The St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center is a two-division facility that serves veterans and their families in east central Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The John Cochran Division of the St. Louis VAMC is being investigated because of possible exposure to life-threatening diseases.
The problem stems from a failure to appropriately prewash dental instruments before sterilization. According to guidelines, said Dr. Gina Michael, the association chief of staff at the hospital, the instruments are to go directly in the cleaning machines where a detergent is used during the washing process and then put into a sterilizer. The instruments were rinsed, but no cleanser was used, which could reduce the effects of sterilization.
"The detergent would make sure you had washed anything that was on the tool," said Dr. Robert Petzel, VA undersecretary for health.
This neglect apparently began in February of last year and continued until this March when it was discovered in a routine inspection. It wasn't until this week that the VA notified over 1,812 veterans by letter about possible exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from shoddy dental work. Evidently, that's how much time the VA needed to review the inspection report and identify patients.
Danny L. Turner, Chief of Dental Services at the John Cochran VAMC, blames politics for distorting the situation in order to get votes. Area legislators have been quick to give outraged statements in favor of getting our veterans the best of care and to call for investigations. Turner, 63, was put on administrative leave and said he looks forward to an investigation which would prove they did things correctly.
He denied a recent claim made by a former Cochran employee that she saw instruments with dried blood even after they had been cleaned. He said that he didn't know what she could be talking about because all his staff take pride in what they do. He declined to say more until after consulting with an attorney.
Rep. Russ Carnahan, Democrat from Missouri, said the House Veterans' Affairs Committee is planning an investigation and will hold a hearing in St. Louis.
Carnahan spoke with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki about the "indefensible breach of standard operating procedures." Shinseki said, "The mistakes made at the St. Louis VA Medical Center are unacceptable, and steps have been and continue to be taken to correct this situation and assure the safety of our veterans."
“No veteran who has served and risked their life for this great nation should have to worry about their personal safety when receiving much needed healthcare services from a Veterans Administration hospital.”
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, and Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, have requested that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the main investigative committee in the House of Representatives, begin its own investigation.
"It is deplorable that any assistance less than the best health care available, along with the possible exposure due to unsterile equipment, is the level of care being offered to our veterans."From Examiner
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