Bill introduced to rename Tomah VA in honor of Stevens Point Marine Jason Simcakoski
By Patrick Lynn
Wisconsin Congressman Derrick Van Orden has introduced legislation to rename the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Tomah as the Jason Simcakoski Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
The measure has bipartisan support, including Senators Ron Johnson and Tammy Baldwin.
Simcakoski, of Stevens Point, was a corporale in the United States Marines. He died in 2014 following improper medical care for a traumatic brain injury. The family later settled with the Tomah Veterans Affairs Medical Center for $2.3 million.
Simcakoski was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2002 and had been treated from 2006 to 2014 for a variety of conditions at the troubled Wisconsin Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He was over-prescribed pain medications, ultimately leading to his death from mixed drug toxicity at the age of 35, according to court records.
“Jason and I did not serve together, but we are fellow veterans and brothers-in-arms,” Van Orden said in a press statement. “As a nation, we owe him and his family a debt that can never be fully repaid. We can never allow Jason’s tragic story to be forgotten, and by naming the Tomah VA Medical Center after him, he will continue his service to our nation by ensuring our healthcare professionals provide the highest standard of care to those who have protected our freedoms and are held accountable when they do not. I am profoundly grateful to the Members of the Wisconsin Delegation who helped make this possible. Semper fi, Marine. We have the watch.”
A 2015 Inspector General’s report found two of Simcakoski’s doctors did not follow rules of consent, leading to a fatal combination of 14 prescription drugs, including opiates. VA staff were also slow to respond to that overdose and did not know how to properly perform CPR or use defibrillators, the report said, and more than an hour also passed before staff administered an opiate antidote.
Baldwin said Simcakoski’s story deserves to be remembered so it’s not repeated.
“I was proud to work with the Simcakoski family to honor Jason’s legacy in 2016, and every year since, by making real changes at the VA to improve care and protect veterans, overhauling opioid prescribing practices and saving lives. Today, veterans across the country are receiving better, safer care because of ‘Jason’s Law.’ By renaming the Tomah VA, we will continue to honor Jason’s legacy and the Simcakoski family’s work to ensure this devastating loss continues saving lives for years to come,” Baldwin said.
Senator Johnson also supports the legislation.
“Jason’s tragic story is also one of determination, as he alerted law enforcement authorities to the deadly opioid prescription practices at the Tomah VA Medical Center while he himself was suffering from those abuses,” Johnson said. “Renaming the Tomah VA Medical Center after Jason will honor his efforts to try to save himself and other veterans from the systemic abuses that occurred and serve as a constant reminder of the duty of care owed to every veteran.”
