'It's a torture': Patient wants fix for hospital sidewalks

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A patient at The Moncton Hospital is asking for the City of Moncton to fix what she says are dangerous sidewalks around the hospital.

Ursula Von Schroetter, 85, has been in the hospital recovering since February after suffering an aortic aneurysm. Now in a wheelchair, Von Schroetter has noticed the potholes, divots, and uneven sidewalks when her family members push her around outside the hospital. 

When the weather is nice and Von Schroetter wants to leave her hospital and get some fresh air, she asks her family to take her for a walk.

What she didn’t expect were the bruises from jostling around in the wheelchair as it rolled over the gaps and bumps in the pavement, and feeling like she was going to be catapulted from her seat. 

“It’s a torture,” she said. “There’s not one metre without a hole.”

She also fears for the safety of other patients with wheelchairs and walkers who use to sidewalk to access the facility, or for those who want to go on walks to get out the hospital. 

Mira Dietz Chiasson, Von Schroetter’s granddaughter, said she gets winded and tired from struggling to push her grandmother’s chair over the holes and piles of gravel. 

“It’s really easy to get the wheel caught in that and skid a bit,” she said. “For someone who’s recovering it’s almost even more important to have that access to the outdoors.”

In some cases, Dietz Chiasson has to navigate curbs and step onto the road where there is oncoming traffic. 

Dietz Chiasson and her grandmother also fear for the safety of other patients with wheelchairs and walkers who use to sidewalk to access the facility, or for walks for those who want to go on walks to leave the hospital.

“You don’t want to spend all your time in the hospital. It’s not the best environment to be in,” she said. 

Dietz Chiasson has sent an email to the City of Moncton outlining their concerns, and asking for the sidewalks to be repaired. She has received a response saying the city will look into it. 

City spokesperson Isabelle LeBlanc said in an email the city has received one report about the area around the hospital. 

“It is being prioritized by our crews,” LeBlanc said, but noted she did not know where it was on the list to receive repairs. She added there is a section of sidewalk in that area with debris that is going to be cleaned. 

LeBlanc said the city’s current 2024 capital works projects budget does not include any sidewalk renewal project in the area around the hospital.

“There are limited funds available to fix sidewalk issues according to their severity and safety concerns,” she said. “Any issue reported by the public or observed by our crews are prioritized and fixed accordingly.”

Horizon Health Network did not respond when asked if it had the same concerns about the sidewalk.