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RICHMOND VA HOSPITAL TO REPLACE ASBESTOS TILES
AND SEALANT -- 42,000 square feet of sealed
but scuffed flooring must go.
Story here...
http://www.dailypress.com/news/
local/virginia/dp-va--medicalcenter-asb0331ma
r31,0,6083584.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia
Story below:
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Report: Richmond VA hospital to replace
asbestos tiles, sealant
By MICHAEL FELBERBAUM
Associated Press Writer
RICHMOND, Va. -- Nearly 42,000-square-feet of asbestos tile and sealant
found at McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center will be
replaced, according to an internal maintenance review of the U.S.
Veterans Affairs' facilities.
The investigation, ordered by VA Secretary Jim Nicholson, is the first
topdown review of the vast network of 1,400 health clinics and hospitals
conducted since the disclosure of squalid conditions at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center in Washington, the U.S. Army's flagship hospital.
While the investigation also found instances of moisture behind walls
and cracked and peeling paint at McGuire, the most pressing problem is
replacement of 41,700-square-feet of asbestos tile and sealant at the
1.2 million-square-foot center.
The materials are scheduled to be replaced over the next year at a cost
of about $600,000, said McGuire spokesman Darlene Edwards.
"These are projects that have been on our work list," said Edwards, who
called most of the problems part of normal wear and tear at the 427-bed
facility. "We want to replace it because certainly you want to keep the
place looking as nice as possible."
Edwards said the tile is sealed, but is scuffed in some areas.
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral commonly used until the mid-1970s in
insulation and fireproofing material. Its tiny fibers can cause cancer
and other ailments when inhaled. The diseases often take decades to
develop.
The kind of asbestos used in the tile is not a great health threat, but
could be hazardous if it is damaged, said Dale Kemery, spokesman for the
Environmental Protection Agency.
Kemery said that removing asbestos requires the affected area to be
sealed so that no fibers can get into the environment.
"It's not an easy kind of thing to remediate asbestos," he said. "It's
very complicated and it's expensive."
The audit, completed in March, yielded a list of 83 different
maintenance problems at the Salem VA Medical Center--primarily peeling
paint, missing ceiling tiles and leaks. The Hampton VA Medical Center
listed 30 similar issues and a need for upgraded bathrooms.
Overall, the report found that 90 percent of 1,100 problems cited at VA
facilities nationwide were deemed to be of a more routine nature:
worn-out carpet, peeling paint, mice sightings and dead bugs at VA
centers.
The more serious 10 percent included mold spreading in patient care
areas; eight cases were so troubling they required immediate attention
and follow-up action, according to the national review.
In response, Nicholson ordered "immediate corrective action" to fix
problems, with full accounting provided to the VA. He noted that an
overwhelming majority of the issues were normal "wear and tear" items.
In many cases where there were roof leaks or mold, officials had begun
action to order patches or repairs, the department said. In some
instances, they were moving to new facilities.
"The overwhelming majority of issues identified by this special review
are the kinds of items you would expect to find--and see being
addressed--in an organization with nearly 150 million square feet of
space where 1 million patients come each week," Michael Kussman, the
department's acting undersecretary for health, said in a statement.
Kussman said the department's $519 million maintenance budget for 2007
and a proposed budget of $573 million for next year will help to repair
any shortcomings.
Walter Reed is a military hospital run by the Defense Department.
Critics long have said problems of military care extend to the VA's vast
network, which provides supplemental health care and rehabilitation to
5.8 million veterans.
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Larry Scott --
