Tennessee Veterans Affairs Clinic Warns Of Possible Contaminant Exposure

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

Published: February 13, 2009

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - Thousands of patients at a Veterans Administration clinic in Tennessee may have been exposed to the infectious body fluids of other patients when they had colonoscopies in recent years, and now VA medical facilities all over the U.S. are reviewing their own procedures.

VA officials also said a problem was found with equipment at an ear, nose and throat clinic at the VA medical center in Augusta, Ga., and 1,800 veterans have been notified they may have been exposed to infection there.

A spokesman at the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn., said the clinic is offering free blood tests and medical care to all patients whose records show they had colonoscopies between April, 23, 2003 and Dec. 1, 2008.

Christopher Conklin said in a telephone interview Friday that notification letters were sent this week by registered mail to 6,378 patients of the Murfreesboro facility. He said no related health problems have been reported, and every measure is being taken to assure that affected veterans are screened.

One veteran who received notification, Gary Simpson, 57, said, “The fact that it took five years for them to catch a mistake like that - it seems like somebody should have caught an incorrect valve and incorrect cleaning of the equipment during that time.“ His wife Janice called the discovery “sickening” and “horrifying.“

Read more: http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/national/article/tennessee_veterans_affairs_clinic_warns_of_possible_contaminant_exposure/27770/

[SpiralHawk]

1. The republicons really let the VA go to Hell. They just don't care about our Vets

Ptoooey on the Republicon chickenhawk "decidership' and the shitty way they have treated our sons and daughters in uniform, and our honorable American veterans.

The real Sergeant York would blow chunks if he knew how the Republicon Homelanders of our era have treated our soldiers and veterans.

[Gin]

3. wow.....ear nose & throat and colonoscopies......thats bizarre

[GentryDixon]

2. Our Veterans are at the mercy of the mismanagement

by the Veterans Affairs office. My husband's cousin died last night from pancreatic cancer that was missed in his complete physical given at the VA hospital for the last two years.

I understand the budget constraints imposed on them in the last few years, as I retired as a Budget Officer for the Department of Defense. I know the scrubbing we had to do for every unfunded mandate. But we must prioritize our needs. Our Military must have priority. We send these young men and women off to war, then do not take care of them when they come home broken.

Sorry for the rant. I know the panic of receiving a letter from your hospital warning of a possible contamination. My Mother received donor skin when she had hernia surgery a few years ago. We then found out the donor skin she received was part of the body parts from funeral homes being sold without consent. She had to go through Hepatitis & HIV testing. And she was 84 years old!

[Tsiyu]

4. A friend goes there for care

speechless...

[tnlefty]

5. K & R!

Thanks for posting this.

[bertman]

6. Disgusting. A shame on our own Democratic legislators for not making this travesty

a FRONT-PAGE ISSUE EVERY WEEK when they took over Congress in '06.

Yes, this happened on the BushCo watch, but how many Democrats were screaming about this to the media? Very few. Piss poor leadership.