President Obama will visit the scandal-plagued Veterans Affairs hospital in Phoenix on Friday after drawing criticism earlier this year for bypassing the facility on a previous trip.
The hospital made headlines nearly a year ago when a whistleblower alleged that veterans were dying there while waiting for care on secret lists. It kicked off a nationwide investigation, which discovered systemic problems of data manipulation and substandard care at several facilities.
Veterans groups and members of Congress criticized the president for not visiting the hospital during a trip to Phoenix in January. Obama’s motorcade actually passed by the hospital during the trip to promote new housing policies.
The president will travel to Phoenix on Friday with VA Secretary Robert McDonald, the White House release said.
“The president will hear about progress made to improve the VA’s ability to serve veterans in a timely and effective manner, areas where more progress is needed and further steps that are planned,” the release said.
It’s unclear if the president will meet with patients or staff during the visit. The VA public affairs office did not answer a question about if Mr. McDonald would hold a town hall while there to give employees a chance to ask questions.
Mr. McDonald first visited the Phoenix facility shortly after taking over as secretary in August.
Members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee are also expected to visit the Phoenix hospital some time this year. Sen. Johnny Isakson, Georgia Republican and chairman of the committee, said he was planning a trip there so lawmakers could conduct on-the-ground oversight.
A trip scheduled for Feb. 27 had to be cancelled because of the Senate’s voting schedule and Mr. Iskason is working to reschedule as soon as possible, a spokeswoman for the senator said.
“Sen. Isakson intends to make the Phoenix VA medical center one of the committee’s first site visits to VA facilities around the country where there have been serious problems with wait times for veterans seeking health care,” she said.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.