Brown Calls for Thorough Organizational Review of Dayton VA Medical Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following receipt of investigative reports surrounding the events at the Dayton VA Medical Center Dental Clinic, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) called for a thorough organizational review by the VA and concrete changes at the Dayton VA Medical Center.

“While making leadership changes at the Dayton VA was a necessary step, this is a puzzle with more than one piece.  You can’t change the culture of an organization simply by removing its top layer.  A thorough, medical center-wide organizational review is clearly called for.  Shielding those who put Ohio’s veterans at risk is simply unacceptable, but the most pressing issue is ensuring that every veteran who walks through the door receives safe, quality care at the Dayton VA. We need to determine what new systems need to be put in place and who should be responsible for implementing them.  Improved outcomes and patient safety is not going to come from demonizing one person, it’s going to come from rewriting the rules at the Dayton VA to produce the results we want.”

Brown has been working with the Dayton VA, Sec. Shinseki, and the Senate Veterans Committee since first learing of allegations of unhygienic practices at the Dayton VA Health Clinic. Earlier this month, Brown met with Sec. Shinseki and raised the issue of leadership in the meeting. 

In February, the Dayton VAMC issued a report indicating that several employees may have known for years that a practitioner was using unhygienic practices for 18 years— exposing veterans to blood-borne pathogens because dental equipment was not sterilized. In response, Brown joined U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (OH-03) in writing to Shinseki to request increased oversight and a more expansive investigation.

Brown wrote to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, to request a hearing to investigate this situation and identify preventive actions that would ensure that a situation like this never arises again. Last year, Brown sent a letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Sec. Eric Shinseki urging the VA to investigate the complaints at the VAMC. Brown has spoken with Shinseki and VAMC officials repeatedly urging them to correct any issues and install effective leadership.

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