Posted on 10/01/2014 4:51:30 PM PDT by huldah1776
Veterans at the Shreveport, La., Veterans Affairs hospital have been going without toothbrushes, toothpaste, pajamas, sheets and blankets while department officials spend money on new Canadian-made furniture, televisions to run public service announcements and solar panels, a Watchdog investigation has revealed.
Sources inside the hospital told Watchdog.org that patients also have had to contend with substandard care, as many nurses spend less time on work than on cell phones, iPods or accessing personal data on hospital computers.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
I was told more than 6 months ago that the VA was scheduling for an MRI for my hip. Have not heard from them at all!
My wife went to a local Dr. last week for back pain and through luck she got an MRI that same day! She is now scheduled to see a back surgeon tomorrow morning to access her problem.
Our system is rotting from the inside out. These stories are proof positive why we need to outsource or eliminate more and more services. Either nobody wants to be the bad guy and bring the hammer down on this kind of shenanigan, or nobody wants to exercise oversight. Besides, nobody ever gets in trouble. You can watch porn all day and still not get fired. You can kill patients and get your full pension. VA management is either the Peter Principle in action (every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence), or corruption.
I’d believe either. At some point a serious general manager who knew to order essentially supplies before ordering TVs left, and someone underneath who did not know any better was promoted. Or, someone is getting kickbacks. Or, they prefer to lay around on nice furniture and watch TV than do their jobs which is OK because they cannot be fired.
I watched the Tahmooressi hearing and there is a call out there to allow Vets to choose their own method of service, private, or VA. With the socialists out there I don’t see it happening.
Saw a quote today on FB:
Let’s give Vets Congressional benefits and give congress current Vet’s benefits and watch how fast things change.
Trickle down narcissism.
“...(every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence), or corruption.”
You can delete incompetence and stick with corruption.
Absolutely, they do not liked to be pushed, but the only way the Wife gets it done, gets their name and phone number and just goes up the chain of command. Sometimes there is a brickwall, but go to the Patient Advocate, just keep making noise. She has done this since I arrived home in 68, the 80s, were horrible 90s, good, 2005 on has been more of a chore, but make it work for you. I have heard the Southern States are the worst.
My wife went to a local Dr. last week for back pain and through luck she got an MRI that same day! She is now scheduled to see a back surgeon tomorrow morning to access her problem.
Sorry. You have just experienced how the government cuts health care costs. Cut the funding to the diagnostic tool and there will be no cost to treat!
“Sources inside the hospital told Watchdog.org that patients also have had to contend with substandard care, as many nurses spend less time on work than on cell phones, iPods or accessing personal data on hospital computers.”
Here, in good ol’ Alexandria, LA., in May of this year, and in 2008, this exact reporting, is and was true. Those who were not taking care of patients, as I saw when I had to leave my room to go use the ‘down the hall necessary room’, were sitting within the nurses’ station, looking at: Amazon, EBay, pet supplies, and an ammunition distributor. Nurses in the halls were standing by the windows, where they could ‘get a good signal’ for their smartphone communications.
This occured in both the upstairs ward, in both timeframes, and when I stayed in the other recuperative building, that also housed Alzheimer’s patients.
I have seen the V.A. operations from the inside, as a former employee/patient, and now as ‘just another patient’. All the building facade reconstructions, internal floorspace being reengineered with new fancy locations for the ‘team doctors’, and other ‘facelifts’, are all eating up monies, that should be paid to veterans. The original ‘V.A. campus’ is or was on the national historical building list, as the original campus of Louisiana State University. It sure doesn’t look anything like it, now.
Ahhh....the old ‘different pots of money’ explanation.
“Well, sir...uhhh yes...uhhhh....the sheet and pj pot is empty, and Congress has restricted this pot to “solar electric LG 60 inch color TVs with surround sound.”
Well, the new fiscal year is underway...The VA has gone from a budget of about 85 Billion to about 185 Billion in one year...
That would explain the trips to IKEA, and Office Max...
Nevermind the actual job they have to do...
They got away with it...Again...
Seems reasonable to me, but I would say they should not be allowed to change anything...
Let the Congress and Senate and other staffers utilize the existing VA system for about, say, 50 years...
Then we’ll see if they deserve a break...
I was hoping the same thing. No “Senator” before their names and make sure the entire executive and judicial branches are included. Or, better yet, make them private, profitable enterprises.
Liberal controlled organizations are great at throwing money at wasteful projects while refusing to fund what their original mission was/is.
Reminds me of a Yes Minister episode where Jim Hacker finds out a new hospital is fully staffed . . . with administrators. It doesn’t have doctors, nurses or patients, just administrators, busy working all day.
LOL. Like most of the civilian gov’t employees recently hired? My mom always did too much or worked too fast. She did the drafting for the electrical cables on the carriers at the Philly Naval Yard. The carriers are now reefs and mom is with my brother in heaven asking how long it will be.
Houston Tax Dollars Wasted:
the city spends taxpayer money, compiled by Fernando Herrera over the last year or so:
(But they can’t afford school buses, had to hire a company that wasn’t qualified to drive buses, and No Seat Belts on them, lots of kids have been rushed to Houston hospitals this year after School Bus Wrecks!!~!!)
Houston Soccer for Success After School Program — $230,000
Live Home Work Assistance — $850,000
New Computer lab in 5th ward — $1,000,000
Bethel Church renovation park — $4.1 million
Homeless and Housing Fund — $1 million
Martin Luther King shrine (Metro) $750,000
High School Student Interns — $100,000
Deluxe Theater renovation $5.5 million
$3,101,439 of your tax dollars on the fifth and final scheduled installment, for repayment of misappropriated HUD grant funding.
Remember in 2008 the city of Houston agreed to use your tax dollars to repay HUD $15.5 million to settle findings that Houston misspent federal grants.
$2.638 million for land to build a Downtown inspirational center.
$100,000 for a pot hole finding cell phone app
$55,109.50 to purchase additional land for Emancipation Park—not counting the $116,837.00 for Emancipation Park from the previous week.
$540,000.00 City of Houston produced work place violence video “run, hide, fight”.
$100,000.00 (State Housing Trust Funds) to Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston for housing assistance for families at-risk of becoming homeless. The President of this “non-Profit” receives $182,739.00.
$7,299.67 to help 5 low income person with rental assistance.
$787,050.00 to a lobbyist for the Texas Legislative Session.
Cathedral Health and Outreach Ministries, in the amount of $51,839.00 for the provision of Homeless Services in connection with the Texas Homeless Housing and Services Program. Executive Director income is $105,345.00.
Contract between the City of Houston and Child Care Council of Greater Houston, providing up to $189,300.00.
$400,000 for a mystery shopper at the airport.
Contract between the City of Houston and Child Care Council of Greater Houston, providing up to $207,818.00.
After School Achievement Program (ASAP) childcare $850,000.00
Multi-Family Residential Project 1500 Prarie — $2 million
Greater Houston Convention and Visitor’s Bureau — $685,000
Houston Soccer for Success After School Program — $230,000.00
Art (through August) — $3,600,000.00
Homeless and Housing Fund — $1,000,000.00
High School Student Interns — $100,000.00
$159,684.96 to the Houston Food Bank to increase public awareness of Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (food stamps). Remember the Houston Food Bank has annual revenues of $148 million!
$167,562,00 for software that records and stores individual homeless person data.
$133,415.00 for strategic homeless planning — affordable housing, education, employment, transportation, child care, mental health, food and shelter.
$50,000 for families at-risk of becoming homeless (Memorial Assistance Ministries).
$435,568.00 for moving and storage of household goods for those people benefiting from the City Housing Community Development Department.
$975,000 for an adult day care center.
$70,000 for childcare for homeless families affected by HIV.
$600,000 to the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston from the Housing Opportunities for People With Aids grant fund for multiple rental assistance programs (previously was given $100,000).
$92,490 to SRO Housing Corporation for the operation of a community residence for low-income and homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS.
$200,000 for after school childcare – After School Achievement Program (previously gave $850,000).
$1,237,507 for Sam Houston Park improvements.
$3,350,160.00 to Dean’s Nutritional Food Service for “free” meals and snacks in an After-School Meal.
$499,572.00 for the renovation of a Community Medical, Dental and Imaging Center located at 5012 North Shepherd. In case you didn’t know, Houstonians previously acquired the building earlier this year with $800,428.00 of your tax dollars. And everyone is eligible for free affordable care act?
$439,572.00 to Child Care Council of Greater Houston (a non-profit) for oversight and delivery of a Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program. Services include abuse deterrence and treatment, prevention of premature sexual activity, cultural enrichment, recreational activities, and more…
$421,410.00 additional to Child Care Council of Greater Houston for full-day care, before or after school care, full-day summer programs, infant care, 24 hour crisis nursery services, and more…
$750,000.00 for after-school program expenditures for use as match to draw down federal child care funds.
$3,478,518.00 to Child Care Council of Greater Houston to address the needs of families who are homeless and at risk of becoming homeless.
$750,000.00 loan to the Greater East End Management District (an appointed board) to install street furniture, trees, solar pedestrian lighting, and street furniture.
$47,000.00 for an enhanced pedestrian and transit supportive environment along Main, Rice University, and Herman Park.
$5,975,000.00 Loan between the City of Houston and Guld Arms Limited to assist with acquisition, demolition and reconstruction of a 160 unit Affordable Housing Community.
$8,500,000.00 to Houston Heights Towers to provide to assist with renovation of a 223 unit Affordable Housing Community for seniors and the disabled.
$81,500.00 for a Special Assistant to the Mayor for Homeless Initiatives.
$300,000.00 of Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), and appropriating $6,000,000.00 out of TIRZ, to be used for affordable single family and multi-family housing.
$507,750.51 to Aids Foundation Houston, Inc. in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Funds for the administration and operation of two community residences.
$123,335.00 to Search Homeless Services, Inc. to provide meals, bus tokens, showers, blankets, gold cards, medical and dental assistance.
$2,051,035.00 in loans to Mayberry Homes Inc. for affordable single-family homes.
Free wifi for the traditionally underserved areas of town.
Free banking for those traditionally without a bank account. All you need is a Mexican matricula card to apply (really).
Good Golly, Miss Molly and I thought it was only Veterans Hospitals that were having problems.
RUSH reported on a $666.00 Grant given to a group who is studying why obese girls don’t have many dates!
I could have saved them that money and is it odd that the amount requested was 666 ??????
So Much Waste! Remember the treadmill for shrimp in aquariums last year..... Fed grant
THE ONION had a good one years ago Fed research $$$$$
25 year study discovers that 25 years is a long ass time
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