Costello Expresses Outrage at Field Hearing Over St. Louis VA Medical Center Safety Lapse

Press Release

Congressman Jerry Costello (D-IL) today joined House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Bob Filner (D-CA) at a field hearing in St. Louis to address the potential exposure of 1,812 veterans to HIV, Hepatitis B and C and other blood-borne diseases from dental care received at the John Cochran VA Medical Center. Costello joined other bi-state area Congressmen in calling for the hearing after the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notified veterans who may have been exposed. An inspection by the National Infectious Diseases Program Office (IDPO) found that the facility was not following standard operating procedures for sterilization, disinfection and cleaning of medical equipment.

The 12th Congressional District of Illinois includes approximately 370 veterans who may have been exposed. Costello spoke at the hearing and expressed outrage at the patient safety lapse, calling it "particularly egregious as it is not the first time the VA has jeopardized the health of veterans by improperly cleaning medical equipment." He noted that in 2009, an investigation by the Office of Inspector General discovered that 10,320 veterans were exposed to HIV and Hepatitis B and C because VA hospitals were not properly cleaning endoscopic equipment in Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Augusta, Georgia; and Miami, Florida.

Following statements by members of Congress at the hearing, the committee heard testimony from three panels of witnesses, including U.S. military veterans, a former VA employee who claims she raised concerns about equipment sterilization last summer, the acting director of the John Cochran VAMC, the Under Secretary for Health at the Veterans Health Administration of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and a representative from the American Legion's Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission. Costello said it is essential that the VA assures patient safety moving forward.

"It is an absolute outrage what happened at the John Cochran medical facility in St. Louis, which has put 1,812 veterans at risk," said Costello. Costello also referred to the nine veterans who died at the VA hospital in Marion in 2007 as a result of substandard care, asking, "How many veterans need to die or be put at risk before the VA acts?"

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