Tag: Clarksburg VA Medical Center

Clarksburg Veterans’ Murders Focal Point of Senate Hearing

Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs heard from VA officials about how the department is improving its quality of care after investigations into multiple high-profile scandals.

The murder of patients at a veteran’s hospital in West Virginia were a focus of discussion in the U.S. Senate Wednesday.

Members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs heard from VA officials about how the department is improving its quality of care after investigations into multiple high-profile scandals at VA facilities in recent years, including the murder of seven veterans at VAMC Clarksburg by a nurse assistant.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, joined his colleagues in calling for greater accountability of leadership to avoid future tragedies.

“How do we hold the VA leaders responsible in instance like the murders at Clarksburg?” Manchin said. “ How do they stay in the system? How are they able to retire with a benefit, with such disrespect and such neglect and malfeasance of doing their job?”

VA officials stressed that incidents like the one at Clarksburg are rare, and insisted the organization has integrated the findings from the ensuing investigations.

“The lessons learned from Clarksburg and from Fayetteville were discussed widely and continue to be,” said VA Assistant Under Secretary Carolyn M. Clancy. “When we have big leadership meetings, we start with a patient safety story.”

Clancy is referring to a former pathologist at the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks in Fayetteville, Arkansas, who was charged with three counts of manslaughter in 2019.

A Manchin-sponsored bill granting subpoena power to the VA’s Office of Inspector General passed the Senate last month, and is due to be taken up by the House of Representatives next week.

Probation For Ex-VA Hospital Doc Who Admitted Fondling Women

A former physician at a West Virginia’s veterans hospital was sentenced to probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to touching two female staffer’s breasts without permission.

The sentencing of Dr. Kenneth C. Ramdat, 65, of Silver Spring, Maryland, comes a month after a former nursing assistant at the Louis A. Johnson VA Hospital in Clarksburg was sentenced to seven consecutive life terms for giving seven elderly veterans fatal injections of insulin.

Prosecutors said the separate incidents involving Ramdat occurred as he hugged the women in 2019. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to two counts of simple assault. A U.S. magistrate judge then followed the prosecution’s recommendation and sentenced him to a year’s probation, The Exponent Telegram reported.

According to a plea agreement, Ramdat will not be required to register as a sex offender.

Ramdat apologized in court and called his behavior “repulsive,” the newspaper said. He has retired from the Veterans Affairs system, according to statements in court.

Ramdat’s plea “is a step in the right direction to giving the women affected by his horrific actions the justice they deserve,” said U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. “The systemic negligence at the Clarksburg VAMC must be addressed and dealt with. Accountability begins at the top, and I am committed to working with VA Secretary McDonough and as a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee to ensure that these serious issues are addressed.”

In May, a federal judge called ex-nursing assistant Reta Mays “the monster that no one sees coming” before sentencing her on seven counts of second-degree murder for intentionally injecting the veterans with unprescribed insulin.

Mays, who has a history of mental health issues, offered no explanation for why she killed the men. But U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh told her “you knew what you were doing.”

Martinsburg VA Medical Center Earns National Nursing Honor

The Martinsburg Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center received the Pathway to Excellence designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, which is a subsidiary of the American Nurses Association.

The VAMC in Martinsburg remains the only health care organization in West Virginia to achieve this national certification, according to a news release. It was also the first VA facility in the country to receive it in 2011.

“The Pathway to Excellence re-designation means we have demonstrated our commitment to creating a positive nursing environment, with an emphasis on shared decision-making and safe patient care.” said Sandra Sullivan, chief Nurse Executive at the Martinsburg VAMC.

Medical centers must undergo rigorous reviews of facility practices, policies and culture to earn the award. The designation highlights that a medical center is committed to nurses and their contributions in the workplace.

The Martinsburg VAMC consists of the main medical center and seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics that work with more than 700 nursing staff.

Martinsburg is one of four VA medical centers in West Virginia. The other three are located in Beckley, Huntington and Clarksburg.

The Clarksburg VAMC was recently in the national spotlight when a former nursing assistant was sentenced to life in prison after she murdered seven veterans.

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