Tséhootsooí Medical Center

June 21,2024

FDIHB Message to the Community

Tséhootsooí Medical Center Air-Cooling System Failure

Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) is experiencing a facility-wide air-cooling system failure that occurred Sunday evening, June 16, 2024. With the safety of our patients and staff as our top priority, it was decided to close several services, including outpatient, inpatient and administrative services, June 19-21, 2024.  

TheFort Defiance Indian Hospital Board, Inc. (FDIHB) employees who work within theTMC facility, not associated with mission-critical activities were dismissed on administrative leave from June 19-21, 2024. This excludes FDIHB employees who work in offices outside the TMC facility.

Critical services, including the emergency department and pharmacy, continue to operate at regular hours. Therefore, please expect longer wait times at the EmergencyDepartment and the possibility of being transferred to another facility if extensive services are required.

Our facility's cooling system is complex; specialist technicians have been on site since Tuesday afternoon to repair it. Early this morning, one air-cooling unit was restored, and a mobile cooling unit arrived on-site and is currently being brought online. Though significant progress has been made, restoring our system safely to regular, comfortable conditions for patients and employees will take time; this influenced the decision to extend the hospital closure to Friday,June 21. Once the cooling system has been fully repaired and all quality and safety measures for clinical services are met, all services will be restored.

 Services are expected to resume on Monday, June 24, 2024, dependent on no complications arising during the weekend. Please visit our website (fdihb.org) and social media platforms for continued updates.

We sincerely apologize for the disruption in the delivery of health care services to our patients and community. Our clinical departments are working to provide rescheduled appointments for patients whose care have been impacted.

TMC would like to thank our community for your understanding, and also would like to thank our employees who have been working around the clock to manage temperatures, modify operations, maintain critical equipment and continue to deliver essential services. We have activated our incident command system (ICS)to manage the situation; this will include a post evaluation and action plan to ensure mechanical events are avoided in the future.

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June 20, 2024 | Public Announcement                                  

Tséhootsooí Medical Center (TMC) facility-wide cooling system failure UPDATE:

TMC Outpatient/Inpatient & Administrative Services CLOSURE EXTENDED to Friday, June 21, 2024

FORT DEFIANCE, AZ—Due to a facility-wide cooling system failure and hot weather, the CLOSURE of all Outpatient & Inpatient Services and Administrative Services at Tséhootsooí Medical Center has been extended to Friday, June 21, 2024.

The following services will remain OPEN at Tséhootsooí Medical Center.

• Emergency Department: Expect possible increased wait times and being transferred to other facilities for services.
• Pharmacy: Regular services & hours (including Medication Pick up & Refill). Please utilize the Emergency Entrance.
• Mobile Health Services: Thursday, June 20, 2024, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Lupton Chapter, Lupton, AZ.

Our staff will contact patients directly with scheduled appointments during the closure to reschedule. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Our top priorities are the safety and comfort of our patients and staff, and we are working diligently to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Nihi Dine'e Ba Wellness Center (Fort Defiance, AZ) & Nahata'Dziil Health Center (Sanders, AZ) are unaffected by this event and will continue regular services and hours.

Please visit our website (fdihb.org) or social media platforms for updates. We are committed to restoring full service and look forward to serving you again soon. Thank you for your cooperation.

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June 19, 2024 | PublicAnnouncement                                

Tsehootsooi MedicalCenter (TMC) facility-wide cooling system failure UPDATE:

TMC Outpatient &Administrative Services CLOSED Wednesday & Thursday, June 19 – 20, 2024

FORT DEFIANCE, AZ—Due toa facility-wide cooling system failure and hot weather, all Outpatient andAdministrative services at Tsehootsooi Medical Center will be CLOSED onWednesday, June 19 and Thursday, June 20, 2024. Our top priorities are thesafety and comfort of our patients and staff, and we are working diligently toresolve this issue as quickly and safely as possible.

The following serviceswill remain OPEN at Tséhootsooí Medical Center.

• Emergency Department
• Pharmacy
• Inpatient Services
• Mobile Health Services (view schedule and services at https://www.fdihb.org/medical/mobile-health-program)

Our staff will contact patients directly with scheduled appointments during the closure to reschedule.We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding and patience.

Nihi Dine'e Ba WellnessCenter (Fort Defiance, AZ) & Nahata'Dziil Health Center (Sanders, AZ) are unaffected by this event and will continue regular services and hours.

Please visit our website(fdihb.org) or social media platforms for continued updates. We are committed to restoring full service and look forward to serving you again soon. Thank you for your cooperation.

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