According to The Tampa Tribune, three veterans died and nine others were injured as the result of delays in treatment for gastrointestinal cancers in the VA’s Sunshine Healthcare Network, which serves Florida, southern Georgia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, according to a VA report released on April 7. The deaths and injuries in the Sunshine Healthcare Network were from 301,000 consultations made between 2010 and 2012.
“These heartbreaking findings are just the first step the VA must take in rebuilding the trust of veterans and family members affected by these tragic delays in care,” stated Florida Rep. Jeff Miller. “In addition to swiftly putting in place reforms to ensure this never happens again, it is incumbent upon the VA to reveal precisely when these deaths and injuries occurred and whether any VA employees who may have allowed veterans to fall through the cracks have been held accountable.”
Two of the deaths resulted from delays at the North Florida/South Georgia VA Health System and one was from the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center, according to the VA. Nationwide, there were 17 other deaths and 44 other patient injuries found during a VA review initiated after deaths were discovered in Georgia and South Carolina.
“For any veteran to die as the result of a medical error, or be harmed, is clearly a tragedy,” stated Thomas Lynch, the VA’s assistant deputy undersecretary for health for clinical operations. “I think an even greater tragedy is if we don’t learn from what happened and attempt to improve systems.”
Our Injury Attorneys Have Global Experience with Successful Cases
As injury attorney Joseph J. Kalbac explains in the video below, most cases involving medical negligence (like the neglect seen at these VA facilities) usually settle before trial; however, the attorneys at Colson Hicks Eidson are not afraid to pursue a case if the defendants fail to make a reasonable settlement offer.
Not sure what to do after professional malpractice throws your family’s life off track? Contact our injury attorneys today to find out what to do next. We have experience litigating a wide variety of professional negligence cases around the world.
Colson Hicks Eidson – Injury Attorneys