Posted on 04/15/2008 2:33:29 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
DALLAS (AP) - The fourth suicide this year among mentally ill patients treated at the Dallas VA Medical Center has led the hospital to close its psychiatric ward to new patients, and investigators from the national Veterans Affairs office are expected to arrive next week to assess safety.
Joseph Dalpiaz, director of the VA North Texas Health Care System, ordered the shutdown after a man hanged himself April 4. The hospital stopped admitting patients to its 51-bed psychiatric unit the next day; 10 previously admitted veterans are still being treated there.
Dalpiaz "decided he wanted to ... give us some time to assess the environment of care and make sure things were as safe as possible in our patient unit," said Dr. Catherine Orsak, head of mental health for the VA's North Texas health system.
She said the hospital has increased staffing and checks to ensure the safety of the patients still being treated.
In January, two men who met in the hospital's psychiatric ward committed suicide days after being released. In February, a veteran in the ward hanged himself on a frame attached to his wheelchair.
Orsak said the hospital has spent more than $250,000 the past six months to eliminate suicide risks. Door knobs were replaced, shower curtains and plumbing were retrofitted, and light fixtures were modified to remove rigid outcroppings veterans might use in hanging themselves.
Shirley Bemps, whose husband committed suicide in the psychiatric ward in February, said she blames doctors for his death.
"If he was a high-risk patient like they said, he should have been watched and monitored," Bemps said. "They haven't called me to offer condolences. They won't even respond to me. I just feel cheated."
Orsak said she did not know when the psychiatric unit would reopen to new patients. In the meantime, she said mentally ill veterans are being treated at VA hospitals in Waco and Temple and nearby private treatment centers.
Somehow I know this is all Bush's fault.
So lemme' get this straight, would they be happier if the unstable vets committed suicide on the street?
I can't speak to that particular VA hospital, so I won't comment. ...other than to say that for at least one other facility, the answer would be "yes."
I think the reason is evident. The VA is underfunded and understaffed. A large lawsuit will come out of this, which will take more money from the VA. It is pretty hard to stop a person from killing themselves if they really want to. This was not a prison. Plus, many people expect something for nothing. A lot of vets who did not do 20 years and do not have service related medical problems, try to milk the VA system for all it is worth. I am a twenty one year vet of the Navy (and still going) and as far as I know, I was not promised anything until I hit twenty years. My uncle just died of lung cancer a week ago. He had been in the navy for a year or so in the early 70’s. The VA probably spent over a 100 grand on him the last year or so of his life. I am not sure if I agree with that. I do not think the taxpayers should fit the bill for someone who does not invest at least 20 years in the military (unless a person is forced out for a service related injury).
Kill the VA!
Take us Vets and roll us into private health insurance which has to “bid” on an open contract.
This will make us customers with the power of the purse. Bad service = no money. Breach of contract = fines and eventual loss of contract. It allows for those who perform malpractice to be culpable. The VET no longer needs to travel long distances to get to a VA hospital but like all others uses the normal hospitals in the communities he lives in.
The VA is an antiquated and socialist experiment that went wrong. This beast costs billions and it delivers mediocre care. NOTHING offered by the VA is unique, and all the services rendered could be rendered in other medical establishments which often have to take over in many specialty cases anyway since the VA can’t deal with it.
The VA system has many good people within it that do care. They do try hard, but it’s the “system,” the inherent operating system that makes it dysfunctional for those it’s supposed to serve. NO ONE with private health care would accept waiting four hours to get a prescription filled that is needed while waiting at the pharmacy. Yet this is standard operating procedure at the Dallas VA hospital. No one with private health care would wait three months for an MRI. It would be unimaginable for most to drive 60 miles in a densely populated metropolitan area with dozens of hospitals closer for mundane and routing care on a regular basis. But the VA does exactly that! The answer isn’t pouring more money into a bad idea; it’s to change the concept on which care to VETs is administered!
All the bad mouthing of the VA by and large comes from folks who as the old saying goes: “Would bitch if they were hung by a new rope”. I have used the VA for the last 10 years and have nothing but good to say about it....and yes it is the Dallas VA. This sort of “knee jerk” response is normal in our PC society. First any fool that has an inkling of statistical probability knows this is a very small sample and not worthy of any mention. Veterans who use the VA system are treated with respect and have excellent care....and it has been my experience that most of the “bitchers” were REMF’s or folks who never had a shot in anger fired at them.
Is the VA hospital to blame?
Yes! Esp. the ones who died on their watch! This is just sad! These vets deserve better.
I get my healthcare through the VA I can’t say a bad word out it. The VA nurses are the greatest, and a true asset, they are professional and caring. I have a good doctor and get great care. I am sure there are bad facilities but I don’t think it is as bad as some people make it out to be.
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