This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Feb. 8, 2011 - WASHINGTON - Disturbed by reports of continued problems at the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, all four U.S. senators and six House members from Missouri and Illinois are asking the Department of Veterans Affairs to investigate and "find solutions" to the safety issues at the hospital.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Veterans Department Secretary Eric Shinseki, the lawmakers urged the VA to address concerns about patient safety as soon as possible. "Potential problems in quality management cause grave concern, not just for veterans served by Cochran, but the entire community," they wrote.
"We offer to work with you and area veterans to find solutions to these concerns so that we can restore the trust of our veterans and bring [Cochran], and all area VA facilities, to the highest level of quality customer service and safety."
The lawmakers asked the VA to list measures taken to prevent future contaminations and to report any health problems discovered as a result of the most recent incident. They also requested to be informed of the results of instrument handling reviews conducted in response to an incident last June that caused the VA to suspend services in the dental clinic.
The letter was signed by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.; Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; and Mark Kirk, R-Ill. House members signing the letter included U.S. Reps. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis; Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis; Jerry Costello, D-Belleville; John Shimkus, R-Collinsville; and Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth.
The congressional calls for action followed a report last week that Cochran had suspended surgeries after the staff noticed evidence of contaminated surgical instrument trays. A few weeks ago, nurses at the hospital had expressed concerns about broken equipment, staffing levels and the lack of access to some medical supplies. And last summer, the medical center had said that sterilization problems in its dental clinic had potentially exposed about 1,800 veterans to hepatitis and HIV.
Last week, Cochran's medical director, RimaAnn O. Nelson, issued a statement saying that the latest concerns about surgical instruments "were caught before any patients were operated on." She said that the detection of the potential problem was "an example of the medical center's heightened patient precaution systems at work."
In a statement Monday, Carnahan said he had scheduled a meeting Thursday with Shinseki to discuss problems at Cochran. "Enough is enough. It's time for a full, independent review of the entire facility to determine why they consistently seem to have problems," Carnahan said.
The congressman's office provided a VA report, "Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients," indicating that Cochran had the lowest "overall rating of hospital" -- with 46 percent of patients rating it in the top two categories -- of the 153 VA facilities that were assessed by patients in 2009. However, the "overall rating of health care" -- at 60 percent -- was higher than the patient ratings given to several other VA medical facilities.
Meanwhile, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Town and Country, sent a separate letter to Shinseki on Monday demanding a full review of Cochran and threatening congressional action if steps are not taken to improve the situation.
"Until there is a serious, public reform of the St. Louis VA medical center, including holding senior staff accountable, we cannot in good conscience at this time seek additional funding and support expanded programs at a VA medical center that does not perform its current mission," wrote Akin.
Akin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and chair of its sea power subcommittee, added: "If [Cochran] were a ship or a military unit, the commander would have already been relieved and a comprehensive inspector general investigation would have been launched. Instead, you are telling the veterans of the greater St. Louis area that everything is under control, when they know full well that is not the case."
Shimkus said he is requesting that the responsible House committee hold another hearing on Cochran and related VA medical facilities. "Last year the House Veterans Affairs Committee held a special hearing in St. Louis," he said. "Unfortunately, I believe another hearing is not only necessary in St. Louis, but in Washington."
Carnahan, who was recently named as a new member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said Monday that -- in contrast to Cochran -- many other VA medical centers across the country provide excellent care. "There is absolutely no reason veterans in the St. Louis region should be asked to settle for substandard care," he said. "We can do better than this."
But members of Congress said they were concerned about continued reports of problems at the medical center. "While the situation was quickly identified, these problems must stop," said McCaskill. "I'm going to fight to hold whoever is responsible accountable."
At least two federal inquiries into the problems at Cochran are ongoing, with reports expected within a few weeks. Last summer, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) agreed to widen its inquiry into conditions at several VA medical facilities to include Cochran. In addition, the Veterans Administration inspector general's office is investigating the situation at Cochran, legislators said.
In a statement, Shimkus said he was "extremely disappointed in the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is the second major problem at Cochran, which follows past problems" at the VA medical facility in Marion, Ill.
"Veterans must inform their respective congressman about problems they encounter, whether at Cochran, Marion, Jefferson Barracks, or other clinics throughout the region," Shimkus said. "We can only help when we are aware of the problems."
Kirk, who was named Monday as the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that works on veteran affairs, visited the Marion facility last month. In the past, he helped broker a deal that kept open the North Chicago VA Medical Center.
"Veterans sacrifice everything to protect this great nation," said Kirk, a Naval Reserves intelligence officer. "It is my honor to serve on a Senate subcommittee that deals specifically with issues that are important to those who wore our nation's uniform."