PENDLETON — CHI St. Anthony Hospital, Pendleton, reported it diverted its emergency room patients requiring inpatient admission to other locations due to equipment “issues.”

“Due to issues with laboratory equipment, we have made the decision to place the emergency room on a short-term diversionary status,” CEO Harry Geller wrote in an email Sunday, June 27, at about 10:30 a.m. “Out of an abundance of caution for patient safety, emergency patients requiring inpatient admission will be diverted to the nearest appropriate care facility.”

He said St. Anthony should be able to resume standard emergency room admissions within about 48 hours.

The hospital did not clarify what equipment was having issues or what those issues were, other than they were not related to the heat wave.

Ambulances will be diverted to “the nearest appropriate hospital,” and patients whose needs can be addressed by an urgent care facility are encouraged to go there instead.