A sudden, several-story malfunction elevator injured at least 12 people in Miami’s Veterans Hospital in two years, according to the nurses’ union.
Miami VA Medical Center “should be a place of healing. Registered nurse Bill Frogameni, who works at a veteran hospital and director of the United Miami VA branch of national nurses, told the Miami Herald in a telephone interview. He said: National Nurses United represents thousands of nurses at 23 VA facilities.
Patients and workers use elevators to travel through the 12-storey hospital at 1201 NW 16th St in Miami. Also, all major hospital elevators in Miami VA have been inadequate or critical condition when the Miami Herald obtained through federal public record requests during the hospital’s latest 2023 evaluation. was listed as being in.
The VA told the union that all the defects have been addressed, but employees at some hospitals say they are concerned about the safety of patients and employees.
According to Frogameni and Eurys Gamez, registered nurses working at Hospitals, several employees reported dropping several floors in the elevator, and at least one worker had reverse surgery He suffers from a “career-ending” injury that requires him. “I am in the Psychiatry department and the union safety officer.
Another employee told the Herald that an elevator suddenly fell on several floors resulting in an ankle injury.
Employees with recent injuries know that happened in late 2024, but the union says the issue has been going on for years.
The veteran, who worked in a hospital for over five years as a health technology, was scared about two years ago in one of the hospital’s elevators.
The employee and another colleague had just taken the patient to one of the upper medical beds. The elevator suddenly stopped while trying to return to the ER on an empty stretcher. The employee who then asked not to name it to protect the employment said it turned out to be about eight stories “like a free fall” before it got stuck. The elevator eventually stopped on the first floor.
According to Miami VA president Jeffrey Jones, VA administrators have been working to address safety concerns at a recent meeting, and are not allowed to put pallet jacks in elevators that can handle certain weights. He said he instructed him not to provide items. Local branch of the United States Federation of Government Employees. An union representing thousands of federal workers across the country, including over 1,000 people from the Miami VA.
Both Frogameni and Jones say the union is planning to monitor the situation and ensure that the issue is resolved for patients, visitors and workers.
“This is a safety topic that needs to be addressed right away,” Jones said.
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According to employees, the breaking elevator is just one of many problems with the aging Miami VA built in 1967.
The Miami VA spent thousands on the elderly HVAC system that meltdowns in South Florida’s hottest summer in 2023, causing hospitals to temporarily stall elective surgeries and replace some patients from the room I did. VA is working to install new chillers and ensure that work will be completed by 2027 to replace or repair more than 12 air handler units within the hospital building.
“There are many issues throughout this building, such as electrical, plumbing, roofs, leaky roofs, etc. There are all kinds of issues with the building. But Gamez, who was temporarily trapped in the elevator about two years ago. He said:
Details: Why are nurses protesting in the VA? “If you’re looking after veterans, you need to invest.”
In a statement in an email to the Miami Herald, the Miami VA said that all of the elevators are “going well” but did not answer questions about injuries or incidents to those trapped inside the elevator.
“When elevator issues arise, Miami VA Medical Center is working to deal with them right away,” VA spokesman Mary Cayrutan said in an email when asked about malfunctioning elevators. All hospital elevators “we are steadily adhering to and adhering to current elevator safety standards.”
Veterans Hospital told Miami Herald’s partner CBS News Miami last month that its construction services staff “conduct regular inspections and maintenance to ensure compliance with all safety and regulatory standards.” Ta.
Hospital employees said Herald spoke. They are skeptical of the fixed elevator and say it’s common to hear about a colleague who is stuck in the elevator or plunged into several floors.
“Every time you step into the elevator, it’s like playing Russian roulette,” Games said. “Would you take me where I need to go, or are you going to stop by me and I’m going to get hurt?”
