VA hospital may have infected 1,800 veterans with HIV

reply to post by monkeySEEmonkeyDO


"Wow, sounds like your story should be in a movie. Insane. What exactly happened? "

Do you remember when the VA admitted that they may have given hepatitus to patients who were given a colonoscopy? Around the time that news broke, my VA primary care doctor wanted me to get a colonoscopy. I refused to let the VA do it and said I would instead see a private doctor. A couple of days later, I had a notification mailed to me for a psych appointment at the VA. I already go to the VA mental health clinic for depression and PTSD, so I thought nothing of it, and went as scheduled. The talk with the shrink revolved around my "excessive paranoia" about the VA healthcare system. He wanted to put me on an anti-psychotic drug call Seroquel. I told them I would have a private doctor check me to see if I was having excessive paranoia.

reply to post by The Undertaker

They say you can't get HIV from kissing another with the disease so what gives?

If you have an open sore or cut in your mouth, you could get HIV from kissing. Some people have very poor oral hygiene and a trip to the dentist generates a lot of blood in their mouth. Not sure why the virus wouldn't be killed in the sterilizer. Maybe it didn't actually go to the sterilizer, and was only hand washed. Having been to the VA dental clinic, I know that the chair is still warm from the last patient when I sit in it. If the tools were not properly sterilized, and just hand washed, there is potential to spread HIV.

Wow, this is plain revolting! How on Earth could they logically approve such practices?

Thousands of veterans have been urged to obtain blood test after it was found that endoscopic equipment used to perform colonoscopy exams at clinics in Murfreesboror, TN, Augusta, GA and Miami, FL may not have been sterilized between patients, potentially increasing the risk of infection.

from this link

WTF?! So they pulled it out of one guy and rinsed it off then used it again?

reply to post by OuttaTime


If I remember correctly, they were sterilzed, but not properly.

Originally posted by tamusan
reply to post by OuttaTime

 

If I remember correctly, they were sterilzed, but not properly.

Could be. I'm just wondering why it only happened at VA hospitals. Policies are a bit different in that institution, as the link says they may not have sterilized them at all between patients.

[edit on 30-6-2010 by OuttaTime]

reply to post by OuttaTime


The turnover rate for doctors seems a bit high at the VA. I often go to an appointment and find that I have to see a new doctor. There is also a very high volume of patients going through the VA healthcare system ( and growing by the day). The system is not set up to handle all the people who have been screwed up by military service.

This is absolutely shocking! Gross negligence on an epic level! This hospital ought to be closed down immediately. Then every employee down to the janitor should be investigated. This is criminal negligence and very close to involuntary manslaughter. Congress must hold hearings on this as well. Any individual affected should be adequately compensated by the Federal Government. This will not only hurt the victims, but their families as well.

This is not an isolate incident, because another blood born pathogen may have been transmitted at other VA hospitals as well. This is how our government honors our airman, soldiers, sailors, and marines by signing their death warrants? Absolutely unacceptable and people need to fry over this one. I will accept nothing less than the VA being gone through from top to bottom with a fine toothed comb. Those suspected of gross negligence and wrongdoing should face prosecution immediately. I am very upset by this story!

[edit on 30-6-2010 by Jakes51]

wow....seriously.....i would be mad as hell.....hey we gave these people hiv what should we do.....oh just send em a letter telling them they may possibly have the disease but its not certain....jeezz makes me so mad....just like the regulations or should i say unregulations of bp....where were the supposed safety/sanitary precautions for this accident.....we the people no matter your job....sharpen up....think things through....for all of us

Originally posted by tamusan
reply to post by OuttaTime

 

The turnover rate for doctors seems a bit high at the VA. I often go to an appointment and find that I have to see a new doctor. There is also a very high volume of patients going through the VA healthcare system ( and growing by the day). The system is not set up to handle all the people who have been screwed up by military service.

Yeah, that's true. I'm a Navy vet myself, but I avoid VA hospitals like the plague (no pun intended). I had friends whos parents worked at VA hospitals, one of which was the director of a VA hospital. They just, one day, decided to get rid of a bunch of milDocs and just started warehousing at the hospital even though it was the only one in the region.

This is absolutely sick and horrible. There should be very strict action against this so-called hospital.