Posted on Dec 11, 2016
Report: VA hospital left body in shower room for 9 hours
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SEMINOLE, Fla. — Staff at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Florida left the body of a veteran in a shower for nine hours after the veteran died and proper pickup procedures to the morgue weren't followed.
The Tampa Bay Times on Sunday reported that an internal investigation concluded that staff at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System failed to provide appropriate post-mortem care to the veteran's body.
The investigative report said that leaving the body unattended for so long increased the chance of decomposition.
The unnamed veteran died in February after spending time in hospice care. The hospital's Administrative Investigation Board ordered retraining for staff.
Hospital spokesman Jason Dangel said hospital officials view what happened as unacceptable but have implemented changes to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"We feel that we have taken strong, appropriate and expeditious steps to strengthen and improve our existing systems and processes within the unit," Dangel said. "It is our expectation that each veteran is transported to their final resting place in the timely, respectful and honorable manner. America's heroes deserve nothing less."
The investigation found that once the veteran died, hospice staff members requested a staffer known as a "transporter" to get the body moved to the morgue.
The transporter told them to follow proper procedures and notify dispatchers, but that request was never made, so nobody showed up to take the body away.
Instead, it was moved to a hallway in the hospice and then to the shower room where it was unattended for more than nine hours.
Some hospice staff "demonstrated a lack of concern, attention and respect" for the veteran, according to the investigative report.
The investigation also found that staff failed to check a 24-hour nursing report that would indicate whether the death was reported properly, and staff failed to update a nursing organizational chart that hampered efforts to determine who was in charge.
The Tampa Bay Times on Sunday reported that an internal investigation concluded that staff at the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System failed to provide appropriate post-mortem care to the veteran's body.
The investigative report said that leaving the body unattended for so long increased the chance of decomposition.
The unnamed veteran died in February after spending time in hospice care. The hospital's Administrative Investigation Board ordered retraining for staff.
Hospital spokesman Jason Dangel said hospital officials view what happened as unacceptable but have implemented changes to make sure it doesn't happen again.
"We feel that we have taken strong, appropriate and expeditious steps to strengthen and improve our existing systems and processes within the unit," Dangel said. "It is our expectation that each veteran is transported to their final resting place in the timely, respectful and honorable manner. America's heroes deserve nothing less."
The investigation found that once the veteran died, hospice staff members requested a staffer known as a "transporter" to get the body moved to the morgue.
The transporter told them to follow proper procedures and notify dispatchers, but that request was never made, so nobody showed up to take the body away.
Instead, it was moved to a hallway in the hospice and then to the shower room where it was unattended for more than nine hours.
Some hospice staff "demonstrated a lack of concern, attention and respect" for the veteran, according to the investigative report.
The investigation also found that staff failed to check a 24-hour nursing report that would indicate whether the death was reported properly, and staff failed to update a nursing organizational chart that hampered efforts to determine who was in charge.
Report: VA hospital left body in shower room for 9 hours
Posted from militarytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Edited 8 y ago
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 11
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SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL It is deplorable that Bay Pines VA hospital failed to provide appropriate post-mortem care to a deceased veteran’s body. The hospital hospice staff put the veteran’s body in a hallway and left it there for an unspecified time, and then the staff put the veteran’s body in the shower room and did not “check on the status of the decedent…for over nine hours.”
I suspect (1) there are more recent deaths than the Bay Pines VA hospital morgue has space for; (2) the Bay Pines VA hospital does not have a contract with a local morgue to handle overflow; (3) and that it wasn't just the blamed hospice staffers are at fault here.
I had to chuckle, in a black humor way, when I read "The investigative report said that leaving the body unattended for so long increased the chance of decomposition." Dead people decompose - efforts can be made to slow the process down but decomposition is a part of death.
LTC Stephen C. LTC Thomas Tennant MAJ Ken LandgrenCapt Seid Waddell CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC William FarrellSSG Leo Bell SSgt (Join to see) Sgt Joe LaBranche SGT (Join to see) SGT Forrest Stewart SrA Christopher Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill PO1 John Miller Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM
I suspect (1) there are more recent deaths than the Bay Pines VA hospital morgue has space for; (2) the Bay Pines VA hospital does not have a contract with a local morgue to handle overflow; (3) and that it wasn't just the blamed hospice staffers are at fault here.
I had to chuckle, in a black humor way, when I read "The investigative report said that leaving the body unattended for so long increased the chance of decomposition." Dead people decompose - efforts can be made to slow the process down but decomposition is a part of death.
LTC Stephen C. LTC Thomas Tennant MAJ Ken LandgrenCapt Seid Waddell CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT1stSgt Eugene Harless SFC William FarrellSSG Leo Bell SSgt (Join to see) Sgt Joe LaBranche SGT (Join to see) SGT Forrest Stewart SrA Christopher Wright PO3 Steven Sherrill PO1 John Miller Kim Bolen RN CCM ACM
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1stSgt Eugene Harless
This story has been posted by several members, but with good reason. It's shocking.
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LTC Stephen F.
1stSgt Eugene Harless - so far I have responded to four discussions on this story. I concur it is deplorable but unfortunately I am not shocked at the inhumanity displayed by this particular hospital.
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Let me get this straight...you call a guy to pick up a body, who makes bodies and delivers them for a living? "The hospital's Administrative Investigation Board ordered retraining for staff"...what the hell does that mean? Is the entire staff going to put his phone number on speed-dial? He should go back there and pick up and deliver the entire staff cold and rigid for this.
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1stSgt Eugene Harless
What's the kicker is that the veteran who died was in Hospice, its not like they were surprised. There should have already been plans in place and everything arranged for when the veteran passed. That's what a hospice does.
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