Portneuf Medical Center experiencing air conditioning outage
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POCATELLO — The central air conditioning at Portneuf Medical Center has been out since Friday and officials are working to restore it.
Patients and others have reached out to EastIdahoNews.com about the problem and one even said it has been “unbearable” to be at the hospital.
Portneuf spokeswoman Katie Damron Quayle said temporary solutions have been implemented to try and keep the facility cool. The hospital has installed more than 200 fans and 60 portable air conditioning units throughout the building to keep the temperature down.
Additionally, a temporary chiller has been secured that will be functional later in the week.
Staff members have been delivering extra fluid and snacks to the units throughout the hospital and providing additional fans as needed, Quayle said.
“While we recognize this is a challenge, patient care and safety remains our highest priority and our team is working tirelessly to make everyone as comfortable as possible while we address this unexpected outage,” she added.
Patients are still being seen at the hospital but some surgeries are being postponed.
“Out of an abundance of caution, we are reviewing every transfer request on a case-by-case basis, and in some cases diverting external transfers,” a statement from Portneuf says. “We have also rescheduled some non-emergent surgical procedures. All patients presenting at our Emergency Room will continue to be treated as needed.”
The statement also said that they regret the inconvenience this may have caused and they are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.