VAMC - Miami: Miami VA hospital chief out in colonoscopy scandal

More than two years after the Miami Veterans Administration hospital notified 2,500 veterans that they may have had colonoscopies with improperly cleaned equipment, Mary Berrocal was removed from her job and reassigned Wednesday.

Berrocal will “transition” to a VA administrative office in St. Petersburg “until placement details are finalized,” according a statement announcing Berrocal’s removal from the Miami VA.

“VA leadership decided that even though Miami is making great strides to improve clinical care, too much attention had been focused on the current director to let her continue to do her job,” said Florida VA spokeswoman Mary Kay Hollingsworth.

The move does not end Berrocal’s VA career, she said: “She will be reassigned.”

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VAMC MIAMI: Lawmakers blast ongoing problems at Miami VA

From a delay in notifying 18 veterans that their personal information recently was sold for profit, to a miscommunication in August that resulted in the death of an Air Force veteran, the list of issues at the Miami VA is vast — and no one is being held accountable, committee members said.

“Things going on at the Miami VA Medical Center are atrocious. And if it’s better today than it was, I can only imagine how bad it must have been if you think it’s moving in the right direction,” Miller told VA Miami and headquarters officials.

Last week, a VAMC Miami employee was arrested and charged with selling the names and personal information of 18 patients at the center, and the data of up to 3,000 veterans may have been compromised, according to the committee — yet none of the veterans have been notified.

Since taking office nine months ago, he has requested information for one of his constituents but said he has received minimal response from VA.

“It’s like pulling teeth. If the victim of a situation or a family is trying to get information that I can’t get, it’s a troubling situation. There’s no transparency here,” Huelskamp said.

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VAMC - Miami: Medical Mistakes at VA Hospital Slammed by Congress

Unhappy with the slow pace of improvements at a Veterans Administration (VA) hospital in Miami, where thousands of veterans were exposed to unsterilized colonoscopy equipment in 2009, lawmakers are calling for the ouster of the center’s director.

At a congressional hearing of the House Veterans’ Affairs committee last week, congressmen on both sides of the aisle said Mary Berrocal, the hospital’s director, has been too slow in making improvements at the facility. Some also suggested that Nevin Weaver, the regional VA director, should be replaced as well.