Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  And, thank you for calling this important hearing.

I  want to thank my fellow Members of Congress from the neighboring states of Missouri and Illinois for joining us today - my good friend Roy Blunt - John Shimkus - Todd Akin - Blaine Luetkemeyer, and - from the other side of the aisle - Lacy Clay, Russ Carnahan, and Jerry Costello. I know Congressman Blunt has already sent a letter to Secretary Shinseki on July 1st with some very specific questions that need to be answered, and I hope this hearing will answer at least some of those questions.  I also know other Members also wanted to be with us today, but were unable to attend.  In particular, Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson asked me to give you her best regard and express her regret that she could not attend.  JoAnn has sent a member of her staff to listen and participate and many of the Missouri and Illinois delegations have done the same.  

We are all here because we share a deep concern for our veterans and the quality of care they receive in VA facilities.  

The problem that has come to light with the cleaning of dental equipment at the medical center in St. Louis is unfortunately a disturbing symptom of a system-wide breakdown in patient safety.

Over the past two years, we have been confronted with the discovery of the improper cleaning of various types of reusable medical equipment in locations such as Murfreesboro, Tennessee; Miami, Florida; Augusta, Georgia; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.  After each incident, Congress and the country were assured that VA was addressing these serious threats to patient safety and that our veteran’s trust would not again be compromised. After each incident, the VA assurances proved hollow. 

Today, we are here because it is clear that VA does not have effective processes in place to ensure proper reprocessing of reusable medical and dental equipment.

It is well and good for VA to talk about changes that are taking place to address these problems, but these are repeated failures of senior leadership and management.   I am going to ask today what is being done at the highest levels in VA to hold Veterans Health Administration leadership and management accountable.   And, what is it going to take to get actual results?

Time is past due for VA leadership to take charge to eliminate ongoing quality care issues and adopt an aggressive and effective action plan to monitor compliance with device-specific standard operating procedures for sterilizing medical equipment.  At risk is no less than the health and well-being of our most revered citizens.

Patient safety is and should continue to be our very highest priority.  The 1,812 men and women who may have been exposed to any infection as a result of improper cleaning at the John Cochran VA medical center served our country honorably.  The very least that we can offer them in exchange for their bravery and sacrifice is health care that is safe and effective.

With that said, I want to thank all of our dedicated VA health care workers for the care they provide our veterans.  It is your compassion, experience, and expertise that is bettering the VA health care system each and every day.  However, as with everything in life there is always a need to continue to strive for improvement in every aspect of chosen work.  And, I hope today's hearing will encourage staff to be diligent and always report any and all concerns they feel should be addressed.  You will be heard. 

It is the obligation of Congress to oversee the quality of health care VA provides to our veterans and to ensure that they and their families can have the utmost confidence that VA really is the “best and safest care anywhere.”

In closing, and most importantly, I want to thank every veteran present for their service.  I want you to know that I will not rest until situations like the one that brought us here today are fully resolved.  You have earned and deserve the best and safest care our nation can provide.  And you can be certain that I will continue to do all I can to bring it to you.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time.