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VA Medical Center postponed elective surgeries after rats found in closet

Posted at 5:40 PM, Aug 10, 2022
and last updated 2022-08-10 22:41:26-04

PHOENIX — The interim medical director for the Phoenix VA Hospital says elective surgeries are suspended after exterminators trapped a rat in a closet near an operating room.

The discovery was made last week but not disclosed on Monday when VA officials announced they were forced to relocate 25 residents from an on-campus nursing home after rats were found in the walls and ceiling of the Community Living Center.

The operating room is on the 3rd floor of the hospital, one floor up and an estimated 150 feet away from where the rats were first discovered in the Community Living Center.

"While we don't want to hide information which we're never doing, we've given information freely, we want to make sure, we don't create a situation where a veteran doesn't get care," said Michael Welsh, Phoenix VA interim medical director.

The operating room remains closed to elective surgeries. It is open for emergency surgeries, like an appendectomy.

"I think that was irresponsible of them to not let people know it was happening." veteran Patrick Ziegert is President of Operation Freedom Bird, an organization that helps veterans recover from the effects of combat-related PTSD.

Many of the vets Ziegert helps use the Phoenix VA Medical Center.

"A lot of people are concerned about respiratory issues. A lot are concerned about underlying health care and the last thing anybody really needs is something like rats in their health care facility," Ziegert said.

Hospital officials say a week into the extermination efforts, there are not any signs of continued activity from the rats in either the Community Living Center or near the operating room.

"We were evaluating the OR to see if there is still any activity and so far, we haven't seen any continued activity. and we've gone thru the entire core of the OR, it was all clean," Michael Welsh said.

Welsh believes the rats may have entered the Community Living Center after two recent monsoon storms flooded streets around the VA Medical Center.

Contractors hired to remove the rodents believe they are confined to areas inside the Community Living Center.

There is no evidence they have ventured into other areas of the hospital. "We started targeted daily inspections on the entire Medical Center to make sure the Medical Center was clear. Safety is of the utmost concern for our vets," Welsh said.

There is no timetable for when the residents of the Community Living Center can return or when elective surgeries are scheduled.

Once the rats are gone, Welsh says the building will undergo a deep cleaning.  

Nearly a decade ago the Phoenix V.A. was the epicenter of a patient care scandal.

Patients were put on secret waiting lists and faced schedule delays of up to a year.

The Phoenix V.A. Hospital director and the V.A. Secretary lost their jobs.

Welsh said the Arizona Congressional Delegation was alerted to the rodent issues. 

A spokesman for Senator Kyrsten Sinema said, “Our office has been briefed on this horrible situation and is in contact with the Phoenix VA leadership. We’ll continue holding the VA accountable to make this right and ensure veterans receive the care they’ve earned in a safe and clean environment.”