As temperatures in the Midwest and elsewhere in the country dropped to dangerously low levels, schools closed and companies told employees to stay home, hospitals took to keep their employees safe and their facilities staffed and open.
For many hospital workers, just getting into work was treacherous, especially in northern Indiana, where road conditions were so severe several counties restricted road traffic to emergency travel only. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health sent a team in "reliable" vehicles to pick up coworkers who couldn't drive, according to a report by The Journal Gazette.
Fort Wayne-based Lutheran Health Network took a different approaching, having employees report early for their shifts with duffle bags and spend the night at the hospital, according to the report.
Metro Health Hospital in Grand Rapids also gave employees the option to stay in the hospital or a nearby hotel to make travel easier, according to a MLive report.
To reward hospital employees for working in the bitter cold conditions, some hospitals offered perks to their staff: Mercy Health Saint Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids offered employees free hot drinks as a way to say thank you, according to MLive.
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