Jackson VA patients not aware the "doctor" wasn't in

Jackson VA hospital alarms Congress, American Legion
Clarion Ledger
Written by
Curt Cashour
Guest columnist
November 15, 2013

American Legion National Cmdr. Daniel M. Dellinger said he is “appalled” by conditions at the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Jackson.

A Nov. 13 congressional hearing focused on a variety of serious, ongoing problems at the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery VA Medical Center, including poor sterilization procedures, understaffing, misdiagnoses and poor management practices.

“The VA facility in Jackson has failed in its responsibility to protect veterans who depend on it for their health care,” Dellinger said. “When pieces of bone are still attached to surgical instruments that are being used on other patients, putting the lives of our veterans at risk, it is time to overhaul the entire hospital and remove — not transfer — the responsible parties.”

The hearing, held by the House Veterans Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, examined a variety of serious problems at the Jackson VA center and featured testimony by two “whistleblowers”: Dr. Phyllis Hollenbeck, a former physician of family medicine at the Jackson VA hospital, and Dr. Charles Sherwood, former chief of ophthalmology at the facility.

Each witness described a situation at the Jackson facility plagued with deficiencies. Hollenbeck has alleged the Jackson hospital had about 19 nurse practitioners in its primary care unit but only three doctors, including her. She estimated that about 85 percent of primary-care patients were getting medical care from nurse practitioners instead of physicians and that patients were frequently unaware they were not being seen by doctors.
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