More complaints about Durham VA surface
DURHAM (WTVD) -- More stories of inadequate care at the Durham VA continue to pour into our newsroom. These stories come after issues with scheduling and quality of care have been called into light by a whistleblower and now dozens of patients.
Twila Hurley has been a nurse for 21 years. She says up until a year ago the quality of care her husband received at the Durham VA was great, but things have changed.
"If we hadn't put our foot down and insisted, who knows, I may have woke up this morning or tomorrow morning or a week down the road and he wouldn't be there," said Hurley.
Just last week, her husband came down with bronchitis. She says they tried making an appointment to see a doctor at the Durham VA, but could not get in. When they tried just walking in, Hurley says they waited for hours for minimal care.
Even with a family history of heart disease, she says help was slow when her husband complained of a low heart rate.
"After about another hour and a half no one had done anything and so my husband just insisted that we leave," said Hurley.
Finally they found the right healthcare worker there and she says he's back on track.
Jump back more than 20 years ago and Beverly Clark says the Durham VA then was no different. She believes it was responsible for the death of her father, who got sick in 1989.
"They just said well you have fluid on the lungs, gave him Lasix and sent him home," said Clark.
Over the next several months she says his condition worsened. The answer from the doctor was more Lasix. Finally she took him back to the VA doctor to be admitted.
"She said we need the beds for sick people and he's not sick enough. By Monday he was. I took him back asked for a supervisor, they admitted him on Monday, he died Monday night," said Clark.
She says she sued and the Durham VA settled out of court. Now decades later, she's upset to hear other people, like Hurley and her husband, are still fighting for quality care.
Just last week the director of the Durham VA told ABC11 that they do see patients in a timely fashion and get them the care they need. We reached out today for comment and did not hear back.
