Twenty-two veterans who were treated in 2011 and 2012 at the Pittsburgh VA were sickened by Legionella. Five of them died.
U.S. Attorney David Hickton called the situation “tragic” but feels no charges should be filed by his office.
“The investigation has been a high priority of my office and federal law enforcement for the last nine months,” Hickton said in a written statement. “It must be noted that our jurisdiction is limited to determining if any federal criminal statutes were violated.”
The investigation focused on whether there was evidence of any “material false statements” or attempts to obstruct justice by VA officials. It did not look at how patients contracted the disease.
Hickton says the investigation included about 30 interviews with individuals ranging from top administrators to maintenance workers and outside contractors.
Beyond that, the statements said, “The investigative team analyzed and reviewed more than 250,000 internal VA emails. They studied volumes of records, including logbooks of maintenance performed on the systems used to combat the Legionella bacteria and purchase orders for parts related to such maintenance. Test results were examined, along with the detailed reports of the Centers for Disease Control and the Health Inspection Division of the OIG.”
Michael Moreland was the regional administrator overseeing operations at the Pittsburgh VA at the time of the outbreak. He has since retired and has been temporarily replaced by Gary W. Devansky.
It is possible that the U.S. Attorney’s office could once again become involved in the case.
“While the federal criminal investigation has concluded, consideration of the many issues raised by this tragic event will surely continue in other forums,” Hickton said. “If any new or additional evidence emerges, today’s assessment does not prevent the U.S. Attorney’s Office from reviewing such evidence and reopening the investigation if the facts warrant.”
VA hospital taking steps to mitigate bacteria
Posted: Thursday, November 21, 2013 11:25 pm
CLARKSBURG — In response to Legionella bacteria being found in the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, the center will be hyperchlorinating their water system beginning today, authorities said. Wesley Walls, public affairs officer for the VA medical center, said officials are taking active steps to monitor the water system to ensure its safety for the veterans, employees, visitors, and volunteers. This is considered the Veterans Affairs Department’s recommended process for eliminating Legionella, he said. At the recent Clarksburg-Harrison Board of Health meeting, Administrator Chad Bundy stated that since the levels of bacteria were low, the incident did not need to be reported to the EPA. Dick Welch, general manager of the Clarksburg Water Board, said the bacteria problem is restricted to the VA facility itself.
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