All elective surgeries at a Miami VA Hospital were halted Aug. 8 after an air conditioning unit stopped working, the Miami Herald reported.
Temperatures in Miami peaked at 95 degrees the day of the incident, and as of Aug. 9 the area continues to be under an excessive heat warning issued by the National Weather Service, with temperatures projected to reach 104 degrees.
The incident is also not the first issue the Miami VA Healthcare System has encountered this summer with AC units. In late June, a broken AC unit caused the facility to move 35 patients and employees to another location while repairs were made.
"This is part of a failure to invest in the infrastructure that supports our veterans and makes for a safe workspace for nurses and all the other staff," Bill Frogameni, RN, director of the Miami VA's National Nurses United told the Miami Herald.
The Miami VA noted that it will reschedule patient surgeries as needed and has plans to move some to a separate facility, the outlet reported.
Becker's reached out to the Miami VA Healthcare System for updates on the situation and will update this story as new information becomes available.