The Department of Veterans Affairs knew for months that shower heads, handrails and other fixtures posed serious suicide risks to Seattle-area psychiatric patients, but refused to fix the problems, inspectors said in a report released Friday.
Similar conditions were seen in a Tacoma psychiatric ward, but nothing was done — even though one patient tried to commit suicide in January, the report said.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., was unsatisfied with the agency's response and scheduled a flight home to personally inspect the Seattle VA hospital's progress on Friday.
Inspectors also said the procedure for determining psychiatric patients' safety was not up to par.
Disclosures in February that war veterans were not getting adequate care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center stunned the public, outraged Capitol Hill and forced three high-level Pentagon officials to step down.
A group of senators moved Wednesday to boost disability pay to those hurt in combat and improve care for brain injury in response to shabby treatment of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed.
On Thursday, officials told The Associated Press that the Army is planning to hire at least 25 percent more psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers to help a growing number of soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health needs.
Walter Reed's new commanding officer said the Army medical system has lost the trust of soldiers, their relatives and the American people but is working hard to fix its problems and provide quality care to troops.
"We are working very hard to restore confidence and trust. We are very serious about this," Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker told the AP during an interview Friday in Jacksonville, Fla., where he planned to speak at the Florida Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention.
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