Possible contamination at VA facilities sparks call for inquiry

Possible contamination at VA facilities sparks call for inquiry
Story Highlights
Contaminated colonoscopy gear may have exposed Florida veterans to hepatitis, HIV

Florida lawmakers seek inquiry, raise concerns about other facilities

VA sent letters to people who may have had colonoscopies May 2004 to this month

Officials say tubing was rinsed but not disinfected, call risk of infection minimal
From Jennifer Pifer Bixler, Elizabeth Cohen and Sabriya Rice
CNN

(CNN) -- Thousands of veterans in South Florida may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV because of contaminated equipment after getting colonoscopies at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, officials announced Monday.

Two Florida lawmakers are asking for an inspector general's inquiry.

"The VA is a model of the type of health care we provide our veterans, and when mistakes like this occur, it undermines the efficacy of the entire system," said Rep. Kendrick B. Meek, D-Florida, in a news release. Meek, along with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, is requesting an official inquiry by the inspector general of the VA.

In a letter to retired Gen. Eric Shinseki, the secretary of Veterans Affairs, Nelson said he is also concerned about possible contaminated equipment at facilities in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Augusta, Georgia.
go here for more
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/24/florida.va.facilities/index.html