ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Probably the safest place you can be during a heat wave is inside a hospital.
Unfortunately, Wednesday morning, that was not the case for the same patients at the Missouri Baptist Hospital in west St. Louis County when one of the building’s chillers shut off.
This extreme heat wave is proving more than just a minor inconvenience. Air conditioners and chillers worked overtime to beat the heat, so much so that one of the chillers at Missouri Baptist Hospital stopped working.
The hospital acted quickly, moving several patients to Barnes Jewish West County Hospital with nursing and physician support. The hospital did not have to wait long for repairs. Within a few hours, a new chiller was brought in, and maintenance workers began installing the new chiller Wednesday evening.
In a statement to FOX 2, a spokesperson for Barnes Jewish Care Healthcare wrote, “At times like these, we are grateful for our collaboration as a system as we work together seamlessly to deliver on our promise to provide extraordinary care to our patients and community.”
The heat is also forcing school districts in the area to make changes. Francis Howell School District is sending students home early this Thursday and Friday as temps are expected to hit triple digits in the afternoon. Middle and high school students will be sent home an extra 45 minutes early.
The schedule change will also give bus drivers a short break between routes to rehydrate.
The Delmar Loop Trolley will also shut down Thursday and Friday. It will be back on track Saturday as temperatures cool off.