Focus: Disaster Resilience

Fla. nursing home says Irma deaths not staff’s fault

Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills sends letter to Congress says staff could't overcome lack of power to the central air conditioner


A Florida nursing home under investigation for the deaths of 13 patients after Hurricane Irma sent a letter to Congress saying the staff members did everything possible but couldn’t overcome a lack of power to the central air conditioner, according to an article on The Washington Post website.

Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills attorney Geoffrey D. Smith wrote to the House Energy and Commerce Committee that employees followed proper procedures between the air conditioner losing power on Sept. 10 and when the deaths began Sept. 13. 

Smith said staff made repeated calls to Florida Power & Light, the state health care administration and Gov. Rick Scott to try to get the air conditioning power restored.

The facility’s main power never went out and employees used portable air conditioners and fans to cool the patients. There was no state law requiring nursing homes to have backup generators for their central air conditioners.

Read the article.

 

 



November 28, 2017


Topic Area: Maintenance and Operations


Recent Posts

Mature Dry Surface Biofilm Presents a Problem for Candida Auris

Multiple methods are described in the literature, but no consensus has been reached for disinfection efficacy tests against biofilms.


Sutter Health's Arden Care Center Officially Opens

With an adaptive reuse of an underutilized office building, the 70,000 square-foot facility was renovated to meet current healthcare standards.


Insight Hospital and Medical Center Falls to Data Breach

The investigation determined that an unauthorized individual accessed the network between August 22, 2025, and September 11, 2025.


The High Cost of Healthcare Violence

As workplace violence increases, healthcare facilities face mounting financial and operational disruptions- prompting legislative action.


EVS Teams Can Improve Patient Experience in Emergency Departments

A report confirmed that cleanliness of the ED was the third most impactful element on patient experience surveys.


 
 


FREE Newsletter Signup Form

News & Updates | Webcast Alerts
Building Technologies | & More!

 
 
 


All fields are required. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

 
 
 
 

Healthcare Facilities Today membership includes free email newsletters from our facility-industry brands.

Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Posts

Copyright © 2023 TradePress. All rights reserved.