able to play a small part to ease the pressure off the Hospital and the doctors,” Blythe says. “This experience gave me a new perspective. On how fragile things can be, how angry mother nature can get, how vital pharmacists are in a crisis and how strong our wonderful community is,” Blythe says.