Police on Monday confirmed the 13th patient death linked to a Florida nursing home that overheated amid power outages caused by Hurricane Irma, reports the Sun Sentinel.
Ninety-year-old Cecilia Franco died early Monday morning, nearly a month after Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills' air conditioning broke for several days, and the care facility did not evacuate patients.
Mrs. Franco was married to 92-year-old Miguel Antonio Franco, one of the first eight residents to die in the overheated care facility Sept. 13, according to family attorney Albert Levin. The couple had shared a room on the nursing home's second floor.
Police are including Mrs. Franco's death as part of the criminal investigation against the nursing home, according to Miranda Grossman, a spokeswoman for the Hollywood Police Department.
As part of the investigation, medical examiners will assess deceased patients' medical records and speak with family members about their physical states to determine whether the overheated nursing home contributed to their deaths.
More articles on infection control and clinical quality:
Arkansas VA hospital under review for not updating surgical equipment cleaning processes
Erie County Medical Center finds Legionella in water supply, 1 Legionnaire's case suspected
San Diego County hepatitis A outbreak tops 480 cases