Contacts:
Kristen Bernier, Director of Marketing and Communications
(603) 354-6921, or email: kbernier@cheshire-med.com
Mark Howard, Fire Chief, City of Keene
(603) 757-1862, or email: mhoward@ci.keene.nh.us
Cheshire Medical Center heating system malfunction leaves medical center without heat and hot water
KEENE, NH - At 10:24am this morning there was a malfunction in one of the boilers of the heating system of Cheshire Medical Center (Cheshire), causing damage to the venting system and the chimney which exhausts the furnace. The event led Cheshire facilities staff to engage Keene Fire Department (FD), which immediately began the process of assessing damage. No injuries occurred in the event.
Cheshire Medical Center inpatient area of the facility is currently without heat and hot water. As a result of the lack of heat and dropping temperatures overnight, the medical center has been put on diversion and all inpatients are being evacuated and relocate to the nearest facility appropriate to acuity of each patient.
With the assistance of the State of New Hampshire, a portable boiler has been located which is en route to Keene to get the medical center back to full operations as soon as possible.
All procedures scheduled at Cheshire Medical Center for tomorrow are suspended and will be rescheduled.
The outpatient clinics of the medical center are located in the north side of the facility which has a separate heating system. All ambulatory clinics in that area of the medical center will continue normal operations.
Patients with questions regarding appointments scheduled for tomorrow, April 26, can call the dedicated help line at the medical center at (800) 649-0891. Cheshire Medical Center will also post updated on facebook and twitter and continue to provide updates through the media.
Cheshire Medical Center is a Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health affiliate providing the communities in the Greater Monadnock Region a continuum of care spanning primary care and specialty medicine, to surgical services and acute inpatient care. For 125 years, the nonprofit Medical Center has been caring for the health and wellness of the local community through clinical and service excellence, collaboration, and compassion for every patient, every time. To learn more, call 603-354-5400 or visit cheshiremed.org