The government has released a new report about conditions at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center and its Ft. Thomas hospice care.
It was Sen. Sherrod Brown who asked the VA Office of Inspector General a year ago to look into three key areas following whistleblower reports that patients were at risk. This is the first of two reports Brown was expecting.
It finds that clean and dirty materials were still being stored together at the Community Living Center after a 2015 recommendation ordered them to be stored separately. Investigators were not able to substantiate other claims such as delayed intubation or deficiencies regarding the former Acting Chief of Staff's professional clinical practice.
The former Acting Chief of Staff was Dr. Barbara Temeck. She was suspended without pay last month for writing prescriptions for a private patient.
Brown says he has a commitment from Cincinnati VA Medical Director Vivian Hutson that the VA will follow new recommendations to ensure veterans aren't put at risk of infection due to dirty equipment.
