Northport VA reopens 3 operating rooms

Three operating rooms reopened at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center Monday. As News 12 has reported, officials shut down all five of the facility's operating rooms in April after black

News 12 Staff

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Jun 7, 2016, 6:33 AM

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Updated 3,119 days ago

Three operating rooms reopened at the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center Monday.

As News 12 has reported, officials shut down all five of the facility's operating rooms in April after black particles were discovered falling from air ducts.

Lawmakers say the facility still has problems that need fixing, and two operating rooms remain closed.

Northport director Philip Moschitta says workers needed to install new filters in the air ducts, which were leaking rust particles.

Rep. Steve Israel says that the Northport facility deserves more work because the population of veterans on Long Island is growing and aging.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, who sits on the Veterans Affairs Committee, says the entire VA system can improve.

"For those that should be up higher on the priority list, they should get done faster...It's an important message to send to our veterans," Zeldin says. "They deserve it and need it."