Rep. Ron Kind Meets with VA Deputy Secretary Gibson at Tomah VA Hospital

La Crosse, WI – U.S. Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) made the following statement following his meeting with Veterans Affairs Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson today:

“I’m glad that Deputy Secretary Gibson made the trip to Tomah today to hear first-hand from local veterans and advocates,” said Rep. Ron Kind. “It is vital that we get to the bottom of what’s happened at Tomah so we can ensure our veterans receive the quality care they need. I look forward to the upcoming field hearing and the completion of the ongoing investigations. Once we’ve identified the problems, we must take concrete steps to ensure our veterans receive timely access to the care they deserve.

Last month, Rep. Kind joined a bipartisan group of Wisconsin colleagues in requesting a field hearing at Tomah VA that will be held on March 30th. The letter asked the Committee to investigate the VA’s overall prescription practices, and requested that the hearing include the undersigned members. It went on to state that “it is in Congress’ best interest to learn all we can about what went wrong at Tomah and prevent this situation from happening at other facilities. One veteran dying of an overdose is too many.”

A copy of the letter can be read here.

Rep. Kind has spoken to VA Secretary Robert McDonald and VA Interim Under Secretary for Health Dr. Carolyn Clancy about the ongoing investigations, and hasmet personally with whistleblowers, veterans and family members who have first-hand experience at the Tomah VA.  Rep. Kind has alsoasked the VA Medical Centers in Madison, Milwaukee and Minneapolis to explain what steps they are taking to implement improvements in pain management.