A Steward Health Care-owned behavioral health hospital in Phoenix was ordered to suspend operations by state officials Aug. 14 after temperatures inside the facility reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit, according to inspection documents from the Arizona health department.
St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center, a 127-bed facility in Phoenix, began experiencing issues with its air-conditioning system Aug. 8, according to documents from the Arizona Department of Health Services cited by ABC affiliate KNXV-TV. The facility notified the health department the next morning that its HVAC system had failed. Upon arrival Aug. 9, an officer with the health department measured temperatures inside the facility's lobby at 99 degrees.
The hospital's administration told the officer that one of the facility's chillers was non-operational and that on the afternoon of Aug. 8, the other two had stopped functioning. Officers placed the facility in immediate jeopardy Aug. 9 for failing to ensure its HVAC systems were in working order. As part of a corrective plan, the hospital was ordered to evacuate all patients and ensure temperatures are within a normal range before accepting new or returning patients.
There were 72 patients at the facility on Aug. 9, most of whom were moved to different facilities within 24 hours, a spokesperson for the hospital told KNXV-TV.
Other issues mentioned in the suspension order include health and safety concerns in the facility's kitchen and insufficient staffing. The hospital is set to appear in court for a hearing Aug. 29.
In a statement to Becker's, a spokesperson for Dallas-based Steward Health Care said it was "alarmed" by the state's decision to halt operations, and that the majority of its patients have few options for care.
"Patient care and safety is always at the forefront of everything that we do," the statement said.
"We have been actively addressing the issues cited in the enforcement action and are making substantial progress to resolve them as soon as possible. However, in the midst of statewide shortages for critical behavioral health services, it is unconscionable for the state to halt patient care without a plan in place to serve these individuals with the ongoing care that they require. They are effectively closing this hospital and causing disruption of critical services to a vulnerable population with few options for care."
St. Luke's Behavioral Health Center is part of Dallas-based Steward Health Care, which filed for bankruptcy in May and is working to sell all its hospitals. Read more of the latest updates regarding Steward hospital closures and hearings here.