David Walker, MD, the director of Veterans Affairs medical care for nearly all of Georgia, has launched an investigation into the Atlanta VA Medical Center after 10 pallets of mail were left in the basement for 10 months, according to a Sept. 28 report by The Atlanta-Journal Constitution.
The Decatur, Ga., hospital originally said the mail was backlogged because of COVID-19 and there would be no investigation. The mail contained about $200,000 in checks and patients' medical records, according to the Journal-Constitution.
A spokesperson from Dr. Walker's office said an investigation was launched into what happened. The investigation will be carried out by employees outside of the hospital. The VA's Office of Inspector General went to the hospital Sept. 24, according to the report.
Emails obtained by the Journal-Constitution reveal that the hospital mishandled mail in the past, according to the report. Emails from November 2019 unveil a discussion between hospital Director Ann Brown and middle managers about 26 bags of mail that contained 2,000 to 3,000 envelopes, including medical records.
The bags were left in the wrong department, and staff members were concerned the unguarded mail violated patient privacy. They also expressed concern that delays in processing the medical records could lead to further issues.
Sharonda Pearson, director of communications at VA Southeast Network, told Becker's "the VA Southeast Network is investigating the recent incident of unopened mail at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and will take appropriate action based on the findings."