Storm damages beleaguered Phoenix VA hospital

PHOENIX — Dozens of patients were moved, new-patient admissions was canceled and some medical procedures were postponed after a monsoon storm damaged the beleaguered Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, according to The Arizona Republic.

Don Taylor, acting associate director of the hospital, told The Republic torrential rains Monday night, along with "almost hurricane-force winds," hammered the main building's west and south sides. Damage was also reported at the Phoenix Zoo, where several trees blew down.

Hospital spokeswoman Jean Schaefer told The Republic the storm caused damage in the Intensive Care Unit, the Emergency Department, inpatient wards and other areas. She said at least 67 beds were out of service, and some patients were transferred to other hospitals.

Schaefer told The Republic most of the affected veterans were moved to other locations in the medical center, but some were transferred to surrounding community hospitals. The water impact was described as “pervasive,” affecting most hospital floors and about 40 rooms. No cost estimate was available for the damage, TheRepublic reported.

“We are not taking any new admissions,” Schaefer told the newspaper. “If people come to the ER and need admission, we’ll stabilize them and find another hospital for them.”

Closed areas of the facility will not reopen until construction work is completed and inspections are passed. Taylor told The Republic he hopes work will be done within a week.

The hospital has been the epicenter of a national controversy over veterans’ health care since April 2014, when whistle-blowers disclosed that patients had died while awaiting care in a backlogged and fraudulent appointment system, according to The Republic.