Kerry urges
probe of unsanitary
conditions at VA
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/03/kerry%20urgespro.html
Senator John F. Kerry
this afternoon urged the
inspector general at the
Department of Veterans
Affairs to investigate
sanitation standards at
VA hospitals, following
reports this week that
facilities in Florida
and Tennessee rinsed,
but did not disinfect
equipment used in
colonoscopies.
As many as 9,000
patients may have had
invasive procedures with
contaminated equipment,
potentially exposing
them to infectious
diseases including
hepatitis.
“The Veterans
Administration has
inherited a tragic
situation, and a full
review is needed so we
can find out how this
happened, correct the
situation, and make sure
it never happens again,”
Kerry said in a
statement. “The Obama
Administration has
already been a breath of
fresh air. They’ve taken
responsibility. But it’s
our job in Congress to
make sure we’re doing
our part to meet the
needs of veterans and
cooperation is essential
to fulfilling President
Obama’s commitment to
increasing the quality
and delivery of care in
our nation’s veterans
hospitals. Every veteran
in this country should
be confident in the care
they are given so these
brave men and women can
focus on their families
and their futures. I
never want any veteran
to fear for their care
when they go in for
tests at the hospitals
we built to serve them.”
Congressman Kerry's
letter is below:
Dear Inspector General
Opfer:
I applaud the
selection of General
Shinseki as Secretary,
and I am encouraged
already that President
Obama has proposed a
budget for healthcare in
the Department of
Veterans Affairs that
will expand the
eligibility of services
to thousands of
previously unqualified
veterans.
Still, we know that
the quality of care for
our veterans is not yet
at the high standard
President Obama has set,
in large measure due to
problems the
Administration has
inherited. I am
particularly alarmed by
the recent reports
regarding the use of
unsterile medical
equipment at VA
facilities.
Recent reports
indicated that up to
3,000 patients at a VA
hospital in Miami,
Florida may have had
colonoscopies with
equipment that was not
properly sterilized and
that a VA facility in
Tennessee did not
utilize properly
sterilized equipment
when performing this
same procedure and may
have exposed upwards of
6,000 patients to a
variety of infectious
diseases, some of whom
have now claimed to be
infected with Hepatitis
C.
The timing and extent
of these two exposures
are troubling to me. The
second exposure in
Miami, Florida leads me
to believe that proper
steps may not have been
taken in light of the
incident in
Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Accordingly, I ask
that the Office of
Inspector General
conduct a thorough
review of this matter.
The review, at a minimum
should address the
following critical
questions: What actions
did the Department of
Veterans Affairs take
when the VA learned that
patients at the
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
facility may have been
exposed; exactly how
many other facilities in
the VA healthcare system
conduct colonoscopies;
and what steps are being
taken to ensure that
veteran’s are not
exposed to this level of
risk in the future.
We all agree that
care and commitment to
our nation’s veterans
must be our top
priority, and that they
deserve better than
this. As you do, I
understand well the
importance of ensuring
that they have faith in
the VA healthcare
system. In order to
maintain that faith it
is of the utmost
importance that a quick
and thorough review be
conducted.
Thank you for your
serious consideration of
this request and I look
forward to hearing back
from you regarding this
matter.
