Three administrators with the Phoenix VA, including its director, Sharon Helman, are on administrative leave. The U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, took that action Thursday.
A second whistleblower has come forward, alleging problems with patient care, and attempts to cover it up. Dr. Samuel Foote was the first whistleblower to come forward.
Among Foote’s allegations is that the VA kept a secret waiting list. But speaking Tuesday on CNN, Helman and her chief of staff, Dr. Darren Deering, denied any efforts to hide wait times.
In a statement, Helman says she respects the secretary’s decision to put her on administrative leave. Foote doesn’t buy the hospital administration’s explanations.
As a veteran himself, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona has experience with the VA. He says the Phoenix allegations are disturbing.