A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman says the agency plans to reopen the intensive care unit of its Fort Wayne medical center as soon as possible. The four-bed unit has been closed since October 2012, when the VA Northern Indiana Health Care System temporarily suspended inpatient services at the medical center because of lapses in care. All services except the ICU were restored within a year after the suspension. VA spokesman Michael Brady tells The Journal Gazette for a story Wednesday that the agency currently is looking for two more providers and finalizing training for current workers. Republican U.S. Rep. Marlin Stutzman recently expressed worries that the longer the ICU remains closed, the greater the possibility that VA officials could decide it no longer was needed.
