Since its opening, in May 2004, the Centre de médecine de plongée du Québec has provided essential and innovative emergency response and care services for professional and recreational divers all over the province. 

The Centre’s mission is to provide expert medical information and advice to the diving community, as well as to assist in emergency planning, prevention of diving injuries, medical evacuation and chamber operation.  

The CHAU Hôtel Dieu de Lévis was selected to host the Centre de médecine de plongée du Québec. The centre, equipped with a hyperbaric chamber, is operated by a medical team of eight hyperbaric doctors and one emergency planning coordinator.

The 8 level II certified hyperbaric doctors are available 24/7 to provide telephone assistance to supervisors and divers during the intervention or evacuation process. They also provide telephone assistance to chamber operators during treatments, as per the Regulation respecting the professional activities that may be engaged in by a hyperbaric chamber operator.

The Centre also provides diving contractors with the services of an emergency planning coordinator, who will help them with their emergency planning, provide a list of all the emergency services available, structure and coordinate the evacuation and transport of divers by ensuring the continuity of care throughout the emergency situation, and apply the appropriate protocols and procedures.     

Professional and recreational divers are exposed to multiple dangers, which could lead to serious injuries: decompression sickness, biochemical accidents, barotraumas and extreme environmental conditions.

The need for a rapid response to limit the damages caused by an accident prompted the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) and the Ministère de la santé et des services sociaux (MSSS) to create a medical hotline for divers and diving companies. The Hôtel Dieu de Lévis was selected to host the Centre and this hotline service. Other services related to diving medicine will also be provided at this new Centre de médecine de plongée du Québec.  It is equipped with one hyperbaric chamber, and a complete team of doctors and technicians provides the necessary support.

• The emergency hotline service is available 24/7;
• The team has eight level II certified hyperbaric doctors and one coordinator for emergency procedures.