Multi-Year Fly Infestation In VA Operating Rooms, 80 Surgeries Canceled
An undercover reporter wearing a hidden camera at West Los Angeles VA found a multi-year fly infestation in operating rooms at the facility. Over 80 surgeries were canceled as a result.
Investigative reporter David Goldstein wore a hidden camera during his three-month investigation into conditions at the facilityās conditions. He found hundreds of flytraps all over the facility to deal with an āoutbreakā that has plagued the facility for years.
After the story broke, West Los Angeles VA now claims the flies are all gone after years of using the flytraps.
RELATED: VA Falsified Wait Time Records, Thousands Affected
Reporter Transcript
CBS2 Los Angeles posted a transcript of the investigation in italics below:
In the halls of the VA West Los Angeles Medical Center, these may look like decorative lights, but theyāre really flytraps known as flylights.
CBS2 News has learned that more 200 traps had to be installed because of an outbreak of flies thatās gone on for years!
Outside the operating room if you look right above the empty beds, a flytrap.
The same if you look left: more flytraps.
Behind some of the lights our hidden camera found what appears to be insects caught on the glueboards.
We found the traps outside the hallway leading to the operating rooms.
And this still picture shows the traps are even inside the operating rooms. And for good reason.
āThe flies have flown into the operating rooms at times requiring cancellation of surgeries.ā
āHow long have you worked at the VA hospital?ā
āAbout 18 years.ā
Dr. Christian Head is associate director and chief of staff for quality assurance at the West LA facility. Heās also a head and neck surgeon at the hospital.
āI donāt believe thereās any hospital in this country that would find it acceptable to have flies on a routine basis.ā
Weāve obtained emails and memos showing the infestation goes back as far as November of 2016.
This one titled āPhorid flies in the operating rooms.ā
It says that when spot treatments became ineffective, the ORs closed for terminal extermination and cleaning.
Weāve learned the operating rooms at the veterans West Los Angeles Medical Center were closed a total of 22 days from November of 2016 through February of this year because of fly infestations that could jeopardize surgeries.
āTheyāre predators. Parasites. Scavengers.ā
Brian Brown is the curator of entomology at the LA Museum of Natural History. Where they study over a million types of dead insects.
āSo this is part of the fly collection, including the phorid flies.ā
He showed us the phorid flies that are so tiny theyāre kept on pins.
āSo you can see where thereās thistles and hairs on the body. Thatās the places the dirt and bacteria can stick to.
But under a microscope, we can see how they can carry bacteria and endanger the sterile environment of an operating room.
āTheyāre attracted to open wounds for the fluids that they need to sustain themselves and also to keep from drying out.ā
āThey can transmit the bacteria?ā
āCorrect. They could also lay eggs on the open wounds.ā
The Veterans Administration admits 83 surgeries had to be postponed from November of 2016 through February of this year because of the fly infestation, leaving some of Americaās veterans having to wait even longer to get the care they deserve.
āWhen a surgery is scheduled, they may have been waiting 4-5 weeks or sometimes longer and to tell them the case is canceled.ā
āTtās a big deal.ā
āWell, this is a continuation of delayed care for veterans.ā
Eric Hannel was an investigator for the House Veterans Affairs Committee. We spoke with him from Tampa.
āThe fact that VA has waited for more than two years to properly address this, I think underscores leadership failure at the highest levels.ā
Dr. Head says he and others reported the fly problem but he says instead of addressing it, the VA suspended one doctor and he says they retaliated against him as well.
āI believe thereās a culture in the Veterans Administration that punishes people who are willing to come forward.ā
In a statement, the VA says:
āWe found zero evidence of patient harmā but closed the operating rooms āout of an abundance of caution.ā
They say ācurrently all operation rooms are open.ā
And theyāre working closely with national subject matter experts to ensure this does not occur again.
But the flytraps are still in place, and doctors we spoke with say they have no doubt the flies will remain a problem affecting the care of veterans in West LA.
Just Tuesday, Goldstein fielded unconfirmed reports from a source who says that more flies may have been seen in one of the labs and procedures had to be terminated.
So, the infestation may not be over.
RELATED: Roseburg VA Death Panel Rejects Sick Veterans
Great Timing
This news comes on the back of deplorable conditions at Salt Lake City VA where veteran Chris Wilsonās tweet of his examination room shocked the nation.
Now, this is not the first fly infestation to caused problems at a VA medical center. In January, a fly infestation was linked to spinal cord problems.
RELATED: VA Has An $8 Million Sexual Harassment Problem
According to OSC:
WASHINGTON, D.C./Jan. 25, 2018 ā The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) today notified President Trump of shortcomings in the Department of Veterans Affairsā (VA) response to disclosures of wrongdoing at the VA Medical Center of Manchester, New Hampshire. Whistleblower disclosures included concerns that a large number of patients at the Manchester facility developed serious spinal cord disease as a result of clinical neglect. OSC found the VAās response largely sluggish until the media covered the problems. Even after that coverage, the agency chose not to review certain serious allegations.
āThe VA did not initiate substantive changes to resolve identified issues until over seven months had elapsed, and only did so after widespread public attention focused on these matters,ā Special Counsel Henry J. Kerner wrote to the President. āIt is critical that whistleblowers be able to have confidence that the VA will address public health and safety issues immediately, regardless of what news coverage an issue receives.ā
Kerner wrote that OSC referred the allegations to the VA for investigation in early January 2017, but the VA did not take any action to remove responsible management officials or initiate a comprehensive review of the facility until after the Boston Globe published an article in July. āThis sends an unacceptable message to VA whistleblowers that only the glaring spotlight of public scrutiny will move the agency to action, not disclosures made through statutorily established channels,ā Kerner wrote.
The four whistleblowers, all medical doctors, brought forward concerns of a higher presence of a serious spinal cord condition known as myelopathy among Manchester VA patients, despite a significant decline in this condition in the general U.S. population. They alleged that transfers to another facility were not performed in a timely manner, against agency policy. They described substandard surgical procedures, leading to one patient who developed a spinal infection and possibly died from complications and another patient who developed a spinal infection after surgery but survived.
The whistleblowers alleged that the prior chief of the Spinal Cord Unit inappropriately copied and pasted chart notes for patients between 2002 and 2012, contributing to the high incidence of myelopathy in the Manchester VA patient population.
The whistleblowers also described a longstanding fly infestation in an operating room.
OSC referred the matters to the VA, which conducted an investigation and sent a report to OSC on June 20, 2017. The report contained internally inconsistent conclusions at odds with the information adduced in the investigation. OSC requested two supplemental reports to address many of these issues and provide updates on external chart reviews. Ultimately, Kerner found that the VAās findings were not reasonable.
Kerner wrote that the agency appears to have chosen not to review allegations concerning dirty and potentially contaminated surgical instruments because they did not appear in OSCās original referral letter. āThis position is at odds with the conduct and disposition of prior investigations of allegations referred by OSC,ā Kerner wrote. āIt further demonstrates a myopic approach that could potentially cause harm by ignoring allegations of substantial and specific dangers to public health and safety.ā
Kerner described the VAās initial sluggish response to the allegations, such as recommending additional medical chart reviews, compared to the agencyās immediate and comprehensive response to the Boston Globe article, which included making major personnel changes pending the outcome of a ātop to bottomā review of the facility and a pledge to spend an additional $30 million at the Manchester VA to improve patient care.
Given that potentially lengthy chart reviews of patients involved in these matters are ongoing, OSC will request updates on the progress of this analysis as well as findings when the reviews are completed. OSC will request an update in writing every six months regarding the disposition of these reviews and the expected timeline for completion. OSC will also request a summary of the findings upon completion.
OSC sent a copy of the letter to the President, unredacted versions of theāÆagency reports, and the whistleblowersāāÆcomments to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Committees on Veteransā Affairs.āÆ OSC āÆalso filedāÆthe letter to the President, the whistleblower ā comments, and redactedāÆcopies of the agency reports in its public file at www.osc.gov.āÆ
Next Steps
Whoever gets picked for the top slot at VA has a lot of cleaning up to do, metaphorically and literally.
Source: https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/05/01/va-hospital-flies-surgeries/
I fully believe that if there are no consequences there will be no remedies. Any time a real problem is identified and there is no ownership nor correction but cover-up actions taken then there needs to be a vigilante “committee” that will assure the destruction of the careers and licenses of those responsible, Perhaps a head of a bureacrat stuffed into an unflushed toilet here and there. When good doctors are treated with a lack of respect when they report deficiencies then other remedies must be used. Fear is the only motivation for some people and these people must be dealt with immediately and harshly, as well as the bureaucrats who impeded progress. Get It??
This is a serious issue and I think more questions should be forwarded to the NAVAS (New Acting Veterans Administration Secretary) who just replaced TUBS (Thrown Under Bus Secretary) and should be posed to the NANYA (New Asshole Nominated Yet Again). This will be the first big problem to solve for the hew picture on the wall at least other than the pointless suffering, needless delays, and uncontrollable hemorrhaging of money at VA. Maggots are priority one. My Senior Drill Instructor said so…
NANYA,
Did anyone check to see if the food services folks had stopped ordering Pam Spray and in its place began using Lysol Spray? Did the menu specify raisins in the salad dressing for sure? Weāre the cotton surgical pads over sutures taped down with Victor Super Fly Adhesive Strips? Why do some of the rice grains served up wiggle? Has the high power focused surgical light in the operating room been replaced with a bug zapper?
While none of these issues by themselves would be considered unsanitary the overall untidiness of the combined effect would certainly warrant further probes… is that mosquito netting up around the break room???
VA High Priority Bulletin #53411 Dated 05/03/2018
To be posted at all employee lunch rooms and dining halls.
Following all meals chicken bones will no longer be placed in scrap bins and should be sorted and added to the third world alternative medicine bins provided.
The high cost of chicken bones is currently forced the need to reuse the chicken bones in the department of alternative third world medicine. To help prevent loss of dollars which could be instead added to the VA employee Bonus programs all chicken bones will be reused in the future.
With the maggot and fly infestations coming to light at the VA it is worth mentioning the rodent population. Although there have been the continual problems throughout the system with repeated reports of rodent and a never-ending supply of rodent droppings in the kitchens of VAMC all over the country.
There is what is currently being done about the larger cedar cheese eaters at the VA and some of the largest VA cedar eaters that are currently beginning to fight for their VA cheese to survive.
*****
A great article about the successes of efforts to remove some of these VA cheese eaters from the VA published by Stars and Stripes titled āRonny Jackson fiasco may be the least of VA’s worriesā is definitely worth reading. Nearly 40 senior staffers (VA Cedar Cheese Eaters) have been fired or forced out since the year began with plenty more to follow.
The article lists a number of the top official Cedar Eaters who have been forced to leave and some that are in the process of leaving including Thomas Bowman.
The Article, which is well worth reading, is at:
āRonny Jackson fiasco may be the least of VA’s worriesā
By LISA REIN | The Washington Post | Published: May 3, 2018
“https://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/ronny-jackson-fiasco-may-be-the-least-of-va-s-worries-1.525304”
________________
Then there is what is currently happening with the larger political rodents. Those whose re-election campaigns require the steady flow of the VA Budget Cedar liquefied and siphoned through VA contractors and the non-profits setup by those contractors.
Using the method of liquefying the VA Budget Cedar being feed back to the political rodentās campaigns as lobby bucks and donations from the bogus non-profits run by the contractors. After all is said and done the contractor get to write their contributions to their so-called non-profits as tax write offs instead of having to paying taxes on the millions of dollars paid in political bribes.
Several great articles on these political rodents and the contractors that are currently kicking and screaming for their big chunk of VA budget Cedar because they need it to survive are:
Here is on some of the rodents demanding an investigation because their Cedar supply from the Cerner deal has been stopped cold.
Democrats seek investigation into VA-Cerner contract negotiations
By Rachel Z. Arndt | May 3, 2018
āhttps://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180503/NEWS/180509965ā
Also, here is another one about several of Cerner funded non-profits fighting to put Thomas Bowman in charge of the VA to keep the Cedar flowing.
Lawsuit: Robert Wilkie ‘unlawfully’ named acting VA secretary to push for privatization
by Paige Minemyer | May 3, 2018 11:10am
“https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/regulatory/department-veterans-affairs-robert-wilkie-privatization-lawsuit”
**********
Really have to hand it to President Trump. Not only has he tried to put one of the very top level of Government provided health care providers in charge of the VA. One who is experienced of only providing the top level of health care in the world.
But he also insured taking control of the VA by placing Robert Wilkie in charge when he fired Shulkin.
During his campaign Trump promised to reform the VA and provide Veterans a choice in their own health Care. Even if he had to take over management of the VA himself. Currently that is what he has effectively done. Clearly Robert Wilkie is not a puppet at the VA, but because of his title being that of Acting Sec of Veterans Affairs he is limited in long term decisions making. All long-term decisions are now being made directly by Trump.
Personally I think people need to get use to the idea that Robert Wilkie will be the Acting Sec for a long time to come. Currently the time limit for wilkie of 210 days began when he started the job. But that time limit is restarted each time the senate reject an appointee. To me Robert Wilkie has been doing a good job of running the VA working toward reform.
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The case of this missing page is still unsolved … but don’t worry, we have our best investigative reporters tracking down leads.
Stay tuned…
Oldmarine, ain’t the the truth. 404s, timing out, FB censoring and streaming issues, Ben’s site and others seen as dangerous security risks and blocked. Then have to play games with the pc to get through. Oh oh “technical difficulties try later.” More screening with all the new TOS agreements/changes forced to agree to so I can get to my email, etc. Web pages and utubes gone by the hundreds. Oh oh ToTo we ain’t in Kansas or America anymore.
“https://www.stripes.com/ronny-jackson-fiasco-may-be-the-least-of-va-s-worries-1.525304?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines”
“https://www.stripes.com/lawmakers-try-again-for-major-veterans-affairs-reforms-1.525280?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines”
“https://www.stripes.com/gunners-using-shoulder-borne-heavy-weapons-at-risk-for-brain-damage-1.525178?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Stars+and+Stripes+Emails&utm_campaign=Daily+Headlines”
Any changes with vaccines? Hell no the GOA, VA, DoD etc, know what’s best for all while the CDC seems to enjoying lying.
“https://www.naturalnews.com/054351_anthrax_vaccines_military_soldiers_vaccine_damage.html#”
Cheddar eaters. LOL
Pompeo and the rest. Guess we can add Trumpster and Ivanka and cliques to the chicken hawk war mongering deep-state club. Lip service, circus maximus, perpetual wars for nothing, no help with censoring or loss of Constitutional rights, no change at the VA, civilian care following the VA trends and some much worse. Corruption, nepotism, communist, illegals increasing, DACA get their stuff before vets or while DC is busy trying to cover everything up and put up the grand common facade. And the beat goes on….
Trumpster, Pence the pig and Ivanka the sleaze…. vet body count for this week was?? Oh that’s censored here in Indiana. Shut up sheep we ‘tell you what you need to know.” “We give you the news you need to know.” And all news and info must first be okayed by the city, country and state. How nice.
Sorry, Registrations Are Temporarily Not Allowed, Please Try Again Later
Veteran Alert Mefloquine Poisoning ****************
“Veterans Allege Devastating Side Effects From Anti-Malaria Drug They Were Ordered To Take”
Author: Andrea McCarren
CBS News 2 Investigative Report
Published: 3:44 PM EDT May 3, 2018
“For decades, the Department of Defense ordered tens of thousands of American service members to take a drug intended to prevent malaria, a mosquito-borne disease that can kill. And now, veterans, former Peace Corps volunteers, federal employees and world travelers believe mefloquine caused some acute psychiatric and physical conditions that they say are getting progressively worse.
Mefloquine was sold under the brand name Lariam until its manufacturer stopped producing the drug in 2008. Generic versions are still available in the United States, but only by prescription. Common side effects attributed to the drug include paranoia, anxiety, depression and neurological issues, including vertigo and tinnitus, which is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears.
“We have a hidden epidemic of veterans who are suffering the chronic neuropsychiatric effects of mefloquine poisoning,” said Dr. Remington Nevin, widely considered the world’s expert in the potential side effects of mefloquine. “And in many cases, theyāre being misdiagnosed. Misdiagnosed with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Many veterans who served in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan have dubbed the drug “this generation’s Agent Orange.” That’s a reference to the powerful herbicide sprayed in the jungles during the Vietnam War to remove dense tropical foliage that provided cover for the enemy. It took decades for the government to acknowledge and compensate veterans for the serious health issues related to their exposure to Agent Orange.
“Iām being seen for anxiety, Iām being seen for depression, Iām being seen for vertigo and ringing in my ears and all of these things, and Iām thinking that this is just what happens when you go to war,” said Sergeant First Class Sheryll Lander, who served in Afghanistan and took mefloquine for nine months in 2013. She’s currently on active duty with the Georgia National Guard.
“They poisoned me,” she said, wiping away tears. “And it was preventable.”
Veterans and others allege they were warned of the dangers of malaria, but not the potential side effects of mefloquine.
“There I was performing mission planning for Special Forces into Baghdad and Southern Iraq, and Iām on a hallucinogen. That was crazy,” said Commander Bill Manofsky, a Navy veteran who deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. He took mefloquine every week for five months.
“For about a year, I looked like I had Parkinson’s. I had rotational tremors in my arms, I couldn’t talk without stuttering. I had trouble putting one foot in front of the other. I had to walk with a cane. It took a year for me to teach myself how to talk again.” ”
Full Video and Report At: “https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/investigations/veterans-allege-devastating-side-effects-from-anti-malaria-drug-they-were-ordered-to-take/83-548516160”
______________________
Also disclosed in the report is the fact that the Veterans medical records who had been ordered to take Mefloquine do not show they were ever given the drug.
Current VA research on the drug
War Related Illness and Injury Study Center
Mefloquine (LariamĀ®)
“Recent scientific literature has suggested side effects including mood changes, bad or vivid dreams, agitation, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal behavior. How often these side effects occur is not fully understood. Contact a health care provider as soon as possible if you experience any side effects.
Although it is very effective at preventing malaria, individuals with the following conditions should not take mefloquine:
Psychiatric conditions including active depression, a recent history of depression, generalized anxiety disorder, psychosis, schizophrenia, or other major psychiatric disorders.
Seizure disorders (epilepsy)
Certain heart conditions (irregular heartbeat and conduction problems)
Those taking certain medications, as advised by a health care provider
Mefloquine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 1989. In 2013, the FDA published a safety alert on mefloquine and added a black box warning (its strongest warning) to the drug label. The FDA notice pointed out that neurologic side effects can include dizziness, loss of balance (vestibular problems), or ringing in the ears (tinnitus). The safety alert also discussed psychiatric side effects which can include feeling anxious, mistrustful (paranoia), depressed, or having hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there). Neurologic or psychiatric side effects may occur at any time during drug use, and may last for months to years after the drug is stopped.”
Source At: “https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/mefloquine-lariam.asp”
_____________
Compensation benefits for health problems
Veterans may file a claim for disability compensation for health problems they believe are related to mefloquine use during military service. VA decides these claims on a case-by-case basis. File a claim online. “https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/”
AS IF!!!!!!!!!!
Tis all I can or want to say….
AS IF!!!!
Senator Patty Murray, has “sat” on the Committee of Veterans Affairs for YEARS. She even had magic moments on TV, recently, expressing outrage regarding the nomination of Dr. Jackson. OUTRAGE! Her moment in the spotlight…again. Yet, where is she during this “instance? Opps, begging for more money from Big Pharma. Asshole.
Now to wait for Curt Cashcows spin playing lord of the Flys.
Saying something along the lines of ( The Flys are just the VA’s way of helping the third world doctors feel more at home in their new surroundings. )
š :D: š š š š š
The only thing that surprises me in this article is that with a years long phorid fly infestation, the number of days the surgical clinic was closed (22) and the number of surgeries (83) cancelled. Those numbers seem very low, given that the VA is prone to “mistakes” of titanic proportion.
One can almost here the discussion:
Clinic Director: “What are we going to do about this problem”?
Asst. Director: “It is not as urgent as it seems. I will (reaches up to tousle Clinic Directors hair) just take this down to the Surgical Clinic. By lunchtime, we’ll have chow.”
Clinic Director: “Will it be good chow?”
Asst. Director: “Of course! F L Y E D L I C E !!!”
What should happen is that these two reprobates (Director/Asst. Director) should go directly to jail without passing go, or collecting $200.
It is way past time for some real leadership at the VA. Leadership that speaks truth publicly about how bad things have really gotten. Leadership that develops solutions to take better care of ALL our nations warriors.
Leadership that recognizes that when they are doing a good job ā ā ā it will be veterans singing their praises, rather than the VA needing a PR Agency to put out āFluff Piecesā to mislead America and her citizens about what a stellar job they are doing. They are not.
In fact, they are doing a very piss-poor job. The VA has a first-world budget which they use to provide veterans less than third-world medical care and benefits.
Current VA leadership has their Brain Housing Group the size of mice and their Heart no bigger. It is about FIFTEEN YEARS PAST TIME TO FIX THE DAMN BROKEN VA:
1. IMMEDIATELY recognize the problems inherent in the VA are SYSTEM-WIDE, not just limited to a few locations.
2. Fire all the Lazy No Good Workers. Fire EVERY single AFGE/SES Employee.
3. Sell off all the VA facilities. Alternatively, they may be converted into military barracks-style housing for homeless veterans. These will be run with military-style rules to promote good order and discipline.
4. Issue all veterans a card that allows them to choose their own doctors within their community that they can TRUST.
5. The United States Government will PAY those doctors promptly (Within 45 days) for the care they provide veterans.
6. ELIMINATE the āFederal Protectionā Umbrella for incompetent QUACKS that the VA sends to other states to practice other than their own. Going to practice in XX state? You need to be LICENSED in XX state.
7. Any claim a veteran submits to the VBA that requires more than 90 days to adjudicate, is automatically found to be in favor of the veteran. Should a veteran file a false claim to scam the system, the VA will have to prove in civil court that the claim was falsely submitted. For filing a false claim, the veteran will be subject to ALL of the following:
(A). The claim shall be denied. If the veteran has received any form of benefits because of the false claim they will be required to fully repay the benefits at cost.
(B). The veteran will be banned from all VA facilities for the remainder of their life.
(C). The veteran will lose any benefits they originally have or had, and will not be allowed to file for further benefits.
8. All veterans will be allowed to seek/retain the services of a Veterans Rights Attorney from their first initial contact with the VA. This will help to protect the legal rights of veterans against corrupt and incompetent VA employees.
9. No AFGE, nor any other Labor Union business will be allowed to take place in any Federal Workplace. Conducting Union Business during working hours will be STRICTLY PROHIBITED and will be STRICTLY ENFORCED. Should any government employee be found violating this provision, it will result in IMMEDIATE LIFETIME DISMISSAL FROM ANY/ALL STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL EMPLOYMENT.
10. Attorneys for appeal will be retained at the former employeeās PERSONAL expense. U. S. Taxpayerās will not be subject to payment of legal bills for incompetent or dishonest personnel with regards to Governmental Employment.
You have my contact information Mr. President. Call me anytime. I have a lot of ideas to help this nation improve the services provided to my fellow veterans. The ones that were promised but have yet to be delivered upon. Veterans have been waiting for over fifty years for the fulfillment of those promises. I will not hesitate to speak up at all.
For my fellow veterans who have been ill-served by this DERAILED CLUSTERFUCK of an AWFUL TRAIN WRECK CALLED THE VA over the years:
Our battles overseas were far less stressful than our war here at home. Never Cruel or Cowardly. Never Give Up. Never Give In. We are on the Righteous path.
POTUS Reagan broke up PATCO in the ā80ās. It is way past time for POTUS Trump to break up the AFGE. The vast majority of our current Congress Critters do NOT have Veterans Interests at heart. Perhaps their replacements will. VOTE OUT all these WORTHLESS BASTARDS.
Give their replacementās one term to take care of Veterans who put aside their own personal lives to answer this nationās call when she needed them. Many of those Veterans suffer the remainder of their lives for doing what most of their countrymen had not the courage to do.
If they cannot MUSTER THE STONES to do it properly ā ā ā vote their worthless asses out as well. Party should NOT MATTER. What SHOULD MATTER is their VOTING RECORDS ON VETERANS ISSUES.
Rhetoric is cheap. Congressional Voting Records on veterans issues speak louder than words.
NO Combat Veteran should be surprised when the next McVeigh, Congressional Baseball Team, or Las Vegas Sniper Incident occurs. Bound to happen. Just a matter of time . . .
We have now reached the next accelerative phase of our country falling apart. Country before Party. Principles before Personalities. Always.
Want to REALLY fix the VA? The next SecVA needs to be a former Enlisted Man brought in from the general veteran population with a few serious axes to grind against the VA and the AFGE, with zero previous governmental civilian service.
Apparently, Former Flag Officers and SES appointed Civilians canāt cut the mustard . . .
Maybe a SINCERELY MOTIVATED Gunnery Sergeant or Chief Petty Officer CAN.
Disgruntled Veteran
1973 ā 1976 USMC
1978 ā 1993 USN
Wounded Warrior
Honolulu, Hawaii
Good point about the low numbers of surgeries canceled, which didn’t account for as a wasted expense in my comment above.
Given how small the flies are, I suspect they easily could have canceled twice that many, and still had flies landing on wounds without the VA noticing.
No doubt about that at all, in fact – – – they probably did. I remember when the Rima Ann Nelson story at John Cochrane in Saint Louis first came out. VA classified it as “minor”.
Lest some of us forget, here’s a link to the upshot of that debacle.
“https://dailycaller.com/2016/02/24/failed-st-louis-va-chief-got-plush-job-free-house-in-philippines/”
Now our brethren who reside in Phoenix are afflicted with her incompetent Balootedness Hokey-Pokey Standards of Performance . . .
I have actually had better healthcare from a third world convent than what I normally receive from the VA . . .
I hate flies disgusting creatures.
Off Topic: Results have been published from the MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for Veterans with PTSD. Interpretation: Active doses of MDMA [commonly known as ecstasy] with adjunctive psychotherapy in a controlled setting were effective & well tolerated in reducing PTSD symptoms in veterans & first responders. For those interested in the full report from The Lancet Psychiatry: āhttps://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(18)30135-4/fulltext?pk_campaign=MDMA-Lancet-MP8&pk_kwd=lancet&pk_source=emailā
I believe it could help in saving a veterans life, and now there’s pretty good evidence it my have.
Just don’t think the VA will be able to get a handle on the fly infestation problems at a number of their facilities. At least not for generations to come. Given the fact that maggots mature into flies the lights may help hide the problem.
But with the nepotism in hiring at the VA and so many maggots already collecting paychecks at the VA. There is just no way they will be able to get rid of the fly infestations. Even if they neuter and spay all VA employees they would continue hiring cousins, aunts, uncle nieces and nephews creating infestations of additional subspecies of flies.
I’m shocked the tiny Phorid fly can even compete with their much larger AFGE competition. They share many similarities.
That they put 200 of these in the hospital shows they have a serious problem that 2000 lights won’t fix, because they are attacking the problem wrong, which they would have found by 10 minutes of reading Wikipedia.
The fly developes from eggs laid on feces, sewage or rotting fruits and veggies. It will go from egg to adult in 14-37 days. Once hatched, they feed on whatever they were laid on, and only the adults will fly. They are known for running across a surface to escape before flying. A single female will lay up to 100 eggs at a time, and up to 750 eggs in a lifetime.
These lights are designed to catch FLYING insects. They catch mostly MALE flies.
Now, this isn’t a problem that just came up last week because some clerk left a rotting fruit salad next to that veterans prescription.
How can you tell? The federal contracting process is sloooooow. Unless they have a slush fund sitting around, this took weeks to go through the contracting process to get these lights.
These are known as Aura Decorative Flylights used in restaurants, bars, etc., so VSOs should recognize them. They cost between $129-$137 each just for the light. At 200 lights equals $25,800.00. That doesn’t include extra UV bulbs which are recommended to be changed every year, or extra glue boards which are supposed to be changed every month.
The AFGE should be on this like a phorid fly on a turd to get extra staffing just to maintain these lights.
Will this go away? Well, the recommended process is to inspect for broken pipes, open drains, etc. Fix the pipe or dump drain cleaner down drains.
Pest control suggests it should take a week. That this has been going on 2 years suggests they are not finding their source, or they might be on the AFGE union rolls.
I’m surprised Cashour didn’t see this as an opportunity. He could have told the media the VA was forward thinking when they wasted millions installing solar panels at every VA.
They planned on using those panels to power these Zapmaster 6000 SUX lights.
HA HA HA HA…………….They need the AFGE VA employees to wear a portable version of the Zapmaster 6000 SUX Lights.
Two, actually. One for the North side of the engorged purple team member and a second for the South side of the engorged purple team member, which also means a new contract for wearable battery packs to power these Zapmaster 6000’s, which also are likely to be used by Disruptive Behavior Committee Barney Cops (DBCBC) against Veterans whom may be ballsy enough to complain about the maggots working there.
Nam, the wearable Zapmaster 6000 SUX is the Zapmaster 6050 SUX II that comes with the add-on (strap on) adjustable air freshener that spritzes out something that smells like a south Chicago gas station bathroom. In August.
I’m crying here…. š
VA gives new meaning to the phrase “the great bug out”. Unfortunately for the VA flies are not the sign of a health eco system. Oh and may the VA go bug fuck, if they haven’t fell out of there tree already. Anyone going to the VA make sure to bring ample supply of bug juice. Fly traps, yeah VA that’ll stop them, The VA let a veteran die from sepsis, inflicted by a maggot infested wound.
You guys are being way too cynical, don’t ya know maggots are good for wounds? This is the new VA surgical, wound, cleanery clinic, it is housed in the very same room surgeries are performed in, so to be efficient.
Next month, they are going to open a new clinic, the opioid replacement clinic, where your all handed a VA approved plastic bag to put over your head, and specific breathing instructions on how to hyperventilate, thereby mimicking the effects of just a tad more, Morphine then you need.
You guys are very unappreciative…………shame on yooooos ..
Veteran: Dr. I don’t like all these flies in my wound.
VA Dr: Well pick out the ones you do like, and we will remove the rest.
Here’s another “study by VA” coming at ya!
From: “military.com”
Dated: 2 May 2018
By: Jim Absher.
Titled;
“VA Conducting New Study of OIF/OEF Veterans!”
Seems they want a NEW study on the vets who served AFTER 9/11 – AGAIN!
Kinda makes one wonder, IS this where all of our taxpayers monies is really going to?
When thinking of the VA and flies least us not forget headlines from just over a year ago.
“4 VA Hospital Employees Resign After Maggots Found in Vet’s Wound”
Dec 5th, 2016
“Troubling revelations are coming out of a VA hospital in Oklahoma City.
Myles Deering, executive director of the VA medical center in Talihina, Oklahoma, said four employees have resigned after maggots were discovered in the wound of a 73-year-old veteran, who later died of sepsis.
Deering said the maggots were found while the patient, Owen Reese Peterson, was still alive and were not the only contributing factor to his death.
Monday on America’s Newsroom, host Bill Hemmer asked Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth, a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, about the state of VA hospitals nationwide.”
“https://insider.foxnews.com/2016/12/05/4-va-hospital-staff-workers-resign-after-maggots-found-veterans-wound”
The North American Maggot and an AFGE Engorged Purple Team Member have similar physical dimensions and qualities.
Both find belts and clothing an impossible chore combined with laws of physics.
Both are parasites that live off of dead flesh.
The fly’s redeeming factor is they can smell poo as it’s being discharged from any living thing’s ass and be there almost as soon as it plops onto the ground into a steaming pile. Much quicker than any bedpan change at any VAMC facility.
Today’s persistent “fly problem” tells me there’s actually *really* a bad poo problem at the VA…the flies are only following nature’s genetic code written for them…don’t blame the flies, blame the shitheads working there.
To be honest Namnibor when they have so many maggots collecting paychecks at the VA. Of course they are going to have a fly problem.
Now now boys. This is merely the VA’s way of cost savings. Maggots indeed eat dead flesh. However, enlightened researches at the VA have resurrected ancient infection fighting remedies from various cultures, whereby maggots were applied directly to wounds.
What you don’t know is that these are clean laboratory grown maggots. VA has approved these maggots for use in surgical areas. These are the best maggots, the very best. They’ve never been exposed to lobbyists, politicians or porn stars. The VA was going to use leeches but they all went to the banking industry for the money.
“https://bugasalt.com/?msclkid=a2e423a5a9c21db2350a794f5d4859a1&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Bug-A-Salt%20%7C%20Brand&utm_term=bugasalt&utm_content=BUG-A-SALT”
Works pretty good if your arthritis and stuff lets you pump it up after a while of killing. Get close. Does some damage to those pesky stink bugs too. Or knocking those pesky caterpillars off of goose berry plants. lol
Can supposedly send people to the moon and outer space but can’t control bugs or nasties in a hospital or surgery rooms. Big Hep A outbreaks… run for a vaccine, don’t bother washing your damn hands or trimming fingernails to fit in latex exam gloves. Pathetic national leaders. Doesn’t the CIA or DHS have those tiny fly sized nukes they can use with their spy bugs?
Bring all troops home from the scum-sucking Mid-East and arm them with the above. You want wars so bad then fight the battles needed at home. Ya know… the promises…. America first, second, third. Lying pigs.
Off topic-Jeff Miller? NEXT!
Veteran Inpatient: “Nurse Ratched, can you please change the flytrap directly above my bed?”
VA Nurse Ratched: “What do you perceive to be a problem over here?”
Veteran Inpatient: “The sticky flytrap hanging from ceiling is obviously so full that dead flies are now falling-off and into my once-sterile bandages and the live flies flew away with my food tray and only the uncooked chicken walked back and is also ill because he ate some of these pesky generational flies!!!!”
VA Nurse Ratched: “I will get you a fresh & hungry uncooked chicken from the coup to help clean-up those flies because it’s NOT MY JOB!!”
Veteran Inpatient: “The flies seem to be originating from the swarm slightly hidden under the folds your nursing whites fail miserably at containing. Maybe if you were to simply take a bath, keep the facility sanitary, and be sure to douche with any spray made by Monsanto…Round-Up should do the job….”
VA Nurse Ratched: **WHACK**….~~~shuffle~~~…”Another bed open in my bay of pigs!”
While you were sleeping
They came and took it all away
The lanes and the meadows
The places where you used to play
It was an inside job
By the well-connected
Your little protest
Summarily rejected
It was an inside job
Like it always is
Chalk it up to business as usual
While we are dreaming
This little island disappears
While you are looking the other way
They’ll take your right to own your own ideas
And it’s an inside job
Favors collected
Your trusted servants
Have left you unprotected
It was an inside job
Like it always is
Just chalk it up
To business as usual
Tip O the Cap to Mr. Henley.
YAWN…..Chalk it up to business as usual ……..I better go check my fly traps
Yep, the mission is “Delay, deny, until those pesky veterans die”…
We gor a two’fer here…veterans can die from a fly bourne infection or delay from not having their surgery performed.
I gotta hand it to the VA, Congress and government in general…they are great at coming together and plotting these ways to save them money (by killing off veterans).
Can I already give you all the VA’s response? Please, please, please….
Ok, here goes, “This is an isolated incident. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention. We will be conducting an investigation into the matter because the VA provides outstanding, high quality service that our pesky little veterans couldn’t get elsewhere. So don’t forget to give us more money.”
Dear Mr President,
Please SHUT IT DOWN, NOW!
Or, at the very least, start PROSECUTIONS of those involved in harming veterans!
I suspect all of those cancelled surgeries will be in vets progress notes as the veteran cancelled or did not show up for the surgery!
A total value systems breakdown in VA management.
I agree and it is a pathetic situation.