Salisbury Va Nurse Lists Patient "stable" 12 Days After Death!

[Guest morgan]

Nurse documents patient "stable," 12 days after death!

Just wondering if anyone knows what action, if any, was taken against this nurse?

This reporter is holding feet to the fire in her locale, and she told me today she's hoping to have a major VA package (more on a national scale) ready for this Sunday, the 21st. I applaud her diligence in helping expose VA improprieties.

VA hospital expects key visit, e-mail says

STELLA M. HOPKINS

The Salisbury veterans hospital, facing congressional questions about patient care, is cleaning up in anticipation of a visit, possibly by high-ranking Washington officials, according to an internal e-mail.

The e-mail, sent Thursday and obtained by the Observer, includes directions to work overtime to clean up because visitors coming could include someone from as high a level as a VA undersecretary. Within the Department of Veterans Affairs, the undersecretary for health ranks third, and there are two other undersecretaries.

A spokesman at the regional VA headquarters in Durham said he did not know of plans for a visit by top brass. Such visits are sometimes unannounced. "I can tell you that we are aware that VA is under the spotlight," said the spokesman, David Raney. If officials visit, he said, "We'll show them whatever they want to see."

On Thursday, the Observer reported that federal inspectors last year found that a nurse at the hospital didn't properly monitor care for frail veterans the VA housed in private nursing homes. For more than two years, she did not visit patients as required.

The nurse also filed inaccurate reports on the patients' health, including one case in which she listed a man as "stable" 12 days after he died, according to the September report by the VA Office of Inspector General. The hospital has said the nurse still works there. In response to the story, U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, a Greensboro Republican, asked the regional VA director to give "immediate attention" to issues raised by the nurse's case.

Coble and U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, a Charlotte Democrat, also say they will ask for a broader congressional review of the Salisbury VA hospital. That effort began last week after the Observer reported VA investigators in 2005 found the hospital had provided shoddy care. They were looking into an anonymous tip of more than 12 suspicious deaths. Their report detailed the deaths of two veterans at the hospital.

Revelations of the Salisbury VA problems come amid national outcry over poor conditions for wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

"We take pride in the condition of our facilities, even though many of our buildings are quite old," said Raney, the VA spokesman. "We have specialists in environmental management and engineering and they work diligently to keep our facilities in very good operating order."

[Berta]

There might be something at the Inspector General-VA-s web site:

http://www.va.gov/oig/publications/reports..._direction=desc

[Ron II]

Congressmen grill VA execs about care

Lawmakers seek more info on revelations about Salisbury hospital

STELLA M. HOPKINS, PETER SMOLOWITZ & KAREN GARLOCH

Staff Writers

Charlotte.com posted on April 20, 2007

"...The 2006 report found that a nurse had not properly monitored care for frail veterans the VA housed in private nursing homes. The report also said the nurse filed inaccurate patient reports, such as recording a patient in "stable" condition 12 days after he died."

"The unnamed nurse has been disciplined and could be fired, according to a letter Wednesday from Daniel Hoffmann, regional VA director in Durham, to two N.C. congressmen, Republicans Howard Coble of Greensboro and Robin Hayes of Concord. The letter also said she is under investigation by the N.C. Board of Nursing."

"'What the hell is she still doing there?' Filner asked."

"Donald Moore, director of the Salisbury hospital from mid-2004 until last year, said he recommended firing her, but lawyers and human resources advised him that the nurse, who had an otherwise clean record for nearly 30 years, would likely prevail on appeal."

Edited October 12, 2007 by Manitou Sprgs