Body left unattended in Tampa VA hospital
Several of you have sent us links to the story of an unnamed veteran who died at the Tampa VA hospital and the body was left unattended for nine hours in a shower;
The investigation found that once the veteran died, hospice staff members requested a staffer known as a “transporter” to get the body moved to the morgue.
The transporter told them to follow proper procedures and notify dispatchers, but that request was never made, so nobody showed up to take the body away.
Instead, it was moved to a hallway in the hospice and then to the shower room where it was unattended for more than nine hours.
Some hospice staff “demonstrated a lack of concern, attention and respect” for the veteran, according to the investigative report.
My problem with the story is that it’s indicative of a culture that can always find a way to not do their jobs. The “transporter” found it perfectly reasonable to neglect his duties and walk away from a dead veteran. When the call from a dispatcher never came, why didn’t he rectify the situation? That’s common among government workers, though. They can always find a reason to NOT do their jobs, and it’s much less common for them to err on the side of their constituency. They deny folks basic human dignity instead of doing what anyone else would do without prompting from rules and regulations.
Category: Veterans' Affairs Department
Tar. Feathers. Rail.
How any human being can be so callous as to allow a situation such as this to occur is simply beyond my ability to understand.
I am appalled.
I’m sorry to say that I’ve run medical aid calls into some “old folks’ home” facilities that were that bad (and some others that were very, very good).
Once responded to a place where a nurse was reporting a smell from one of the rooms and thought the patient had died. She first noticed it four hours before she called, and couldn’t be bothered to open the door and check. And it wasn’t an “emergency, please help”-type call she made, it was a “come deal with this so I won’t have to.”
Luckily, the elderly lady inside wasn’t dead. She had slipped in the shower, was unable to get up, screamed for help for hours, then slipped into despair when no help came. The smell was due to the fact that she had crapped herself because she was unable to get up and unable to hold it in any longer. By the time we got there and found her naked, covered in her own shit, and in tears over the complete loss of her dignity, she’d been stuck there over eight hours. Me and the other guys on the engine got her up, showered her off, got her some clothes, and tried to do everything we could for her. The fucking care nurses wouldn’t even wait in the hallway, much less come inside to help. Our captain had to go find the nurse that reported it and tear her a new ass for it. The nurse filed a complaint against us for it, but apparently it got cancelled out by the elder abuse/neglect report we submitted to the county, because nothing came of either.
Some places take excellent care of their patients. Other places, the staff should be shot and anyone who would put their parents or grandparents in there should go to prison for abandonment.
That there made me rage. I’m so not looking forward to the next phase of life for just that reason. My ‘rents are getting closer, but hopefully not too soon. I guess research is key, but there’s that whole money issue that comes up. I hope to never hear of them being disrespected like that.
Research is good.
The money issue can make a difference – a lot depends on the financial assistance available.
I have a brother in a small-town nursing home (after a severe stroke paralyzed him) that the county charity has an agreement with. Medicaid is suppose to help (if it ever kicks in!) and a hospice is paying his meds and food.
But – the first thing I noticed when he was first admitted was how the staff interacted with the other patients. They were, and are, concerned for the people in their care. The home lacks “that smell” that I’ve smelled in too many other nursing homes in the past.
I get there 2x a week now, and the hospice staff serves as another set of eyes for me to ensure he is being treated well. (That several of the nurses have fallen in love with him doesn’t hurt.)
Much different that what our grandmother experienced. Those folks I would gladly invite to a blanket party any day.
I agree, except for one thing….HOW IN HELL DO YOU KNOW WHICH ARE THE GOOD ONES? Maybe anyone REALLY conscientious that inspects these torture chambers comes across a good one, they should put some kind of seal, stamp, sticker, decal SOMETHING on the main door so the rest of know if it is a good one or not?
My best advice is to go to the nearest firehouse (or EMS facility, if you’re in an area that does single-role EMS) and ask about the con’ home in question. Whether it’s good or bad, they run calls there, and they get a pretty good look at the quality of care the patients receive. That’s probably your best bet for a fair assessment.
President Trump will fix this.
Or at least, he bloody well better.
Say; it just occurred to me that my post here was poorly worded. I meant that President Trump would find out who is guilty, and punish them as they deserve. If he doesn’t, then HE needs to be run out of Dodge.
No incentives to show any sort of initiative. No punishment for failure. Totally indicative of far too many in our society.
If the VA can’t follow their procedures, if the transporter can’t get off his/her dead ass long enough to pick up a phone for 2 minutes, then the system is broke as fuck.
And this is what the Dems want if single payer government run healthcare ever becomes reality.
They have incentives and punishments. The problem is that the incentives are being paid for failure and the punishments are for initiative.
VA still chugging along. Story after story of negligence and incompetence.
Guess all that feel good talk about making things right again at the VA was all blowing smoke.
They are retraining staff! Yeah, that’s what they need, two to three hours of training to learn that the body of any deceased person should not be shoved around from room to hallway to shower and effectively abandoned in that shower. Phukers all.
Here’s my approach to retraining these assholes. “Imagine that each patient is a loved one of yours. Now, provide the treatment and care and concern for that patient as you would for your loved one or would want some other staff member to provide for your loved one. Questions? None? Okay, get to work.”
My father died at home with hospice care coming over.
After his wife called and notified them he had passed, the hospice workers were there within the hour, and cared for him as if he was one of their family.
Had the treatment the VA gave have been the case, I’d probably still be in prison or some such.
Only earth-borne angels work in hospice care. Those folks are the best.
Amen, 2/17.
Amen.
Fuckin’ A well told! These Veterans each signed a check payable to the United States of America for an amount ‘up to, and including, my life’. The least we can do for these Veterans is to ensure they get dignified treatment.
Hines VA is worse.
I’ve heard that myself. Togus ain’t so hot either.
I hope his family sues the shit out of this place. To treat anybody like this is absolute horse shit! Indeed, treat them like a member of your own family? I hope the “transporter” rots in hell!
Yep, sue everyone on the floor he was on, the transporter and the supervisors. And the hospital. And the VA.
This story reminds me of many of the horror stories that I’ve heard and read, about the many state hospitals, over the years. Maybe those asshats ended up at the VA after the state hospitals closed?
Story reminds me of what my dad used to say.
“please don’t let me die in a VA hospital”
Now I’m doing it.
My husband died at the VA hospital in Temple, TX, after a short bout with lung cancer last month.
Fortunately, I was there, and had I witnessed anyone treating Carl with the lack of respect that poor vet and his family endured in Tampa…
Some things you can’t put into words.
Prayers to your dad and y’all. Not easy at all.
Lisa. I’m sorry for your loss. You have company here. Two women commenters here lost their husbands over the past few months. From a male’s perspective, we would prefer to leave this mortal coil before our wives. We would be lost w/o you women. Again, my condolences.
Thank you, Cav.
His service will finally be held December 23, 2016 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery at noon. I’m trying to locate his estranged daughters, and trying to get his pic and info out there, so any assistance would be much appreciated.
Due to trying to acquire the funds for his cremation, and dealing with the VA, it’s been a pretty shitty month and a half.
That’s rough, Lisa D.
Prayers for you as you try to deal with this.
My uncle died at that same VA after many years of fighting cancer – his daughter made darn sure that they treated her father properly. She’s feisty gal.
I hope you can find the daughters. We never did find my uncle’s oldest son. I’m not sure he knows yet that his father is gone.
I was looking for someone else and found this information. http://www.cremation.org/info/veteran-benefits.htm
Lisa, my granddaddy was buried where your husband will be in 2009. It is a nice place and he will be in good company. I’ve had problems with the VA before in regards to getting communication and/or assistance with benefits. The remedy that proved the quickest was emailing or calling the staff of the local senators. The VA suddenly had answers for me w/in the week after waiting 22 months. I hope that the wonderful memories you created with your husband will carry you thru this time of sorrow and bring moments of relief and rebounding joy.
Thanks y’all.
I have friends buried there, courtesy of Iraq, so I’m kinda familiar with the place.
Thanks Lisa. I am truly sorry for your loss. Yes, Carl was very fortunate to have a caring loved one look after him.
Bless you.
A special place in HELL exists just for people like that…
Others here have adequately expressed the outrage I feel.
Thing is… this hospital up in Tampa is the hub for my Cape Coral clinic. I could wind up in the place.
Gotta make sure I modify my diet enough to attract attention ’cause of the smell??
Caw caw.
Blue Falcon nesting area.
There are a few things fishy about this story.
Hospice has it’s own protocols at the time of death. It sounds as if these were not followed, or if they were, why is this a story at all? The reason they are allowed in hospitals and nursing homes is to shift responsibility for all that to persons other than the hospital or nursing home staff.
What morgue? The VA in-house morgue, or the county morgue? Why would either be necessary?
And why does the reporter refer to the facility in which this mess occurred both as a VA facility and as a hospice facility? Is it both, neither, or something else entirely?
Granted, reporters are not known for demonstrating a grasp on reality, but surely it would have been easier for this one to have reported simple facts than to confuse everything with what they wrote instead.
At least the original story at the Tampa paper is a bit more clear. Evidently it is a hospice unit within the VA facility. Apparently it has nothing to do with the Hospice so many of us have experienced in our own families. But that is only a guess.
The VA and the VA should be under the auspices of the DOD. I say this not only because of this American tragedy, but this had the high risk and potential to happen every single day…in Albuquerque, a veteran passed in the canteen because the VA policy was that someone needed to call a civilian ambulance from outside of the facilities to transport this hero to the ER before he could be triaged…there has not been and is no accountability for the idiots and morons who oversee this agency…that is to include the Stolen Valor Secretary McDonald…Palin??? You going from bad to worst…give it to the DOD, then it will be squared away and there will be accountability….my take.
Absolutely Sick !!!!!
Every one of those Sons of bitches need to lose their jobs and get their F-ing Asses Kicked
Here’s an idea.
Disband the medical side of the VA. Give its facilities and funding to the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and staff it by both PHS Officers and active duty medical personnel.
Not only would that create a better health environment, and one I am sure most Vets would prefer to be in, but also if there was a screw-up of these epic proportions, actual punishment would ensue and the problems would actually get fixed.
Correct me if I am wrong, but before the VA existed or even in its early days, these types of facilities were ran by the military yes? So maybe we need to go back to that.
If we keep the VA after that, just let them handle monetary and educational benefits (even though they screw those up as well).
Or maybe I’m just crazy.
This is part of the problem:
[Hospital spokesman Jason Dangel] declined to elaborate on whether workers were fired or disciplined, citing employee confidentiality rules.
These are public employees and the only way they are shielded is due to union negotiations.
Furthermore:
In addition, investigators found:
• Hospice staff failed to check a 24-hour nursing report that would signal whether the death was properly reported and failed to ask personnel involved about the handoff.
• Questioned later by investigators, some responsible for oversight at the hospice blamed a shortage of clerical staff — a claim they later recanted.
• Staff failed to update a nursing service organizational chart, hampering efforts to determine who was in charge.
• The hospice unit lacks a structured plan for educating personnel on best practices.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/report-va-staff-left-veterans-body-in-shower-for-nine-hours-tried-to-hide/2305694
Someone lies to an investigator, they have to be fired. That is all there is too it.
In short, the staff failed to follow procedure, lied about what happened and now the hospital says it cannot comment on the discipline or lack thereof of the personnel.
And the VA heads wonder why there is a general lack of trust?
Another VA screw-up… and no accountability for the idiots that could have treated the deceased with respect and move him to a morgue. When will this bullshit end?
If I had pulled that as a Decedent Affairs Officer, the “reach around” that the CO would have given me before referring me to a CM would have been the kindest thing done to me.
One of the areas where I help out as a VA Volunteer is our VA CLC. Part of the Community Living Center is a Hospice. It’s an honor to be able to spend time with our dying veterans. Some of the stories they tell me about WWII and Korea are amazing.
Become a VA Volunteer. It will change you forever.