Pennslyvania Hospital Adds Window Film for Safety

A close call with one of the deadliest tornadoes on record has led officials at a southeastern Kansas hospital to invest in a special window film to protect against flying glass.

Nearly every window at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., was shattered when an EF-5 tornado slammed the city last May 22. Winds of more than 200 mph propelled millions of shards of glass into rooms and hallways.

The Joplin Globe reports that the tornado sirens also sounded in nearby Pittsburg, Pa. Officials at Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg decided to protect windows with security film that won’t stop them from shattering in tornadic winds but will catch and hold bits of glass.

Hospital officials say the cost for the film for 88 windows came to $54,000.