Posted on 08/23/2019 2:36:01 PM PDT by buckalfa
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – A lawyer representing the estate of a U.S. Army veteran who died from low blood sugar while at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg has filed a notice of claim with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, alleging that the veteran died as a result of homicide. The claim also alleges that nine to 10 other patients died at the VA under similar circumstances.
Tony O’Dell, an attorney with Tiano O’Dell in Charleston, filed the claim this week on behalf of Melanie Proctor, who is the daughter of Ret. Sgt. Felix Kirk McDermott and the administratrix of his estate.
The following information comes from the claim filed this week, which you can read in its entirety here.
McDermott, 82, of Ellenboro, was admitted to the VA on April 6, 2018 after developing pneumonia, and his condition improved. McDermott was not diagnosed with diabetes and did not have a history of ever taking any medication for the treatment of diabetes. During his stay at the VA, McDermott’s blood glucose levels were monitored by a daily fingerstick test. His levels were all shown to be in the normal range. During his stay at the VA, there were no doctor’s orders for McDermott to receive insulin.
On April 9, while still at the VA, McDermott unexpectedly developed shortness of breath. VA staff found that McDermott’s blood sugar level was very low, a condition known as hypoglycemia. Medical efforts to raise his blood sugar level were unsuccessful, and McDermott died later that morning.
McDermott’s family was told only that he died, but his cause of death was not explained to them. His body was sent to a funeral home, and he was buried on April 13.
In October 2018, inspectors with the VA Office of the Inspector General contacted Proctor and told her there was evidence that the deaths of her father and nine or 10 other patients of the Clarksburg VA were the result of being wrongfully injected with insulin in their abdomens, with her father being one of the last known victims. At that time, McDermott’s body was disinterred and sent to Dover Air Force Base for an autopsy.
The autopsy showed that McDermott had been injected with insulin in his left abdomen and that there were no hospital orders for the injection. Following the autopsy and investigation, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner ruled McDermott’s death a homicide. Investigators told McDermott’s family that they do have a person of interest in the deaths of multiple VA patients.
The claim lists a series of ways the VA was negligent in relation to McDermott’s death:
Knowing that nine to 10 other patients died under similar circumstances prior to McDermott being admitted, he and his family should have been alerted so that they could make informed decisions about his care
By failing to adequately staff the hospital By failing to investigate the causes of the previous deaths By failing to properly reconcile medications By failing to properly train staff
The claim, which is the precursor to a lawsuit, asks for $1 million for personal injury and $5 million for wrongful death, along with funeral costs and loss of income.
When asked for comment, officials at the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center referred us to the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General, which we have not heard back from yet.
West Virginia’s U.S. Senators each issued statements on the situation.
“This report is shocking and if accurate, I am appalled that these crimes were not only committed but that our Veterans, who have sacrificed so much for our country, were the victims. As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee I will do everything in my power to investigate these accusations and get to the bottom of what happened. These families and loved ones deserve answers as soon as possible and I will make sure they get them.”
SEN. JOE MANCHIN-D “This news is sickening and troubling. My office has reached out to the VA to learn more details, and I will do everything I can to make sure this is fully investigated.”
SEN. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO-R “Congressman McKinley is aware of an ongoing investigation at Clarksburg by the Veterans Administration Office of the Inspector General. We hope to get more answers about this situation as that investigation progresses,” said Amanda Hyman, Communications Director for U.S. Rep. David McKinley-R.
The investigation was opened in July 2018 after the leadership of the Clarksburg VA alerted investigators to “unexplained diagnosis of severe low blood sugar in several patients,” government sources said.
McDermott retired from the U.S. Army as a sergeant after 20 years of active duty, during which time he served in Vietnam. Following his retirement, he spent time in the Pennsylvania National Guard.
How about we send the congress critters to the VA for all their medical !?!
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“How about we send the congress critters to the VA for all their medical !?!”
I get the best care of my life at the VA Medical Center in Mather, CA.
EVERYONE I encounter there agrees.
It was the same at the VA in Seattle.
Everyone there agreed it was the best care of their lives.
The issue is the Regional Director or the Hospital Administrator.
They vary. And by too much.
Come here to North Texas and see if you still feel the same.
Overall, I get good care from the VA.
Add my agreement.
I went to a local hospital became of an emergency.
Spent three weeks.
The VA is much better.
Next time I will pay the thousand dollars to have the ambulance driver past the local hospitals.
One of the main reasons I left FW is because of the NTVAMC.
Same here in southern Ohio. The local VA hospital is rated 3 out of 5, because EVERYONE I encounter there agrees, lol. Makes one wonder about where certain individuals work and if they are paid for providing disinformation.
The #1 cause of preventable death is not guns or autos or texting in traffic.
Deaths in hospitals and medical facilities is #1.
Injuries/illnesses acquired in hospitals and medical facilities is #1.
This includes both VA and other socialist hospitals and civilian hospitals. But it is higher is socialist hospitals. It is not much different from Cook County Chicago Public Hospital to many VA hospitals.
But of course, as in any socialist regime, there is Walter Reed which which provides superior care for the important people in society... for ther greater good of society.
“....How about we send the congress critters to the VA for all their medical !?!....”
Exactly. Our elite Congress-critter overlords and rulers get the verrrrry best medical care on the face of the planet. Medical care that those of us amongst the “unwashed masses” can only dream about having. They need to be completely stripped of it, put on odongoCare and/or have to use the VA. I suspect it would “thin the herd” rather quickly without the use of term limits.
Obamacare has played havoc with my little VA Hospital.
My little VA Hospital had an influx of real Doctors after Obamacare hit.
I think that a lot of Doctors left private practice for the VA.
With the election of President Trump, it seems that most of the Doctors have left our little VA Hospital.
My Primary Care Doctor is now a Nurse.
She’s good, but it shows the lack of Doctors.
But the health care providers and their crews have been great! Like any other large operation, there's gonna be good and bad. And if you're in a bad one there's not much you can do but make a lotta noise or move cause there is no such thing as accountability unless they don't toe the "diversity is our strength" line. Same goes for any .gov organization.
And no, I don't work there and they don't pay me. ***eyeroll*** dorks...
Perhaps the gentleman did not have over a 50% SRD. That would explain it.
Fascinating.
It would be appreciated if supporting data sources might be provided here. This may assist others.
Thank you, Norski
In American hospitals alone, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that HAIs account for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths each year. Of these infections:
https://patientcarelink.org/improving-patient-care/healthcare-acquired-infections-hais/
99k per year. Compare that to any other cause.
I’m set up better at work than home to search those statistics.
The VA was putting out vague PR releases during the Obama years saying they were making progress. But no hard numbers were revealed. Under Trump, there aren’t any articles at all.
That could mean that things are better and they don’t want Trump to get the credit. Or it could mean things are worse and they are hiding it from Trump which means hiding it from everyone.
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