Author -- Caitlin R. Proctor
In the United States, we have a department called Veterans Affairs which is responsible for the care of soldiers after they have served. This includes taking care of war-related injuries, supporting these men and women as they find a job, and providing healthcare in old-age. For the past few years, they have been getting lots of media attention, even presidential attention, for their extremely poor level of care. Jon Stewart went off on a particularly memorable tirade (sorry for poor video quality) because of their long wait times and inept care, which may have created some change in the system (hooray!).
Why in the world am I reading this headline today, then? “4th Legionnaire’s Disease Death at Illinois Veterans’ Home“.
In 2013, I followed the Philadelphia outbreak closely, even writing a term paper on it. What I found was astonishing. 1) There was a Legionnaire’s Disease prevention plan in place, which got blatantly ignored on several levels of command. 2) The leadership did not even vaguely encourage responsibility or change. 3) The people responsible were still receiving awards and recognition from the top. 4) They tried to shirk responsibility to the families of the victims.
I spoke with family members of the victims in some moving interviews. One family said their loved one chose to go to the Veterans Affairs hospital, even when they could afford another one, because he thought he would receive the best care there.
While not all the facts are in on this new outbreak in Illinois, it seems we’re going down the same road yet again. My apologies in advance if I end up being wrong, and there was no way for them to prevent this particular outbreak. However, if it turns out this was another case of maintenance and testing procedures being ignored because they’re ‘too much hassle’ or ‘unnecessary anyways’, I only have one question. What on earth will it take for you to learn your lesson?
I can understand how other premise operators argue that they do not have the budget or resources to be careful about outbreak prevention. Hotels, prisons, and other buildings don’t have a specifically susceptible population. At Veterans’ homes and hospitals, you have the most susceptible population and the highest duty of care. These men were willing to lay down their lives for Americans’ benefits. We can at least be bothered to test the water and check the disinfection systems, can’t we?
...reblogged from Mermaid ITN - A place to share
Why in the world am I reading this headline today, then? “4th Legionnaire’s Disease Death at Illinois Veterans’ Home“.
In 2013, I followed the Philadelphia outbreak closely, even writing a term paper on it. What I found was astonishing. 1) There was a Legionnaire’s Disease prevention plan in place, which got blatantly ignored on several levels of command. 2) The leadership did not even vaguely encourage responsibility or change. 3) The people responsible were still receiving awards and recognition from the top. 4) They tried to shirk responsibility to the families of the victims.
I spoke with family members of the victims in some moving interviews. One family said their loved one chose to go to the Veterans Affairs hospital, even when they could afford another one, because he thought he would receive the best care there.
While not all the facts are in on this new outbreak in Illinois, it seems we’re going down the same road yet again. My apologies in advance if I end up being wrong, and there was no way for them to prevent this particular outbreak. However, if it turns out this was another case of maintenance and testing procedures being ignored because they’re ‘too much hassle’ or ‘unnecessary anyways’, I only have one question. What on earth will it take for you to learn your lesson?
I can understand how other premise operators argue that they do not have the budget or resources to be careful about outbreak prevention. Hotels, prisons, and other buildings don’t have a specifically susceptible population. At Veterans’ homes and hospitals, you have the most susceptible population and the highest duty of care. These men were willing to lay down their lives for Americans’ benefits. We can at least be bothered to test the water and check the disinfection systems, can’t we?
...reblogged from Mermaid ITN - A place to share