Thursday, July 9, 2009

Botched Cancer Treatment Lacked Strong Safety Culture

According to the The Daily Pennsylvanian "after each brachytherapy procedure at the medical center, a urologist is required to scan the patient to find any seeds within the patient's bladder and remove them at that time."


"According to Steven Reynolds, director of the Division of Nuclear Materials Safety for the NRC, reporting standards were established in 1978 and are the same for all hospitals.

"What we have seen is a lack of a strong safety culture here at the VA of Philadelphia," Reynolds said. "It ought to have been reported to patients that seeds were in the bladder."

Former Camp Lejeune resident files lawsuit claiming contaminated drinking water

http://www.justicenewsflash.com/2009/07/09/camp-lejeune-resident-poisoned_200907091629.html

Veteran’s Administration News - Former Camp Lejeune contaminated drinking water!
2009-07-09 01:43:31 (GMT) (JusticeNewsFlash.com - Justice News Flash, Personal Injury)

Former Camp Lejeune resident sues feds citing contaminated drinking water.

Dallas, TX (JusticeNewsFlash.com)–Star News reported, a personal injury lawsuit was filed against the U.S. government on July 4, in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The lawsuit is seeking an upwards of $10,000 in personal injury damages. The plaintiff alleges she consumed polluted drinking water during the time she was living at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, Florida. Attorneys for the plaintiff and former Lejeune resident, Laura J. Jones, asserts the United States government, and agents of the Department of Defense, knowingly and willfully exposed Marines, sailors, their families, and civilian employees to highly polluted drinking water contained at the military base.

Civil litigation attorneys for Jones further allege, the government knowingly destroyed information revealing the dangers of exposure to the highly contaminated drinking water. Personal injury attorneys representing Jones state, the goal of the lawsuit is to expose the truth of the countless years military personnel, civilian employees, and their families have been exposed to contaminated drinking water. In addition, the plaintiff is seeking compensation for the adverse effects on her health from the daily exposure to hazardous pollutants in the water. The claimant also says health problems arising from the hazardous exposure have included cancers, reproductive disorders, and birth defects.

Although the number of affected people could reach in the millions, the claim cannot become a class-action lawsuit. Under the Feres Doctrine, soldiers and veterans are unable to sue the federal government; only spouses and children of the affected military personnel and veterans will be able to file suit.

Media Contact:Dallas Veteran’s Administration Lawyer Amy K. Witherite
Practice areas: Personal Injury Plaintiff
Amy Witherite. Eberstein & Witherite, LLP. 3100 Monticello Avenue, Suite 500. Dallas, TX 75205 - Toll Free: (888) 407-6669

VA to Treat all Infected Veterans

The remaining question is all the associated costs caused by the infection and stress related illnesses to the veteran and his family.

WASHINGTON – "The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to cover costs associated with treatment and follow-up testing for infected veterans in the wake of the endoscopy problems at the Alvin York VA Hospital."

Congressman Bart Gordon received a "letter on July 8 from John R. Gingrich, Chief of Staff to VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, which stated, “Each VA facility is working with any veteran who received positive results from follow-up testing…. Specifically, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (VATVHS) will provide no-cost diagnostic testing and follow-up care to its veterans. VA will ensure they that understand that the treatment they receive is at no cost to them.”"

Full Article:
Gordon: VA to pay for treatment for infected veterans

The Daily News Journal • July 9, 2009

VAOIG Raises Concern over Clinical Service at Helena Montana

VAOIG Raises Concern over Clinical Service at Helena Montana

Lack of "external peer reviews of care provided" was cited as the reason that the recent botched radiation cancer treatment went on for 6 years without being noticed and corrected.

Hopefully the VA will quickly make public the clinical service involved.

The Associated Press reported July 8, 2009 that "a physician at the Veterans Administration Medical Center at Fort Harrison was fired for delivering substandard care and falsifying medical records."

The VA’s Office of Inspector General’s report [Report Number 08-02992-162, 7/8/2009], released Wednesday stated: "

"In the course of performing this oversight review, we had numerous additional concerns regarding the provision of care to veterans beyond the allegation about a single physician’s practice. These concerns referred to the overall operation of a clinical service. We recommend that the Acting Under Secretary for Health empanel a team of relevant specialists and administrators to perform a comprehensive review of all aspects of the referenced specialty care for veterans served by the medical center."

VAOIG Report

AP Report:
Doctor fired at Helena VA hospital