Politics & Government
Two Tampa Bay area VA hospitals among those reporting missing drugs
Two Tampa Bay area VA hospitals are among five in Florida that have reported missing or stolen drugs, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affair’s acting Under Secretary of Health sent to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan earlier this month.
The Associated Press reported in February that prescription drugs were disappearing from VA hospitals across the country, but the department wasn’t prepared to give a list of specific facilities that had reported the losses. About a week later, Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, sent a letter to the department inquiring if any of the hospitals were in Florida. As of 2016, there were five.
The C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, near St. Petersburg, and the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa were among the five Florida VA hospitals that were affected. The Orlando VA Medical Center, the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center and the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in Miami were also on the list.
According to the VA’s April 13 letter to Buchanan signed by acting Under Secretary of Health Dr. Poonam Alaigh, there were five incidents of drug loss by an internal source in Florida facilities, but only two of the incidents involved VA employees, according to the letter. A Bay Pines employee was suspended for 14 days for one instance of drug loss, and a nurse at the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center resigned ahead of her proposed removal.
About 30 veterans were affected by drug loss in Florida, but a majority of the prescription losses were by mail. When that happens, a multifaceted system is in place to confirm the prescription was stolen, review the veteran’s health record, reissue the prescription, alert the Drug Enforcement Administration and coordinate an investigation with the U.S. Postal Service.
From the five facilities, there were 16 types of drugs reported lost, including fentanyl, codeine, hydrocodone and methylphenidate, an ADHD and narcolepsy drug. The drugs that had the most amount of tablets lost included oxycodone and pirfenidone, which is used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The hospitals reported at least 1,300 tablets lost, according to the letter. The lost drugs’ possible street values — some amounts varying — amounted to at least between $3,200 and $14,000.
Karen Collins, the communications chief for the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, echoed the stance presented in the letter, saying that the measures VA hospitals take to secure controlled substances “far exceed the requirements of the Controlled Substances Act.” According to Collins, VA facilities perform counts of controlled substances every 72 hours and keep the drugs locked away under a two-step authentication.
According to the Miami Herald, VA Secretary David Shulkin visited the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in March in support of the VA Accountability First Act of 2017, which gives the VA secretary the authority to fire or suspend any VA employee for misconduct or performance.
“The last thing Manatee County, and Florida, needs is more fentanyl on the street,” Buchanan said in a press release. “VA leadership needs to make it crystal clear to its employees they will face serious repercussions for stealing deadly drugs.
Hannah Morse: 941-745-7055, @mannahhorse
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