UNSUNG HEROES 2022
The color coded ducts that supply heat , air , water and other services to Saint Joseph London are the heart of the hospital ’ s day-to-day operations . Pictured here is Chris Woods , maintenance mechanic , beside some domestic water heaters .
the hospital remain functional regardless of the situation and Woods is one of eight staff who step up the meet the needs .
Since most hospital equipment is electricitybased , Saint Joseph London has two electrical feeds - Kentucky Utilities and Jackson Energy .
“ The two feeds are there so if one kicks out , it switches over to the other one ,” Woods explained . “ If both go off , we have two generators to keep things going .”
Woods said hospital staff is trained to deal with such situations . In fact , most of the medical equipment has a backup battery to serve in the event of power outages and nurses are trained to know when to switch over if so needed .
“ I like to draw and take things apart . When I ’ m at home , I ’ ve always got something torn apart to fix .”
The air conditioning units and ducts to send heat and air throughout the hospital are also located in a separate room in the maintenance department , with signs indicating the flow of the water . The two huge water heaters are in another room , with a steam unit that supplies the sanitation for tools and materials used by hospital staff .
One of his biggest challenges was to repair a “ chiller ” - which operates the air conditioning units .
“ A sensor went bad - it was the oil temperature probe . The sensor is what puts cold air through the HVAC units ,” he said . “ But whenever we have a problem like that , we report it to Ronnie , the supervisor , and he chooses the plan of action we take .”
With a smile that showed the pride he takes in his job , Woods added , “ We work as a team . We ’ re a well-oiled machine .”
Saint Joseph London and Saint Joseph Berea President John Yanes credits all staff at the hospital for their dedication and desire to provide healthcare and services to the patients , their families and the staff .
“ No doubt the pandemic has given us daunting and evolving challenges . But these challenges have allowed for the incredible human spirit to overcome those challenges to serve our patients and community ,” he said . “ We are blessed to have talented , caring staff members like Chris Woods who have overcome these challenges . Chris and all the non-clinic staff are also vital in caring for our patients ”.
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