Russ Carnahan Reaction To Surgery Shutdown At John Cochran Va
“It’s time for a full, top-to-bottom, independent review of the entire facility”
(ST. LOUIS, MO) – Russ Carnahan (MO-3) is calling for an independent, top-tobottom review of the John Cochran VA Medical Center in light of new reports that the
facility has cancelled all surgeries after evidence of a possible new sterilization
problem.
“How many times does something have to happen before they fix this facility?”
Carnahan said. “Clearly the problems there go well beyond one department. It’s
time for a full, top-to-bottom, independent review of the entire facility. It needs
to happen and it needs to happen now. The health and safety of our veterans is
too important to wait.”
Today, Carnahan announced his new assignment on the House Veterans’ Affairs
Committee, a position he was offered in recognition of his leadership on veterans’
health issues. Carnahan has consistently worked to improve veterans’ health care,
championing measures to improve VA health services and pressing the VA to make
changes in the wake of problems at the Cochran facility that potentially exposed over
1,800 veterans to Hepatitis and HIV. Last August, Carnahan held nearly a dozen open
meetings with veterans throughout the 3rd Congressional District to discuss the recent
safety lapses and other veterans’ health care issues, and in 2010, he was one of only 20
“exceptional leaders” to earn a perfect A+ rating on veterans’ issues from the Iraq and
Afghanistan Veterans of America Action Fund.