Bats Force Kilgore Hospital To Close Emergency Room Temporarily
The night time flying creature that makes us think of haunted houses, Dracula and other scary creatures has forced Good Shepherd Medical Center in Kilgore to close it's emergency room temporarily. A small number of bats have moved in to the walls and ceiling of the medical facility that is owned by the City of Kilgore. According to the Kilgore Police Department Facebook page, a statement from the hospital reads:
some of the bats have migrated to our ED [emergency delivery] area. We have reduced available rooms and portions of the ED due to the bats and have been on ambulance diversion due to the reduced capacity of the facility."
In conjunction with the City of Kilgore and Allegiance Specialty Health, management of the facility, the bat infestation is being looked at and they hope to have all the bats removed soon. In the meantime, Good Shepherd felt like it was in the patients best interest and staff to suspend certain services in the affected parts of the building. I would agree with that decision, because who want to fight off a bat in their hospital room while they're trying to fight off something else to get healthy!
This kind of thing reminds me a few years back we had squirrels that would run through our ceiling here at the radio station! You'd be in your office working and you'd hear the pitter patter of their little claws across the ceiling tiles and light fixtures! They had complete run of the building thanks to an access point in our engineering room where all the wires and computers were that kept us on the air. One day our engineer went in the room and there sat one on top of a satellite receiver for The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show! Thankfully they didn't chew up any wires and they're long gone now!