Washington The head of the troubled Phoenix veterans hospital was fired Monday as the Veterans Affairs Department continued its crackdown on wrongdoing in the wake of a nationwide scandal over long wait times for veterans seeking medical care and falsified records covering up the delays.
Sharon Helman, director of the Phoenix V.A. Health Care System, was ousted nearly seven months after she and two high-ranking officials were placed on administrative leave amid an investigation into allegations that 40 veterans died while awaiting treatment at the hospital. Helman had led the Phoenix facility, which treats more than 80,000 veterans a year, since February 2012.
The Phoenix hospital was at the center of the wait-time scandal, which led to the ouster of former V.A. Secretary Eric Shinseki and a new, $16 billion law overhauling the labyrinthine veterans health care system.
V.A. Secretary Robert McDonald said Helmans dismissal underscores the departments commitment to hold leaders accountable and ensure that veterans have access to high-quality, timely care.
An investigation by the V.A.s office of inspector general (IG) found that workers at the Phoenix V.A. hospital falsified waiting lists while their supervisors looked the other way or even directed it, resulting in chronic delays for veterans seeking care. The report said officials could not “conclusively assert” that delays in care for the patients who died while awaiting appointments in Phoenix caused the deaths.
About 1,700 veterans in need of care were “at risk of being lost or forgotten” after being kept off the official waiting list in Phoenix, the IGs office said.
Helman is the fifth senior executive fired or forced to resign in recent weeks in response to the wait-time scandal. Helman did not immediately respond to telephone messages Monday.
Dr. Samuel Foote, who had worked for the Phoenix V.A. for more than 20 years before retiring in December, brought the allegations to light and says supervisors ignored his complaints for months.
Foote said Monday he was not surprised at Helmans dismissal. He called it “a good first step,” but said the V.A. still needs to show it is serious about changing its culture.
“I think there are a lot of others who need to follow her out the door,” Foote said.
