Talihina VA Center may close

Employees of a veteran’s center in Talihina say they’re “panicked, scared, shocked and uneasy” because of a proposal to close the center.

An email obtained by The Oklahoman from employees to area lawmakers and the Oklahoma Veterans Commission also says moving could endanger the health of residents.

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Shane Faulkner said closing the center is under consideration, but that no decision is imminent.

Four staff members have resigned from the facility rather than face the possibility of getting fired, after a resident was found to have maggots in a wound.

Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs executive director Myles Deering said the maggots were discovered while the patient was alive at the facility. Deering said the maggots were not the cause of his death.Deering said the veteran came to the center with an infection and died of sepsis.