By Micaela Marshall and Ben Bradley
Published: Aug. 11, 2024 at 7:27 PM MST|Updated: Aug. 11, 2024 at 9:17 PM MST
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley hospital has been forced to transfer patients after being without air conditioning for days, and one employee tells Arizona’s Family that it’s a sign of even bigger problems.
The St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center location near 16th Street and Van Buren has been without air conditioning since Thursday afternoon, and nearly 100 patients had to be transferred to other facilities. The hospital says a new chiller arrived this weekend, but one whistleblower says this was a disaster waiting to happen.
A nurse at St. Luke’s claims that there have been repeated issues with the building’s HVAC system for years. He told Arizona’s Family that he previously voiced concerns about what would happen if the system broke down but was never given a clear answer. When it stopped working last week, he says it was chaos because no plan was in place.
“Administration gave no direction of what to do, and it was just chaos,” he said.
This nurse says he’s worked at St. Luke’s for five years, a facility that cares for people with mental illness, many of whom are children sent by court order. He wants to remain anonymous to protect his job but says he was there Thursday afternoon when the A/C went out.
“This wasn’t just a bad luck situation this was a problem that this company has known about for many years and had refused to fix it,” he said.
He says temperatures in the building rose to dangerous levels and that some patients were still locked in hot rooms more than 24 hours after the chiller broke down. He added that insurance companies and even state officials had to step in to make sure all patients were transferred.
“They’re sitting in there for over 24 hours of temperatures almost at 100 degrees with no ice, with no answers, and they can’t even get out. They’re locked in there,” the nurse said. “These are patients that have trauma, PTSD, and to be stuck in a locked unit with no answer, direction of their safety or security, you know, adds further trauma.”
This employee says a lack of communication has left the staff in the dark. He says it’s unclear what happens to their paycheck since many are not working while there are no patients in the building.
St. Luke’s is not responding to those questions or claims that this has been an ongoing problem but released the following statement on Sunday.
“St. Luke’s Behavior Health Center began experiencing mechanical issues with the chillers that helps power our primary HVAC system at the end of last week. A new chiller arrived this weekend and is currently working on cooling the facility. However, as that process continues, and out of an abundance of caution related to the heat, we have safely relocated 98 patients to other behavioral health facilities, consistent with our patient safety protocols. As always, the health and safety of all our patients remains paramount, and we’ll work to keep our patients, their families, and the community informed as we continue to address this issue.”
Steward Health Care, which owns St. Luke’s, filed for bankruptcy in May, saying that its four hospitals in Arizona would be auctioned off. That led to an investigation launched by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes a few days later.
According to the whistleblower, the auction starts on Monday and the process has been kept under wraps. He says there’s growing concern among staff about job security.
“The biggest reason that I’m speaking up now is I got into this to advocate for patients and, you know, this going, being swept under the rug, especially after reading St. Luke’s statement to you is just unacceptable,” the nurse said. “You know, if it was their family member, their kid, they would probably feel a lot differently about it.”
It’s currently unclear when the air conditioning will be fully functional or when the hospital will be able to bring patients back. Arizona’s Family will post updates as new information becomes available.
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