Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff today asked the VA Secretary to reassure Georgia veterans after shocking failures led to HIV and Hepatitis infections at the Dublin VA.
In today’s U.S. Senate Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, Sen. Ossoff asked Secretary Collins to reassure him and Central Georgia veterans that the Department is working to solve leadership problems at the Dublin VA and ensure veterans are protected from health safety issues.
A report last year from the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) uncovered widespread use of unclean medical equipment at the facility that reportedly put veterans’ health at risk.
In May, Sen. Ossoff urged VA leadership to implement safety measures at Dublin’s VA Medical Center after a follow-up OIG report this year found that only some of OIG’s recommendations to protect patients had been implemented and more safety issues were discovered, further placing veterans and their families at risk.
In the hearing, Sen. Ossoff asked Secretary Collins if the IG recommendations had now been fully implemented, and Secretary Collins said they had been.
“You and I discussed Dublin yesterday, and as you’re aware, predating your tenure, very significant sterilization failures that led to the potential exposure of thousands of Georgia veterans to blood-borne diseases, and indeed, some of those who may have been exposed later tested positive for HIV and hepatitis,” said Ranking Member Ossoff. “In March of this year, the Inspector General conducted an additional inspection of facilities at Dublin and found continued egregious failures. Can you assure the Subcommittee and Georgia veterans that these issues at Dublin have been resolved?”
Additionally in the hearing, Sen. Ossoff asked Secretary Collins if he would exempt facility leadership from the hiring freeze to improve leadership at the facility, and Secretary Collins confirmed he had done so.
Click here to watch Sen. Ossoff’s line of questioning about the Dublin VA.
