VA investigator visits Tomah to meet VA staff
TOMAH, Wis. (AP) - The lead investigator of a probe into alleged overmedication of military veterans at the Tomah VA Medical Center met with hospital staff Friday to outline the scope of the review.
Carolyn Clancy, the VA's acting undersecretary for health, is also looking into allegations of retaliatory practices. The medical center came under scrutiny this month when media and whistleblower accounts detailed the widespread overuse of narcotics. A 35-year-old Marine, Jason Simcakoski, died of an overdose in the hospital's inpatient care unit in August.
A report last year by the VA's Office of the Inspector General documented a series of problems in Tomah, but it was shared only with hospital officials. Clancy said she didn't receive the report until months after it came out because it was deemed confidential.
"Transparency is wonderful when you're doing a great job and it's a great story to tell," Clancy said. "It's harder when you've got problems."
When asked why it wasn't shared more widely so problems could be addressed, Clancy said she didn't have a good answer.
"I can't say when would have been better. What I can tell you is that we're taking it very seriously right now," she said.
Clancy said two teams would investigate at Tomah. A group of senior clinicians from outside the area will review charts and investigate allegations that opiates were prescribed - so much so that Tomah was dubbed "Candyland" by some veterans. The medical center's chief of staff, David Houlihan, has been placed on leave pending investigation.
Another team will look into complaints of retaliation. Some whistleblowers, including a former employee named Ryan Honl, have said some staff members created an environment of fear and intimidation that prevented employees from speaking out against the prescription drug overuse.
Honl worked as a secretary at the facility for six weeks in 2014, and said he submitted reports of low-level fraud to the Office of the Investigator General. He said once he came forward as a whistleblower, others used him as a "conduit" for submitting testimony.
Clancy's meeting with hospital staff was private. Afterward, as reporters waited to speak to her, Honl sat down in the conference room and said he wanted to speak with Clancy. Police officers quickly escorted him out of the room.
Clancy said later she had tried to meet with Honl earlier in the day. She said she welcomes testimony from whistleblowers.
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