House members raise concerns about safety at Michigan VA hospital

Two U.S. representatives from Michigan — Debbie Dingell and Tim Walberg — have expressed concerns about patient safety at the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System in their home state.

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In November, the hospital halted surgeries after hospital workers reported noticing particulates on surgical equipment, apparently caused by a water main break at the hospital, according to the Detroit Free Press.

According to a letter Rep. Dingell and Rep. Walberg sent Friday to the director of the hospital, they “have received calls telling us that surgeries have resumed despite the continued presence of particulate matter on surgical equipment.”

In the letter, they write to Director Robert McDivitt that “patient safety must be the top priority at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System,” and offered their support to get any needed resources to the hospital as soon as possible.

A VA spokesman told the Free Press that patient safety was not compromised at the hospital and no problems with surgical equipment have come up since surgeries were resumed at the location. The hospital flushed the lines in question and had surgical equipment sterilized at a location in Detroit, according to the report.

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