A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) report released last week finds fault with the medical treatment given to a former Marine and cancer patient who was shot and killed by law enforcement officers at a VA hospital in Maine. Craig Crosby of the Kennebec Journal writes that James Popkowski grew increasingly depressed amid failures that included poor communication, discontinuity of care and a prescription regimen that denied him needed drugs.
Crosby notes that the the 37-year-old veteran had leukemia and left the Marines in 2003 with an honorable discharge, and grew increasingly depressed and eventually made threats against VA staff where he was treated and where he would eventually be gunned down in July in an armed standoff. He reportedly left a painted note on his property accusing doctors of "killing him" by depriving him of his stem cell medication.
The findings, part of a report released last week that offered a rare glimpse into the VA system, acknowledged deep failures in Popkowski's treatment and recommended changes to how veterans' care is administered. According to the Portland Press Herald, the VA report's author, Assistant Inspector General Dr. John Daigh Jr., wrote:
The report is recommending that corrective actions at the Maine VA be completed by February. The Maine Attorney General's office is also conducting its own investigation.
Blogger Beth Shaw writes of the tragic incident:
