{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-announces-bipartisan-agreement-on-legislation-developed-in-wake-of-legionnaires-outbreak-at-va-pittsburgh-health-center", "Casey Announces Bipartisan Agreement on Legislation Developed in Wake of Legionnaires’ Outbreak at VA Pittsburgh Health Center", "2013-11-08", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that a bipartisan agreement has been reached on legislation that will reform procedures at VA hospitals when infectious disease outbreaks occur. The original proposal, introduced by Senator Casey following 6 Legionnaires\u2019 deaths, at the VA Pittsburgh Health System (VAPHS), spurred the bipartisan agreement on the Senate Veteran\u2019s Committee. The agreement, called The Improving Quality of Care Within the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 2013, will improve the way VA Hospitals report infectious disease outbreaks and bring VA health centers in line with state reporting procedures. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), the ranking member of the Senate Veterans\u2019 Affairs Committee, is the lead Republican sponsor of the bill.\r\n\u201cThis bipartisan agreement puts these significant reforms on the door step of passage,\u201d Senator Casey said. \u201cNo one piece of legislation can bring back a loved one or fully account for the pain that these families experienced in the last few years. What this legislation will do is take significant steps toward reforming VA policies so what occurred at the VA Pittsburgh Health System never happens again. There\u2019s more work to do and I\u2019ll continue to press the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure those who fought so hard for our country receive the care they deserve. I also want to thank Senator Burr for his work on this. He\u2019s been a bipartisan leader on veterans issues and I\u2019m pleased to be able to work with him on this effort.\u201d\r\nInfectious Disease Reporting:\r\n \r\nSince 2011, the VA Pittsburgh Health System has identified several cases of Legionnaires\u2019 diseases among patients receiving medical services which resulted in patient death.\u00a0 Legionnaires\u2019 disease, which most often presents as pneumonia, is caused when an individual inhales water containing the bacteria legionella.\r\nCurrently, healthcare providers are required to report cases of Legionnaires\u2019 disease to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in accordance with state and local laws.\u00a0\r\nAt the time of the legionella outbreak at the VA Pittsburgh Health Center, the VA had a voluntary policy regarding the reporting of legionella to the appropriate health agencies.\u00a0 On June 25, 2013, VA implemented a directive requiring the mandatory reporting of certain infectious diseases in accordance with state and local laws.\r\n \r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\nWhat the \u201cImproving Quality of Care Within the Department of Veterans Affairs Act of 2013\u201d accomplishes:\r\n \r\nRequires the Secretary to ensure that the Department has an up-to-date policy on reporting certain infectious disease diagnoses at a VA facility in accordance with the provisions of state and local laws.\u00a0\r\nRequires the Secretary to develop performance measures to assess whether and to what degree the directors of Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) and VA medical centers are complying with the policy and hold them accountable for the reporting of certain infectious diseases.\r\nRequires an independent review of the structure of VA medical centers and VISNs to ensure VA is effectively providing quality of care to our nation\u2019s veterans\r\n \r\n###\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\r\n\t\t\t\t\tJohn Rizzo 202-228-6367", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-announces-bipartisan-agreement-on-legislation-developed-in-wake-of-legionnaires-outbreak-at-va-pittsburgh-health-center"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7767281495034695, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}