Tuesday
Jun162009
Veterans Affairs Facilities Infect 53 Veterans With HIV And Hepatitis
Staff
Harry E. Mitchell, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Committee on Veterans Affairs, said during a hearing that at least 53 veterans have potentially contracted HIV and Hepatitis due to substandard cleaning of endoscopic equipment by Veterans Affairs facilities. He also stated that inspections showed that "more than half the time VA facilities shockingly did not have proper training and guidelines for common endoscopic procedures." (0:31)
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Reader Comments (3)
This hurts. first off i give high oraise to all the help I recieved from the North Chicago VA 11 years ago. I'm living a live I thought would be impossible thanks to them.
I have two problems now. 1) 11 years ago NC told me i had HC. I know how. They told me how I could of caught it, but nothing really added up. It also bothered me at the time, that the majority of people with HC were Vets. This didn't add up to me. Now with the lates news things are coming together. 15 years prior, I was sin Lakeside Va. I really messed up my arm bad. I was never able to use my right hand again, but I became a very good carpenter. I fualt the odds with Lakeside VA's great work. Couple years later I messed up my right knee pretty bad. Again, Lakeside VA helped me out. I owe the VA alot. How ever like I said !! years ago I was told by the North Chicago staff I had HC. I was ther at North Chicago for A varity of issues. I pent about 11 months in the system, basically learning how to live life on lifes terms. Try to find some hope to living and believe that there are some people out there that care. Anyways part of the program involved exercise. Now I always took it easy with sports because of my right knee. Well one day I was playing volley ball in the VA gym, and my left knee went out. The doctor said there was nothing wrong with it, even though it was swollen up like a softball. Nothing was ever done. I couldn't just go to another doctor for a second oppion. I would of been kicked out of the program. So now in 2009 2 months ago my left knee went out again while at work. There was a MRI done and excisting issue were found besides the new inner tears on the knee. So now what do I do I might lose my job because I won't be 100% My doctor now said that if the prior issue was taken care of before, I would have a good revovery. As it is I now need, a knee reconstruction. So I'm dealing with two thoughts not caring when I got hurt at the North Chicago VA, and the big posibility of catching HC thanks to a VA hospital. Where do vets like me go now, does anyone really care. I have know doult this isue will be sweep under the rug again.
As a physician who worked for 32 years with the VA I'm surprised that this deficiency escaped detection. Here are the inspection groups that should be picked up this problem:
1, JCAH makes a thorough survey of the facility and there is a thick checklist to make sure important issues are addressed. Deficiency like this lack of training and inadequate cleaning/sterilization is a basis for denying accreditation and at least cessation of endoscopic procedure.
2. Infection Control Committee of the hospital. This group make sure that infection is prevented using standard and approved methods.
3. Quality Assurance Committee. This group makes sure that indeed quality service is indeed given to the patient.
4. Safety Committee function is to make sure that the patient (and employee) are in a safe environment.
What are these committees and JCAHO doing ? Is each committee depending on the other to spot this defect and bring it up ? I wonder as to what their responses (excuses) are.
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