The failed elevator at Miami Veterans Hospital injured at least 12 people in two years, according to a union of nurses called the “Death Trap.”
Union officials say the lifts at Miami VA Medical Center are suddenly several stories tall, and tend to pose a risk to injured or sick patients.
Bill Frogameni, a registered nurse at the hospital and registered nurse at the United Miami VA branch of national nurses, Miami Herald On the saddling conditions.
He lamented that the centre should be a place of healing, and there should be no Death Strap elevators.”
All major elevators in the 12-storey hospital experienced issues during the 2023 assessment obtained by the Herald.
The building, which has been around for almost 60 years, has been plagued by structural issues for many years, including air conditioning and roof leakage issues.
The VA previously claimed that all the issues had been resolved, but some hospital employees are also suspicious and wary of the elevator and patient safety for themselves.
Some reported that the elevator dropped several stories while still inside for the past few years. At least one worker has had a “career-end” job that requires back surgery due to a fall in elevators, according to Frogameni and Eurys Gamez, registered nurses and union safety officers. The injury was cited.
Additional employees told the Herald that the elevator suffered an ankle injury after dropping multiple stories.
At a recent meeting, VA management officials ensured that employees are working on a long list of safety concerns. Among the work amendments, authorities allegedly instructed the delivery person to not put pallet jacks in elevators that could handle certain weights, according to Jeffrey Jones, local branch president of the Miami VA Federation of Government Employees. . .
Frogameni and Jones are working with the union to monitor the situation to ensure no further problems arise.
“This is a safety topic that needs to be addressed right away,” Jones said.
In 2023, the Miami VA was hit hard with South Florida's hottest summer record. It spent thousands of dollars on an ancient HVAC system that was closed in the middle of a heat wave. This required the hospital to temporarily stall elective surgery and move patients out of their room.
As air conditioning issues continue, the VA estimates that until 2027, all aged equipment will not be able to be replaced, including chillers and more than 12 broken air handler units.
“There are many issues in this whole building: electrical, plumbing, roofs, leaking roofs, etc. There are all kinds of issues with the building. But we are now the most people are injured in the elevator. We focus on the key parts,” Gamez said.
The elevator horror stories range from short dips to full-on plummets.
One employee and another colleague said that after taking the patient to one of the medical beds, the elevator dropped about eight stories “like a free fall” before it stopped and bouncing off.
All elevators are now “going well,” the Miami VA told the Miami Herald in a statement.
Still, neither hospital workers nor patients are at ease.
“Every time you step into the elevator, it's like playing Russian roulette,” Games told the outlet. “Would you take me where I need to go, or are you going to stop by me and I'm going to get hurt?”
