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WATCH: This Hidden Camera Just Exposed How The VA Is Doing Something Horrible To Vets
Amid the continuing controversy that surrounds the Veterans Administration, a new undercover report by James O’Keefe and Project Veritas exposes the VA and its admission of medicating veterans to treat symptoms of illnesses. Rather than treating their health problems at the systemic level, the VA seems to be prescribing drugs with little thought given to the long-term effects of these medications on veterans and their overall health.
Dr. Maureen McCarthy, Veterans Health Administration patient care services deputy chief, said: “It’s people that have drug problems, some of which are caused by us and our prescribing.” Opiates, Morphine, Benzodiazepine, Ativan and Klonopinare are some of the drugs that McCarthy says are being widely distributed to patients.
These drugs come with heavy warnings. Most of the drugs mentioned in the Project Veritas report are highly addictive and are meant to be used for short-term pain relief. Opiates and Morphine are narcotics used for short-term pain, and supposedly highly addictive. Benzodiazepine, Ativan, and Klonopin are routinely used for short-term relief of anxiety and stress. However, these drugs that are clearly meant to be used short-term are being used by veterans for longer-than-intended periods of time. This creates a larger problem because the VA, rather than just treating the initial illness, is forced to treat the side effects of the drugs.
The Veterans Administration should be treating the person as a whole, according to Joseph Gough, president and CEO of Homeward Healthcare, a VA contractor. He stated during the undercover investigation: “ It’s sick care, not health care, right. It’s administer, administer, administer. Instead of dealing with the root structural problems, right, foundational problems, your state of mind, your social atmosphere, your quality of life, let’s just medicate them.”
It’s estimated that more than one million veterans are taking prescription opiates for pain. Half of them reportedly take the drugs on a chronic level. Georgeann Davis, a VA senior volunteer, said: “In my opinion they are creating drug addicts.” According to Megan McLemore, senior health researcher at Human Rights Watch, hundreds of thousands of veterans are struggling to deal with chronic pain, drug addiction, mental health problems, and homelessness. These are all issues that she says are “intertwined.”
It is estimated that 22 veterans per day commit suicide.
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/watch-this-hidden-camera-just-exposed-how-the-va-is-doing-something-horrible-to-vets/
