A task force on April 21 recommended thousands of Dayton VA Medical Center patients be tested for exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV

April 22, 2011

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A task force on April 21 recommended thousands of Dayton VA Medical Center

patients be tested for exposure to hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.

Dayton VA Task Force, made up of local health officials of the Greater Dayton

Area Hospital Association, conducted an independent review of the Dayton VA

Medical Center Dental Clinic at the request of Ohio Rep. , Sen.

Sherrod Brown and Sen. Portman.

The review request came from incidents of patients at the Dayton VA being

exposed to blood-bourne pathogens — hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV — from 1992

to January 2011 that resulted from a dentist failing to change his gloves and

sterilize equipment between patients, according to the VA.

The task force recently reviewed the limited source material provided by the

Dayton VA.

Task force officials said the incidents in the VA’s report were credible,

extremely concerning and warranted closer examination.

“Instead of limiting the scope of testing, we encourage the Dayton VA Medical

Center to test all patients served by the dentist in question and offer testing

to next-of-kin of deceased patients served by the dentist in question,” said

Bucklew, president and CEO of GDAHA.

The incidents in the report led the task force on April 21 to request evidence,

e-mails, testimony, policies and source material referenced in the documents

provided through a Freedom of Information Act request.

“The additional documents will better inform the public and the veterans about

the issues, investigations and recommendations conducted by the VA, as well as

shed light on the practices of the Dayton VA Medical Center Dental Clinic,”

Bucklew said.

The Dayton VA recently named an interim director.

The task force will reconvene to review any additional documentation and update

the public with its findings.

GDAHA is a member-service organization representing 25 Dayton-area hospitals and

health systems working to improve the delivery of health care services in the

region.

Read more: Report: Thousands of VA dental patients should be tested | Dayton

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