Oklahoma VA facility patient died, maggots found in his wound...

[Kazukian]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/heal...cle_7fcaa06d-e11e-5b4d-82d8-e0a8918ec284.html

Sounds like the dressing changes were painful, and used as an excuse to not do them.

The only time I've thrown up at work was when I took off the dressing of a patient in the ED and found maggots in a patient's wound. The maggots only eat dead matter, and are used in some wound therapy, but this was neglect.

 

[brycejones]

I think it should be made very clear this was a facility run by the state of Oklahoma not the VA run by the federal government we normally think of.

https://odva.ok.gov/content/talihina if you want to know more about the facility.

Disgusting treatment though.

 

[Moonbeam]

The conservative brain is transfixed by things that disgust it. I will do my best then not to associate maggots with the state of Oklahoma. but I fear now, though, it may not be easy.

 

[feralkid]

The conservative brain is transfixed by things that disgust it. I will do my best then not to associate maggots with the state of Oklahoma. but I fear now, though, it may not be easy.

"Only two things come out of Oklahoma; maggots and ..... which one are you, boy?"



.

 

[theeedude]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

 

[Kazukian]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maggot_therapy

Intentional therapy versus neglect... huge difference.

 

[OverVolt]

Some people are just unhealthy and have several complications. Alot of times not necessarily the facilities fault.

They need to actually check if his dressings were changed frequently enough or not.

 

[Kazukian]

Typically, dressings are changed daily, it takes 7-10 days for fly eggs to hatch.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I don't understand why VA care is so unpredictable. The VA system took wonderful care of my fiancées Father. Admittedly he passed away but I don't think that outcome could have been different somewhere else.

 

[Kazukian]

I don't understand why VA care is so unpredictable. The VA system took wonderful care of my fiancées Father. Admittedly he passed away but I don't think that outcome could have been different somewhere else.

This was a state run vet center with some federal oversight, the Fed system came about because the state run facilities had quality of care and capacity issues, they've been trying to return to a state run system, and having problems. I believe this facility was chronically understaffed.

 

[theeedude]

Why don't they just give veterans Medicare? Why do we even need VA?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

The care veterans get is horrible, considering the sacrifice they were willing to make, and/or made.
That said, it's been this way for a VERY long time, before Obama, before dubya, before ronnie raygun, before Kennedy...
http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/23/politics/va-scandals-timeline/

 

[Kazukian]

Why don't they just give veterans Medicare? Why do we even need VA?

That would solve a lot of problems.

 

[fskimospy]

Why don't they just give veterans Medicare? Why do we even need VA?

Veterans tend to have high concentrations of very specific problems that are very rare in the general population. I think you might be able to make an argument for the general care part being shifted to Medicare but I believe you're always going to need veteran specific care of some sort.

 

[Kazukian]

Veterans tend to have high concentrations of very specific problems that are very rare in the general population. I think you might be able to make an argument for the general care part being shifted to Medicare but I believe you're always going to need veteran specific care of some sort.

What specific problems do vets have outside of PTSD that the general population doesn't have?

I can see a good argument for the VA directly providing psych care, but medical care is virtually identical, outside of some oddball bacterial infections, & chemical exposure, and in many places already provided by the private sector, and paid for by the VA. All they need to do is update a couple flow charts and the outlying illnesses can be covered.

 

[fskimospy]

What specific problems do vets have outside of PTSD that the general population doesn't have?

I can see a good argument for the VA directly providing psych care, but medical care is virtually identical, and in many places already provided by the private sector, and paid for by the VA.

Amputees.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Why don't they just give veterans Medicare? Why do we even need VA?

That's what I don't get, makes no sense at all. Give them insurance and utilize the same healthcare systems the rest of us do, it's extremely wasteful and by the looks of it not very successful trying to actually run your own healthcare system. We could save a ton of money and give vets better care.

 

[piasabird]

Some doctors and other health care providers should just be charged with murder and executed.

However, often the patient just does not do what he is told.

 

[JSt0rm]

Some doctors and other health care providers should just be charged with murder and executed.

Kill all medical professionals.

 

[Kazukian]

Some doctors and other health care providers should just be charged with murder and executed.

However, often the patient just does not do what he is told.

That actually sounds like that's the case with this poor man, his son asked for them to give him pain med's so he'd tolerate dressing changes. Non-compliant patients are very difficult to work with, but pre medicating this guy should have been simple stuff...

 

[piasabird]

Many doctors treat patients with cookie cutter medicine where every patient gets the same treatment. Many doctors have no clue even how to treat people with type 2 diabetes. Treating infectious wounds is very complicated.

 

[piasabird]

Just using the wrong anti-biotic can kill a patient.

 

[werepossum]

I don't understand why VA care is so unpredictable. The VA system took wonderful care of my fiancées Father. Admittedly he passed away but I don't think that outcome could have been different somewhere else.

So . . . Government health care, wonderful as long as you don't mind dying?

 

[Zaap]

What specific problems do vets have outside of PTSD that the general population doesn't have?

Well, it's not like PTSD and the whole gamut of combat-specific mental issues is just something to wax over in a question like this.

Personally, I don't think "And when -not if- many of you get injured, disfigured, fucked up for life thanks to being subjected to things no human being (especially young) should have to experience... you'll get a shitty medicare card, a "Thank you very much, now F off" and a wait in line behind people who sat it out while you said yes to serving your country." ... is a very good selling point for military service.

To be sure, I feel vets deserve way better than the reality of the VA system as it exists... but they deserve way, way, way better than the "bullshit middle finger" the above would actually be.

 

[theeedude]

Veterans tend to have high concentrations of very specific problems that are very rare in the general population. I think you might be able to make an argument for the general care part being shifted to Medicare but I believe you're always going to need veteran specific care of some sort.

If veterans have Medicare to reimburse providers, then health care facilities will adjust to cater to their specific needs in order to get that money. Adjusting to the needs of customer population in order to make money is nothing new in capitalism.