Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Feb. 11.
Carl Vinson VA Medical Center halted all medical procedures and related operations from Jan. 12 - 14, 2022, because of concerns about reprocessing reusable medical
equipment.
“We’re committed to providing world-class health care for America’s Veterans in a safe and healthy environment,” said Medical Center Director Manuel M. Davila. “When these issues come to light, we stop the line and confront them directly, and we use this opportunity to retrain and create best practices to improve patient safety. Accountability remains at the forefront of caring for Veterans and it is our goal to correct this issue moving forward.”
Medical center leadership conducted an internal review and began the notification process to inform potentially impacted Veterans.
The risk of infection was determined to be very low after clinical review. However, out of an abundance of caution, Carl Vinson VA leadership decided to contact every Veteran who might have been exposed to explain the potential risk and offer free testing for blood-borne pathogens consisting of Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV.
The internal review determined discrepancies in reprocessing reusable equipment, and executive leadership immediately ordered appointments requiring reprocessed equipment canceled.
A team from the Augusta VA Medical Center deployed to Carl Vinson VAMC in mid-January to reprocess all equipment. Staff from VAMCs in Atlanta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, and Birmingham, Alabama, provided Carl Vinson VAMC personnel training. All staff has been retrained to ensure they are familiar with procedures according to current manufacturer guidelines.
Veterans affected by the temporary halt in operations have been rescheduled. Veterans who may have questions or are seeking more information are encouraged to call 478-274-5400.
Original source can be found here.
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