There is a recent article from the Washington Post about several suspicious deaths at a Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital in West Virginia:
"An investigation into the suspicious deaths of 11 veterans, who may have been given deadly insulin injections at a West Virginia VA Medical Center, is reportedly focusing on a nursing assistant who worked the overnight shift and had “improper access” to a supply room. The woman, whose name was withheld by the Washington Post, was fired from the facility last year and has not been charged. Seven veterans’ bodies have been exhumed as part of the homicide probe, which has raised troubling questions about the Department of Veterans Affairs’ health-care system. “You mean to tell me that for nine months you didn’t know what was going on in your hospital?” Sen. Joe Manchin told the Post. “Either you didn’t care, or there was a lack of competency.”
In one instance, a non-diabetic man had a progressively decreasing blood glucose, without known cause, and died shortly thereafter.
This is just the latest in a string of issues at various VA Hospitals:
August, 2019 a former VA pathologist in Fayetteville, Ark., was indicted on three charges of manslaughter after officials say he misdiagnosed thousands of patients while using drugs or alcohol.
In Beckley, W.Va., a former VA doctor is under investigation for sexually assaulting as many as 20 of his male patients, according to two people familiar with the case.
Should the VA Hospitals be overhauled? There are many other issues at VA hospitals all over the US. From USA Today:
At the Loma Linda VA Hospital the average wait time in the ED is >7 hours
Almost all VA Hospital fare worse than their civilian counterparts in patient satisfaction surveys
In 2014, the Phoenix VA came under scrutiny when it was reported that vets were dying while waiting for appointments.
Equipment sterilization issues in a Washington VA Hospital
How should this be addressed? The VA says they care for elderly, very ill, sometimes immunocompromised patients. In June 2019 the VA published information about the new Veterans Community Care Program and here are some of the details:
Veterans can work with their VA health care provider or other VA staff to see if they are eligible to receive community care based on new criteria. Veterans may elect to receive care in the community if they meet any of the following six eligibility criteria:
A Veteran needs a service not available at any VA medical facility.
A Veteran lives in a U.S. state or territory without a full-service VA medical facility. Specifically, this would apply to Veterans living in Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire and the U.S. territories of Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A Veteran qualifies under the “grandfather” provision related to distance eligibility under the Veterans Choice Program.
Is this enough? It's a start for sure. It is yet to be seen if this initiative will improve care to our vets.
As a veteran do you trust the care at the VA? Do you use the VA?
