Acting director of Tomah VA says results of ongoing probes could serve as blueprint to move forward

TOMAH (AP) — John Rohrer, the acting director of the Tomah VA hospital, says the atmosphere at the facility could become darker in coming weeks as results of ongoing probes are published, but he says those reports could serve as a blueprint to move forward.

The hospital is at the center of multiple investigations. An initial probe found patients at the facility were more likely than patients at other VA hospitals to receive high doses of narcotics. That probe also found a culture of fear among staff at the hospital that impacted patient care.

Earlier this month Mario DeSanctis, the previous Tomah VA medical center was assigned to a position outside the facility. Chief of staff David Houlihan was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigations.