TOMAH, Wis. (WSAU) — Tomah Veterans Administration Hospital officials dispute some statements made in a recent news article.
A week ago, Candace Baer-Delis spoke to a reporter about a billboard that was erected near the Tomah V-A that reads “The V-A is lying, Veterans are dying”. Similar billboards are going up around the country. Her father Thomas Baer of Marshfield died after suffering a stroke.
Tomah VA Medical Center spokesman Matthew Gowan says it’s tragic Mr. Baer passed away, but he disputes the details Baer-Delis told the reporter. The report says, “Thomas Baer of Marshfield went to the Tomah V-A for medical attention, and he died while waiting for hours at Tomah’s urgent care clinic without help.” Gowan says Baer did not die at Tomah. “This particular veteran came in, and was seen and given care at the Tomah VA Medical Center. It’s unfortunate, but this particular veteran did pass away, but not here at the Tomah VA Medical Center.” Gowan says the Inspector General’s report confirms Baer died at Gunderson Health System in La Crosse.
Gowan also says the Tomah VA is not equiped to treat people with symptoms of stroke or heart attack. He says they have an Urgent Care department that allows them to deal with fevers, broken bones, and similar situations, but not strokes and heart attacks. Nearby Tomah Memorial Hospital has some cardiac care, but Gowan says Baer was sent to La Crosse based on his condition.
“They do have a cardiology department there (at Tomah Memorial), but if we’re talking specifically about stroke, the Gunderson facility in La Crosse is who we would be transferring patients to immediately.” He adds, “We here at Tomah are not a primary stroke center. That’s a role that’s being filled by the Gunderson Health System in La Crosse, and we send patients directly there for anyone exhibiting those signs of stroke.”
Baer-Delis also claims Tomah VA’s CT Scanner was broken. Gowan says it was out of service for routine maintenance, but was not broken. Gowan says even if the CT scanner were operational, the Tomah VA would not have administered the stroke drug known as TPA since they are not certified for that type of care.
There is also differing viewpoints over the medical license of Dr. James Patterson, who treated Thomas Baer. Candace Baer-Delis said, “Dr. James Patterson, the Urgent Care physician that treated my father, had his license license to practice in the State of Wisconsin revoked in 2013, but according to the VA website that was updated in 2014, he still has a license in Wisconsin.” Gowan says Dr. Patterson’s Wisconsin license lapsed, but was not revoked, but in federal facilities like the VA System, doctors can have a valid license from any state. He says Patterson still has his Michigan medical license, and they have corrected their website information. “A provider for instance here at the Tomah VA needs to carry an active, unrestrained license from any state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia in the United States in order to be able to practice in our facility.” Gowan adds, “Dr. Patterson was listed as having a Wisconsin license, and that was an error on our part, and so when we found that out, we took care of that issue, and that is cleared up today.”
The report also listed former Tomah staff member Chris Kirkpatrick as a social worker, when he was a psychologist. Kirkpatrick was fired for trying to expose problems within the V-A, and committed suicide.
Many veterans travel long distances to get care at VA hospitals and clinics. Gowan says it is extremely important for veterans and their families that suspect a serious medical condition such as a stroke or heart attack to call 911 and get to the nearest emergency room. He says there have been cases where a veteran has spent hours on the road getting to a VA facility, only to be sent immediately to a higher-level medical center, delaying essential care for the veteran.
(Listen to our interview with Matthew Gowan on our website, here.)
