Healthcare Inspection – Staff and Management Concerns at the Jacksonville Outpatient Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida

OIG conducted an inspection in response to an anonymous complaint to Mike Coffman, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs regarding multiple allegations about the staff and management of the Jacksonville Outpatient Clinic (OPC) in Jacksonville, FL. The purpose of the review was to determine whether the allegations had merit. We substantiated that VA maintenance and engineering employees at the Lake City facility provide repair and installation services for VA equipment at the OPC, but this was reasonable. We substantiated that female veterans were not able to obtain mammography imaging services until June 2014, which was the planned opening date for the mammography suite. We also substantiated that the waiting area carpets were heavily stained. We did not substantiate allegations that veterans were turned away without being seen; 19 primary care providers treated only 145 veterans in a week; the specialty clinic manager did not enforce tours of duty or break times; complaints about managers bullying staff members were not addressed; Surgical Services staff did nothing while waiting for the operating room air system to be fixed; or that dietary staff saw only 20 veterans in a week and made an onsite community garden. Further, we did not substantiate allegations that non-VA mammography requests were denied; Wi-Fi access was not available; the clinic was dirty, and housekeeping staff were not trained; security staff did not follow up on an event; or the administrative area access was blocked, and staff members were advised to stay out of that area altogether. We made one recommendation. The Veterans Integrated Service Network and Facility Directors concurred with our recommendation and provided an acceptable action plan.