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Photos of elderly veterans in extreme pain waiting for treatment at a VA hospital in Durham, North Carolina, are going viral.<\/p>\n
Retired Marine\u00a0Stephen McMenamin and his wife, Hannah, were waiting at the Durham VA Medical Center when they noticed\u00a0two veterans who were struggling in the waiting room.<\/p>\n
They said both older men were ignored for hours despite complaining of severe pain. They said one practically fell out of his wheelchair, and the other finally lay down on the floor after being denied a place to rest.<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\nMcMenamin told WSB-TV\u00a0that his wife found the scene “upsetting,” so she took pictures and posted them to Facebook.<\/p>\n
The Facebook post has been shared more than 118,000 times, and McMenamin said other veterans who have had bad experiences at VA hospitals across the U.S. have reached out to them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
DeAnne Seekins, Medical Center Director at the VA facility, released the following statement:<\/p>\n
We take seriously any allegation of poor service. I was made aware of a regrettable incident that occurred in our Emergency Department over the weekend and am thankful someone cared enough to share the incident with us. Our mission is to provide the highest level of health care to Veterans, so upon learning of the incident, I took swift action. The employee was immediately removed from patient care pending the results of an internal review.<\/em><\/p>\n
It is an honor to serve America\u2019s heroes and actions that do not align with our core values will not be tolerated. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality care to the Veterans we serve and being responsive to our patient\u2019s needs. Veterans deserve nothing less.<\/em><\/p>\n
Heartbreaking Photos of Vets Being Neglected at VA Spark Outrage<\/a><\/p>\n
He said a veteran on the ground was using his bag of medication for a pillow after being denied an available reclining chair.<\/p>\n
“The nurse started yelling at him, telling him he can’t do that. He’s like, ‘I can’t get up and I won’t get up. I will be here until you can see me. Can I please have a blanket?\u2019” McMenamin said.<\/p>\n
The hospital’s chief executive nurse responded and told McMenamin that the matter is being investigated.<\/p>\n
Rep. Robert Pittenger said this just reaffirms his push to hold VA employees more accountable.<\/p>\n
“It\u2019s absolutely tragic,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s frankly reflective of what we’ve seen from the VA, and that\u2019s why I sponsored last year and this year, the VA Accountability Act.”<\/p>\n
Commander of the North Carolina VFW said things in the state have improved drastically, but he said if an investigation confirms what is depicted in these photos, then the staff responsible should be fired.<\/p>\n
“There’s no question about it, I mean, there’s no acceptable reason why this should have happened,” Commander Doug Blevins said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Photo depicts veteran lying on ground while waiting at VA<\/a><\/p>\n
The nurse responsible will more than likely be sent to the corner for making an oopsie and Deanne Seekins will still\u00a0collect her VA Executive Bonus Pay. Nothing to see here, move along and die, thanks for your service. David Shulkin, Secretary of Veterans Affairs recently said “I am empowering our leaders to start taking swift and immediate actions when the evidence warrants a removal. VA recently fired the San Juan Medical Center Director after an investigation revealed unethical behavior that ran contrary to our VA values.” Next stop should be the Durham VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n
VA Secretary David Shulkin: Our plan to deliver greater accountability to America’s veterans<\/a><\/p>\n
UPDATE: Below are a few additional links covering this story.<\/p>\n
Durham VA says viral photos showing veterans are misleading<\/a><\/p>\n
Durham VA ensures best treatment for veterans<\/a><\/p>\n