WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On June 16, 2015, Baldwin introduced The Jason Simcakoski Memorial Opioid Safety Act that would ensure safer pain management services for US veterans.
“I have all the evidence I need to conclude that the VA prescribed Jason a deadly mix of drugs that led to his death and that those responsible for this tragic failure should never again serve our veterans and their families.”
The senator’s statement came following a report by the VA Office of Inspector General on Thursday. The inspection confirmed that on August 30, 2014, Simcakoski died from toxicity of mixed medications administered at the Tomah, Wisconsin VA hospital.
“This report confirms that the Tomah VA physicians entrusted with Jason's care failed to keep their promise to a Wisconsin Marine and his family.”
The problems concerning VA management and practices at its medical centers came into focus after an April 2014 CNN report disclosed that 40 military veterans died awaiting to see doctors at a VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
In April 2015, the US Government Accountability Office released a report claiming that the VA is plagued by a number of problems that risk veterans’ access to safe and reliable health care.
