By Jeff Wardon, Jr., Assistant Editor

A Chicago hospital recently was forced to evacuate its inpatient unit after its air conditioning system failed during a heat wave, pushing indoor temperatures to 90 degrees, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. All 45 patients at Weiss Memorial Hospital were discharged or transferred, and new admissions and surgeries were stopped. 

Outpatient services and the emergency room remain open for walk-ins, but ambulances were redirected. Hospital officials blame the failure on years of deferred maintenance and say the $250,000 repair adds to the organization’s existing financial strain. Repairs could take up to two weeks, they said. 

Summer temperatures can quickly make healthcare facilities hotter without a working HVAC system. It is critical to keep patients and staff safe in the event of an HVAC system failure so they do not succumb to heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke.  

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The condition occurs when the body can no longer control its temperature, which causes its temperature to rise rapidly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends these tips for first aid: 

• Move the person to a shaded, cool area and remove the outer layer of clothing. 
• Cool the person quickly by placing them in a a cold water or ice bath or placing cool, wet cloths on the head, neck, armpits and groin. 
• Circulate the air around the person to expedite cooling. 

HVAC systems are also crucial to maintaining consistent temperatures and humidity levels in healthcare facilities so patients are comfortable and recover, Michael Daly, chief technology officer at ECM Technologies, told Healthcare Facilities Today. 

“It has been demonstrated that patients in well-controlled environments generally show more rapid physical improvement than those in poorly controlled environments,” Daly says. “HVAC systems play a vital role in controlling transmission of airborne infection. In many cases, proper air conditioning is viewed as an important factor in patient therapy.” 

Jeff Wardon, Jr., is the assistant editor of the facilities market.