Chicago's Rush University Medical Center emergency room on bypass for ambulances after air conditioning issue: spokesperson

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The emergency room at Rush University Medical Center on Chicago's West Side is on bypass, after an air conditioning issue, a hospital spokesperson said.

A chilled water line in the Tower building was temporarily down Monday morning, resulting in a lack of cooling for the building HVAC system and critical equipment, the spokesperson said.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

That has been fixed, but the damage led to a delay in cooling to the building until later Monday afternoon.

To ensure patient and staff safety, the emergency room is on bypass for ambulances, and will remain so for the time being, the spokesperson said.

Many surgeries have been canceled, as well.

Conditions in the Tower building are expected to be uncomfortable until the coolin