Panels to Probe Problems at St. Louis VA Clinic

Equipment sterilization problems at the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center's dental clinic will be investigated by two independent panels, Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) said Thursday. In June, the VA began informing 1,812 veterans who underwent dental procedures at the clinic between Feb. 1, 2009, and March 11, 2010, that the errors may have exposed them to HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Of the 1,144 patients screened so far, 809 tested negative. The VA has not provided a breakdown of the diseases for which the other 335 have tested positive. The new investigations, by the congressional Government Accountability Office and the VA inspector general, are in addition to an internal VA probe launched soon after the problems were made public. "If there are veterans who have tested positive, regardless of whether they were exposed through the dental clinic or through some other completely unrelated source, they need to know so that they can get the treatment they need and take needed precautions to keep their spouses and family members safe," Carnahan said.

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