Posted by Tina
A passel of whistle blowers that include doctors and nurses are exposing “a state of disorder” at the VA Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio:
Nearly three dozen whistleblowers have come forward saying the VA Medical Center in Cincinnati is in a state of disorder. They say veterans are not getting the care they need in the backyard of Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald, the former chief executive of Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co.
Since October, a team of Scripps reporters has been talking to a group of 34 current and former medical center staff members. The group, including 18 doctors from several departments, sent an unsigned letter to McDonald in September describing “urgent concerns about quality of care” at the facility, which serves more than 40,000 area veterans. They allege a pattern of cost cutting that forced out experienced surgeons, reduced access to care and put patients in harm’s way.
At the center of the controversy are Dr. Barbara Temeck, acting chief of staff for the Cincinnati VA Medical Center, and Jack Hetrick, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ regional director.
This is a tragedy and a disgrace but it isn’t at all surprising. The VA has never been adequate to serve the needs of our vets. Like most government run agencies the VA has no incentive to reach for excellence. There is no competition for dollars spent…the money just rolls in. This dismal situation is made worse when the numbers of vets needing services grows and the economy is nothing but a sludge factory. Our vets deserve much better. They should be able to seek services freely within their own communities.
Shinseki’s resignation was a sop to those who were upset about what had been uncovered at the Phoenix VA hospital. The new head of the VA hasn’t done a damn thing to change the way care is given to our vets, and now here comes Cincinnati.
The dysfunction at the VA isn’t gonna change until those who are incompetent, inept or just plain criminal are FIRED!
J. the VA is a window into our federal government. Anything that operates without competition seems to always slide into dysfunction.
The sad thing is that there are many really good people, doctors, nurses and staff, but they are weighted down by layers and layers of bureaucracy. It may be time to dismantle the VA in its present form.
I hope if the Republicans are given another chance they will work hard to give our vets better choices as they repeal and replace Obamacare with sensible healthcare regulation.
Yes let’s privatize the VA so wall street profit will come before healthcare and make taxpayers fund it! Everything will be better as long as someone gets rich! Healthcare for vets will not matter, profit will!
Bottom line the corrupt and greedy take gov jobs as well. But the real goal is to disrupt any gov agency from working so corporations run everything in the New fascist ‘Merika!
Why do we have so many vets? What did they fight for? How did the USA benefit?
The contractors raked in billions and the taxpayers owe trillions!