Coatesville VA Faulted in Audit

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

An emergency care unit at the Coatesville PA. Veterans Affairs Medical Center was understaffed and out of compliance with minimum VA requirements, according to a report from the VA Inspector General.
The 69-page review issued Wednesday concluded that the lack of staffing and other resources could lead to potentially unsafe situations.
Stating that the facility was required to provide access to appropriate and timely emergency care 24 hours a day, the report found that the facility administrators had failed to obtain a waiver in order to provide round the clock service. Although the leadership was aware of the need for a waiver a preliminary request for a waiver was not submitted until February of this year.
The report noted that no action had been taken on the request.
VA Coatesville officials did not dispute the finding or other deficiencies and submitted a corrective action plan that will gradually reduce the hours of operation for the urgent care unit. Eventually the unit will close at 5 p.m. every day, according to the report.
Other findings include the failure to have two registered nurses on duty 24-hours a day. Citing the fact that the lone remaining nurse from 7 p.m. to 8 a.m. could be called away in an emergency, the report states, "this could result in potentially unsafe situations"in the urgent care center.
The report stated that local VA officials were aware of the requirement for two nurses but did nothing to correct the situation.
The auditors also noted that the emergency unit did not have round-the-clock access to laboratory, pharmacy and radiology services.
"This resulted in delays and inconsistent delivery of care," according to the report.
The auditors also faulted medical center officials for using a VA ambulance to bring patients who experienced a medical emergency while on the facility grounds.
The patients should have been taken to a local emergency room, the report states.
Other deficiencies cited in the report were problems with staff privileging, lack of military sexual trauma training, lack of environmental cleanliness and lack of adequate emergency generator testing.
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