No relief: Transferred patients still without AC at second Chicago hospital, families say
Families, patients frustrated after local hospitals still without AC
Two major area hospitals are still grappling with oppressive conditions after the a/c failed ahead of last weekend's heat wave.
OAK PARK, Ill. - Patients transferred out of Weiss Memorial Hospital due to a prolonged air conditioning outage were moved to another facility — one that, according to families, also lacks functioning A/C.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is now monitoring the situation.
What we know:
More than one week after it failed, there is still no air conditioning at Weiss Memorial Hospital in Uptown.
A spokesperson for Resilience Healthcare said mechanics are working around the clock to restore its cooling system. In the meantime, ambulances are being diverted to other facilities, and the emergency room is only accepting walk-in patients.
Diane O’Connell said her 83-year-old father, Harold, was admitted to Weiss on June 13 with a high fever and trouble breathing. She thought his stay would bring answers — not the wave of frustration that followed.
"It was very heartbreaking because my dad has Parkinson's, and he's perfectly present mentally, but they are so vulnerable now," O'Connell said. "I mean, I kept saying, 'How hot does it have to get before you will just move everyone out of here?'"
She said the temperature in his hospital room reached 80 degrees before he was transferred to West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park.
On June 17, the Resilience Healthcare spokesperson shared that a total of 22 patients were moved to West Suburban, while five patients were transferred to other nearby hospitals, and 18 were discharged to their homes or nursing facilities.
"Initially we were relieved because it had gotten very hot at Weiss," O'Connell said.
However, after the move, O’Connell realized the A/C wasn't working properly at West Suburban and said her father's room was even hotter than it was at Weiss.
"Right away, I learned they had put him in a wing of the hospital that was previously not being used," O'Connell said. "You know, my first reaction was, this is warmer than it was there. The highest was 88 degrees and that was for hours at a time."
She also claims her father wasn't receiving proper attention.
"I didn't realize this right away, because I'm not a nurse and I'm not medically trained, but the next morning and later that evening, we realized he actually was not getting his medication or being fed for that first like 30 hours that he was at the hospital," O'Connell said.
After bringing this to the attention of medical staff, he was provided with his Parkinson's medication, she says.
"He was really scared and angry and stressed out," O'Connell said. "And I just felt so sad and frustrated."
The family eventually had him discharged and Harold is now being treated at home.
What they're saying:
The O'Connells are not alone.
"It was so hot," said Felicia Abioke
Patients like Abioke are frustrated too. She had knee replacement surgery in May and sees her primary care doctor at West Suburban Medical Center.
"It was so hot that they took me in the back to do my vitals and then brought me back out in the waiting room where there were fans and stuff, and mind you, it was dark in the back. I said, 'You didn't pay the bills?' She said, 'Well we keep the lights low because it helps with the heat,'" Abioke recalled.
She was scheduled to start physical therapy in mid-June at the River Forest campus, but says the A/C was not working there either. Due to the uncomfortable conditions, Abioke says she's postponing PT sessions until July—in hopes the situation will be resolved.
"We don't deserve that type of treatment," Abioke said.
The backstory:
Weiss Memorial Hospital and West Suburban Medical Center are owned by Resilience Healthcare—a company that purchased the hospitals after the previous ownership group, Pipeline Health System, filed for bankruptcy in 2022.
According to a spokesperson for Resilience Healthcare, the needed parts to fix the air conditioning at Weiss Memorial Hospital have been ordered but have not been delivered. Once they are delivered, the hospital said it will take several days for the parts to be installed "given the hospital’s aging infrastructure had not been properly maintained by its many previous owners."
At West Suburban Medical Center, "the chillers are working, however, one of the units is operating below capacity and they are currently working on repairing two air handlers that require parts," the spokesperson stated.
What's next:
The Illinois Department of Public Health is keeping tabs on the situation, and issued the following statement:
"IDPH is aware of the conditions at these hospitals. We are monitoring the situation and in communication with hospital administrators. Our goal is to ensure that all patients in these hospitals are in safe condition and receiving adequate care."