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VA Secretary Apologizes For Legionella In Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- In the minds of many Pittsburgh residents, the VA Medical System in Pittsburgh will always be associated with the Legionella outbreak in 2011 and its cover-up.

"In Pittsburgh, VA officials knew they had a Legionnaire's outbreak on their hands, but they kept it secret for more than a year," said U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, at a Pittsburgh hearing last year.

Ultimately, 22 patients were infected and six died.

"I know that here in Pittsburgh there are veterans who tragically know us best from what they've heard about veterans under our care who passed away suffering from Legionella," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Bob McDonald in Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

McDonald once again apologized.

"On behalf of the VA, I am deeply sorry," he said. "To the families who lost loved ones and to those who lost confidence in health care here, this is really a tragedy."

 

McDonald, who became Secretary in July of 2014, fired the director of Pittsburgh's VA and announced last week that Karen McGraw, director of the VA Medical Center in Beckley, West Virginia, will take the helm in Pittsburgh.

"Since I've been secretary I've changed 10 of the top 17 leaders at VA, and we're continuing to get the right people on the bus and in the right seats on the bus," added McDonald.

When the Secretary was asked why as recently as October Legionella was found in the local VA, he deferred to the interim director, Dr. Tim Burke, who said two of those three cases were patients bringing Legionella in from community water sources, not the VA.

"I know of no other health care system in the world that is more vigilant in surveillance and is more pro-active in initiating action to eradicate Legionella when it shows up in the water," said Burke.

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