Veteran’s family outraged over Dublin VA’s letter about potential exposure to hepatitis and HIV

The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin recently notified veterans of possible exposure to hepatitis and HIV.

DUBLIN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — The Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin recently notified veterans of possible exposure to hepatitis and HIV.

The VA sent out letters to more than 4,000 veterans this month concerning the potential risk of exposure and recommending they get tested for hepatitis B and C and HIV.

We spoke with one veteran’s family member who told us she’s outraged about the situation.

“After all that he has survived, I don’t want to lose him,” Rachel Heath said.

Heath says her father travels to Dublin for medical help and was one of many veterans who received a letter.

The letter said a staff member noticed steps being missed in the sterilization of reusable medical devices.

Heath says the situation is unacceptable.

“My father’s autoimmune system is not strong enough to fight anymore,” she said. “Mentally and physically, he is not strong enough to fight anymore. My God. These veterans have anxiety, depression. Now they have to think about this?”

Heath says her father had a procedure done at the VA in January, and she wants answers about why this happened.

We reached out to the VA for a response. Executive Director Manuel Davila says he is upset about the situation.

“Our team is not back online yet,” he said. “Until I’m comfortable, all those competencies are in place. Most importantly, those oversight activities to ensure these things don’t occur again.”

We asked Davila what procedures were impacted, but he was unable to provide an answer. Instead, he said in order to ensure the safety of veterans, VA staff contacted people who may had a procedure done dating back one year.

“This is a precautionary measure that we want to offer,” Davila said. “We offer testing services here at the VA, and we also offer our remote clinic option.”

According to Davila, staff members are undergoing proper training for the sterilization process.

If you are a veteran who received a letter, you can call (478) 274-5400 for more information.