Florida to require nursing home generators after Irma deaths

Florida's top health care regulator, in the aftermath of the nursing home deaths that followed Hurricane Irma, says the state will "aggressively" enforce new rules that require nursing homes and assisted living facilities to have generators.

Justin Senior, secretary of Agency for Health Care Administration, on Friday explained to nursing home officials about an emergency rule that will require the facilities to have backup power that can last up to four days. Ten residents of a South Florida nursing died amid the sweltering heat in after Irma.

Senior said that Irma's changing path showed that nursing homes could not easily evacuate someplace else. He says the state does not expect to provide air-conditioning to their entire building but they must keep patients safe.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Citation: Florida to require nursing home generators after Irma deaths (2017, September 22) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-09-florida-require-nursing-home-irma.html
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