PHOENIX — A problem with the HVAC system at St. Luke's Behavioral Health facility led to the relocation of 98 patients over the weekend.
The facility began experiencing issues with its chillers late last week, and a new one was installed over the weekend. As of Sunday evening, the facility was still being cooled.
St. Luke's released the following statement:
"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.”
But at least one parent of a patient at St. Luke's told 12News she was never told her daughter was being moved, much less that there were problems at the facility.
“I was never informed," Sharon Barnes said. "I was never informed they would be moving her, and then I was never informed of where she actually was sent.”
Barnes said her daughter has now been in an intake facility for three days and she has concerns about the quality of treatment.
She said she got a call from her daughter before the weekend asking where she was being moved next. Barnes said she didn't know her daughter was being moved at all.
“I'm her legal guardian, and I have mental health authority, which means I'm supposed to be kept informed," Barnes said.
Monday afternoon, Steward Health Care sent an additional statement that read:
"A vast majority of our patients were safely and quickly transferred to other facilities within 24-hours but because of the highly acute nature of some of the patients, it took the efforts of our team working closely with multiple state agencies, including the Arizona Department of Health, to find other appropriate facilities for those patients. The last patient was place at 5:30 a.m., Saturday, August 10th. Every effort is currently being made to repair the chiller so we can reopen St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center as soon as possible.”
Steward Health Care is the subject of an investigation by the Arizona Attorney General into the company's bankruptcy filing. Steward filed for bankruptcy in Texas in May and also started the process of auctioning off some of its hospitals.
Steward owns four hospitals in Arizona:
- Florence Hospital in Florence
- Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa
- St. Luke’s Behavioral Health Center in Phoenix
- Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital in Tempe
That auction was scheduled for Monday but has since been postponed until Friday.
Attorney General Kris Mayes's Office said it was aware of the air conditioning issue but could not comment on the investigation.
Stay with 12News for more updates.
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