Mice, bugs, leaks found at N.E. vet facilities - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Mice, bugs, leaks found at N.E. vet facilities

BOSTON — A review of veterans’ hospitals and clinics in New England has revealed the presence of rodents, bugs, chronic leaks, dilapidated furniture and other poor conditions, according to a report.

The review was ordered after revelations about poor living conditions and bureaucratic delays at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, in Washington. That scandal has forced the resignations of three high-level Army officials and led to a review of the vast network of clinics and hospitals run by the Veterans Affairs Department. The agency, in an investigation made public last week, found those facilities were beset by maintenance problems such as mold, leaking roofs and even a colony of bats.

In New England, the review found mice at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence, R.I.; persistent reports of flies at an outpatient clinic in Hyannis, Mass.; and broken furniture in Manchester, N.H., the Boston Globe reported Monday.

Veterans Affairs officials sought to play down the findings, saying those conditions are normal for aging buildings, some of which are more than 75 years old.

But Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said the report highlights bureaucratic neglect of the nation’s veterans.

“This report highlights conditions that are unacceptable, and we must fix these problems immediately,” Kennedy told the newspaper. “Our veterans and soldiers deserve medical facilities that match their enormous sacrifices.”

Much of the report, however, listed minor problems and a spokesman of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Providence, said the review contained “no surprises for us.”

The mice were spotted in administrative offices and have not been seen recently, James W. Burrow said.

Officials were also working with the landlord to resolve the problem of flies at the Hyannis clinic.

Workers at the veterans’ medical center in Northampton, Mass., reported they might need much of the rest of the year to resolve problems because the facility does not have enough technicians to fix the exposed light bulbs, ceiling tile failures, deteriorated steps and other poor conditions.