Hospital opens extra ward - Crewe Chronicle

LEIGHTON Hospital at Crewe is planning ahead for the traditionally busy winter months by opening an additional ward.

Ward 11 has opened its doors to provide additional beds to help deal with the anticipated extra patients admitted during colder weather.

People are more likely to catch cold or flu in winter, leading to an increase in the number of elderly patients admitted with respiratory problems. The cold weather can also cause other serious health problems – like heart attacks, stroke, and pneumonia.

The plan is for the ward to be open to March, enabling the rest of the hospital to function as normal during these traditionally busy months.

Illinois: Governor Blagojevich urges people to prepare for dangerous cold temperatures

More deaths caused by cold temperatures than by tornadoes, floods, lightning combined

SPRINGFIELD – With cold temperatures already chilling much of Illinois, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich today urged Illinois residents to begin preparing for even colder temperatures that can prove deadly. The Governor’s cold-weather safety advisory came as the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service prepare to kick off the annual Winter Storm Preparedness Week Nov. 16-22. The preparedness week is part of the Governor’s annual Keep Warm Illinois campaign.
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According to the National Weather Service (NWS), extreme cold led to the deaths of 75 people in Illinois over the past 12 winters. During that same period, 25 people died in tornadoes or severe storms, 17 deaths were caused by snow and ice storms, 14 died as a result of flooding, and lightning caused 12 deaths in Illinois.

Governor Rod Blagojevich may be spared some exposure to that deadly cold, since that very week, he'll be in sunny Los Angeles fighting global warming

Calling for collaborative action across the globe in our fight against climate change, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the U.S. governors that will be joining him as co-hosts of the Governors' Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles on November 18 and 19.
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The U.S. governors co-hosting and who will be in attendance at the summit are Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle.