Search Warrants Filed As Police Investigation Progresses In Deaths At Florida Nursing Home
Eleven residents eventually died after Hurricane Irma knocked out the air conditioning at the nursing home. Also, a look at the disruption hurricanes can cause to critical dialysis treatments and a look at the tough conditions for hospitals in Puerto Rico.
Miami Herald:
Hurricane Irma: First Search Warrants In Hollywood Nursing Home Case
In the days after several residents died in sweltering heat at a Hollywood nursing home after Hurricane Irma, questions abounded – as did blame. Two search warrants filed by the Hollywood Police Department with the Broward Clerk of Court’s office the week after the tragedy suggest detectives are casting a wide net for the answers: demanding visitor and patient logs, medical documentation and servers and hard drives from the Rehabilitation Center of Hollywood Hills, which tried and failed to control rising temperatures with spot coolers and fans before it finally called 911 days after Irma hit. (Koh and Ostroff, 9/28)
Health News Florida:
For Dialysis Patients, Hurricanes Are A Race Against The Clock For Survival
When Hurricane Irma slammed into the U.S. Virgin Islands, Alvin Joseph was home in St. Thomas with his wife, his oldest granddaughter and four of his great-grandkids. ... People like Joseph, whose lives depend on dialysis, are especially vulnerable during a hurricane. The machines that act as their artificial kidneys need reliable electricity and water to operate. (Mack, 9/28)
NPR:
In Puerto Rico, Relying On Luck And Enough Gas To Get Medical Care
A week after Maria, many hospitals are still shut down and the few that are open are operating with just emergency generator power. With a scarcity of fuel, dwindling supplies and disruptions to their employees' lives, hospitals say they are in crisis, laboring to provide care at a time when it's needed most. (Allen and Peñaloza, 9/28)
