ATLANTA — Metro Atlanta veterans were left without air conditioning amid brutally hot summer temperatures at the medical center's emergency department.
The issue happened on Thursday at Atlanta's VA Medical Center, which is located on Clairmont Road in the northeast part of the city. Officials cited that temperatures and the expansion of the department caused the existing HVAC system to break down.
The center added that they have since provided portable cooling units around the facility to bring relief to patients and staff.
It will also add an additional cooling system in the building to help the strain on the existing unit.
Officials with the hospital released a full statement on the issue below:
We apologize to the Veterans we serve at the Atlanta VA Medical Center for any discomfort due to high temperatures while recently visiting our Emergency Department. Record-breaking temperatures, combined with the recent expansion of the Emergency Department, exceeded the capacity of the existing HVAC unit.
We have temporarily deployed portable cooling units to provide relief to our patients and staff members. As a long-term solution, we are actively pursuing installing an additional cooling system to counteract the strain on the existing air handling unit. We are focusing on solving this issue, and thank Veterans for their patience while we do so.
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