NJ hospital closes ER after AC breaks

NEW JERSEY - Part of a hospital in New Jersey lost air conditioning on Wednesday morning after several cooling systems went offline, forcing the emergency room to close and patients to be moved to a section of the hospital with working AC.

Patients at the Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank were moved after the AC units reportedly went "offline," with some being diverted or transferred to nearby hospitals for treatment.

"Our teams are working to make the necessary repairs to bring these systems back online as soon as possible," said Tony Perry, a spokesman for Hackensack Meridian Health in a statement. "The safety of our patients and teams is our priority. In an effort to ensure the continued comfort and care of our patients within the impacted areas, we are transferring patients to non-impacted areas of the hospital as well as neighboring HMH facilities."

Members of the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and provided six air conditioning units to help assist the hospital. 

The outage struck as the northeast is sweltering through a stretch of extreme heat this week, with a heat advisory issued for much of the region through Sunday.

"A Heat Advisory is issued when the combination of heat andhumidity is expected to make it feel like it is 95 to 99 degreesfor two or more consecutive days, or 100 to 104 degrees for anylength of time," the NWS said in a statement. "Seniors and those with chronic health problems or mental healthconditions are at an increased risk. Homes without airconditioning can be much hotter than outdoor temperatures. Use air conditioning to stay cool at home or go to a place thathas air conditioning. Check on vulnerable friends, family membersand neighbors."