My name is Susan Maddux. I am a 40-year-old Gulf War era veteran. I served in the United States Air Force from 1988 to 1998 as an Aerospace Propulsion Specialist. I am married to another service-connected disabled veteran and we are the parents of 4 teenage boys.

On June 29th I received a certified letter from the John Cochran VA Hospital stating I may have been exposed to Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV. I found this letter to be very impersonal. In fact there was little difference in the contents of this letter than from any other communication from the VA. It just may have read like an appointment cancellation letter if not for the signature required to receive it.

I was very angry with the Veterans Administration after reading this letter. For something as significant as this it should have warranted a more delicate approach than a form letter. The VA has advised us that there is a minimal chance of being infected by these diseases, however I feel that any chance of instruments becoming contaminated is unacceptable within a modern medical facility

The veterans that are eligible to use the dental services at the VA hospital are not normal veterans, rather they are among a select population and are also the most susceptible to harm due to being previously compromised by other illnesses. Those of us that are approved to use the dental service are 100% service-connected, service connected for dental health or are P.O.W’s. Then there are some veterans that have been hospitalized for more than 120 days that also have access to the dental clinic.

To hear that there are some who think that the reaction to this incident is solely political angers me significantly. Hospital employees are not political appointees, but rather are employed to perform a job and that is to care for our nations veterans. It is their directive to follow the policies and procedures of their respective profession to ensure they do no harm.

As an aerospace propulsion specialist it was necessary to perform tasks following procedures and policies. This allowed the aircrew to have confidence that I had installed or repaired their aircraft engines properly. If I didn’t follow those procedures accurately I put their lives at risk. In the same sense, the VA employees should strive to instill our trust in that they are doing everything the appropriate way since our lives are in their hands. In this instance, instead of strengthening our trust, the St Louis VA has weakened our confidence by potentially risking over 1800 veterans lives.

On June 1st, 2005 I was admitted to the intensive Care Unit at the John Cochran VA Hospital with bacterial meningitis. This was several months after having neuro-surgery at this VA facility. Two forms of bacteria were found in my cerebral fluid. One of the infections is normally found in the gastro-intestinaltract. I nearly lost my life due to this infection. After recovering from meningitis I was just happy to be alive and I didn’t think to ask more questions as to how this happened. After the disclosure by the VA over the sterilization failures at the Dental Clinic, it brought me concerns that the VA’s sterilization issues are not just confined to this one clinic. It also raises questions in my mind as to how long these failures in sterilization policies have been truly going on. I would also like to express my concerns about the length of time it took for the VA to notify us about this incident. It makes me speculate if there was an attempt to conceal this from the veterans. It is also taking an extended amount of time to get the testing results back to us. They need to realize that we have put our lives on hold while we wait for these results.

I would ask that VA employees speak out about policies and procedures that are not being followed. That it should be their duty to ensure our safety first and the managers and administrators should be willing to listen when informed about these issues. I would request that VA administrators and managers look beyond saving money and follow your own motto by “Putting Veterans First”.

I would like to express my thanks to Miss Earlene Johnson for attempting to advocate for the safety of the veterans even at the risk of her own livelihood.  By her saving all of the communications with management in regards to this issue, she has exposed the grave injustice that the St Louis VA was knowingly allowing to happen.  If only there were more VA employees that had the same courage and conviction of Miss Johnson to stand up for what is right.

Thank you for allowing me to testify today, not only for myself but also as a voice for all veterans that use VA Medical Centers.