Probe: Dallas VA Hospital Worst in U.S.

.c The Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) - A federal investigation has found dirty, unsafe conditions at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center - including grime on the walls and under-refrigerated medication - and ranked the institution as the nation's worst.

An inspector general's report for the Department of Veterans Affairs found that most patients' rooms and bathrooms were unclean, the floors and walls ``had buildups of grime,'' and some stretchers displayed ``dried residue suggestive of body fluids.''

Investigators said they also found no evidence of a plan for better management at the North Texas Health Care System's flagship.

``We got the message,'' Dr. Robert Cronin, the system's chief of staff, told The Dallas Morning News for Tuesday's editions. ``We're working hard to correct those things. ... We've added a number of people to help us get the job done.''

Dirty intravenous pumps, insufficient medication refrigeration and exposed electrical connections in patient bathrooms were among shortcomings cited in the inspector general's report.

Allen Clark, veterans affairs spokesman, said Tuesday hospital officials already have eliminated most of the problems identified in the report, which was released in November.

Hospital officials have prepared a formal written response which is expected to be relayed to the inspector general by a Wednesday deadline.

The 84-acre hospital complex is the center of a system that serves 38 counties in Texas and two in Oklahoma.



01/18/05 21:15 EST