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Dayton VA to get Senate hearing

Session April 26 to key on how to move forward in wake of dental clinic scandal.

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By Ben Sutherly, Staff Writer Updated 10:19 PM Tuesday, April 12, 2011

DAYTON — A U.S. Senate hearing set for 2 p.m. April 26 will focus on how to move the Dayton VA Medical Center forward following a scandal at its dental clinic.

Sinclair Community College is the possible site for the hearing, Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office said Tuesday.

Brown, D-Ohio, called for the hearing Feb. 11, three days after the Dayton VA offered free screenings to 535 veterans to see if they were infected with hepatitis B, hepatitis C or HIV at the dental clinic between 1992 and July 2010.

The veterans had received invasive dental work from a dentist, Dwight M. Pemberton, who failed to change latex gloves between appointments and did not sterilize dental equipment properly.

Two new former patients have tested positive for hepatitis B, and further testing is under way to try to determine if the clinic was the source of their infections.

A spokeswoman for Brown said his office didn’t yet have a list of witnesses who will be called to testify at the hearing.

But the staffer said the hearing would include testimony from three or four high-level VA officials who did not have direct oversight responsibilities for the dental clinic at the time of the scandal. The hearing also will include testimony from a representative of the VA’s Office of Inspector General, who will provide findings from the OIG’s yet-to-be-released review of the dental clinic.

Dayton VA employees are also expected to speak, according to Brown’s office.

The hearing will focus on how to move the Dayton VA forward and restore veterans’ and the public’s confidence in the hospital system.

“It’s not intended to be a fact-finding, retrospective kind of hearing,” the staff member said.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, has also called for the House to hold a hearing on the Dayton VA, but a Turner spokesman said Tuesday that an official response has not been received.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7457 or bsutherly @daytondailynews.com

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