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PARKERSBURG --The inspector general of the Department of Veterans Affairs was notified and safeguards for patient safety were initiated last year immediately after "allegations of misconduct" were discovered, according to the director of the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center in Clarksburg where at least two and a suspected third veteran died under suspicious circumstances.
In a newspaper op-ed, Dr. Glenn R. Snider Jr. on Saturday said the allegations "do not involve any current Clarksburg VAMC employees."
"Reports that say a 'person of interest' is being investigated refer to someone who was removed from their position in Clarksburg," he said.
A claim last week against the Department of Veterans Affairs from Melanie Potter over the April 9, 2018, death of her father, retired Army Sgt. Felix K. McDermott, 82, first disclosed that nine or 10 other patients at the medical center died under similar suspicious circumstances from a medically unneeded or prescribed injection of insulin causing hypoglycemia, or severe low blood pressure. The claim also said investigators told the family there was a person of interest.
Reports a few days later said a second man, George Nelson Shaw Jr., 81, of Wallace, W.Va., died April 10, 2018, also from severe low blood pressure according to an autopsy. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, on Friday said the FBI has asked the family of a third person to exhume the body to conduct an autopsy.
"Like everyone in West Virginia, we are saddened by the possibility that veterans may have died under suspicious circumstances while being cared for at the Clarksburg VA Medical Center," Snider said. "Department of Veterans Affairs leadership and employees are deeply disturbed by this situation and extend our sincere sympathy to the family and friends of all those affected."
The VA is fully cooperating with the investigation by the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Snider said.
"Because the independent IG is in charge, we at the Clarksburg VAMC know little more about the investigation than what has been reported in the media," he said. "We are also limited in what we can say about an ongoing criminal matter."
Veterans are safe at the medical center in Clarksburg, Snider said.
"As soon as we discovered these allegations of misconduct in 2018, we immediately brought them to the attention of VA's independent inspectorVA Center general and put in place safeguards to enhance the safety of each and every one of our patients," Snider said. "These safeguards continue to include medical chart audits, checks and balances within our pharmacy quality assurance processes and quality management reviews. We remain committed to providing quality health care to our veterans and will always seek opportunities to implement additional safeguards when possible."
The inspector general is in charge of this investigation and has been leading the probe since June 2018, Snider said. If criminal activity is determined, the inspector general "may refer the party or parties involved for criminal charges," he said.
"We respect the work the independent IG is doing to investigate this matter, and we will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation," Snider said. "Veterans and family members deserve to know what happened, and no one who has fought for this country or their loved ones should have to endure this type of tragedy."
The Veterans Administration quickly alerted the state's congressional delegation in August 2018, Snider said.
"We are as eager as anyone for the IG to finish its work, so the families of these victims can seek justice, and we can make informed decisions about how to keep every one of the veterans we serve safe from harm," he said.
Also on Saturday morning, Gov. Jim Justice twice tweeted about the situation at the medical center.
"I'm glad federal investigators are looking into this terrible situation, and I'm hopeful that the facts will come to light and justice will be served for these heroes and their families as soon as possible," a tweet from Justice said.
"We owe everything to our veterans, so the fact that there appears to be a pattern of suspicious deaths at the Clarksburg VA hospital is an outrage to all of us," the other Justice tweet said.
Jess Mancini can be contacted at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.
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