New Round of Winter related Deaths for veterans at Grand Rapids Home for Veterans?

In 2010, a large number of veterans died due to pneumonia and other weather related deaths. However the Veterans home marked it up as death by smoking.  Nice spin, but still not the truth.

The fact is the home was never given a smoking exemption, as promised by politicians for the veterans who lived at the home.  This forced the veterans out side. And despite there being a "designated smoking tent" put up, there was NO heat in it, because the powers that be dragged their feet, and the heaters sat on a doc for 2 months before being installed by the people who donated them. And then, the gas was not turned on until summer..

See related story here 56 Veterans Die without heat in smoking area.    

Now once again, the veterans are facing having to go out in the cold. Not because there is no heat in the smoking tent.. but because the doors that give access to it, are locked at 10 pm.

This is the smoking tent, located on the east side of the pavilion on Kozy Corners. The set of double doors leading into Kozy Corners are locked for the winter, and the 2nd set of doors that give access to the hall way, are locked at 10pm, and reopened at 6am according to what the veterans are telling me.

Now to get this into perspective, look at the map of the home.

It is being reported that at night, the guys have to go out the main Entrance, move down about 300 feet down a snow covered slippery sidewalk, and into a building with no heat, but does protect them from the wind. Oh, John told me they have a small electric heater out there, but it doesn't come close to warming the place.

Then, when the veteran is ready, he has to go back to the main entrance and push a buzzer to get someone to let him in. 

This is INSANE. These guys should never have to go outside in this frigged weather.

This is going to lead to another round of weather related deaths that the home will spin off as smoking related, instead of the real reason: Exposure.