Legionnaires’ disease lawsuits at VA Pittsburgh hospitals settled

Families of VA Pittsburgh patients who had contracted Legionnaires’ disease are relieved that a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit against the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.  They remain frustrated, however, that VA personnel will not be held accountable for the outbreak which included at least 22 illnesses and 6 deaths.

“I’m relieved it’s over, but it’s not nearly what they deserved,” said Debbie Balawejder whose father was 85-year-old Frank “Sonny” Calcagno, who died Nov. 22, 2011 due to Legionnaires’ disease.

“To me, what they did was criminal,” Balawejder continued.  “They’re never going to pay the way they should for what they did.”

U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus agreed that “these settlements have nothing to do with holding the individuals responsible for [the veterans’] deaths accountable.”

Rep Rothfus also said that there are still “questions that the VA must answer.”

Multiple other members of congress have been involved in this Veterans Affairs situation, including Reps. Tom Murphy and Mike Doyle, and Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.

To read more about this story, please click here.

The American Legion’s System Worth Saving Task Force has issued a report following a series of interviews conducted during an investigation of the Pittsburgh VA Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in 2011 and 2012.

According to Jacob Gadd, Deputy Director for Health Care at the American Legion in Washington D.C., one of the main issues was with the Veterans Administration central offices not allowing local facilities to respond to a crisis; this, in turn, lowered veterans’ confidence in the medical center.

Gadd also says that the VA Medical Center is much safer now and exceeds CDC recommendations for infection prevention.

To learn more about the American Legion recommendations, please click on the link below to listen to the NPR Pittsburgh interview with Jacob Gadd, Deputy Director for Health Care at the American Legion.

http://wesa.fm/post/american-legion-recommends-prevention-plan-legionella-outbreaks