Bilirakis to meet VA Thursday on death case
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, is scheduled to meet Thursday with staff at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa. Bilirakis wants to quiz Haley officials about the death of Richard Stecher, 64, who died from a perforated obstructed bowel while in Haley care on June 30. Bilirakis also may hear why Haley did not provide him with a full picture of Stecher care when he previously asked about the case. (See our Aug. 9 story.) A letter Haley had previously sent to Bilirakis left out seemingly critical information about Stecher's case. That included information that Haley's chief of staff had apologized to Stecher's companion over the care Stecher received and that three doctors "missed opportunities"to treat him. Sen. Bill Nelson also is asking about the case, first reported by the St. Petersburg Times earlier this month. But Nelson will not be at Thursday's meeting. (Times photo of Stecher's companion, Mary Nicholl, by Douglas R. Clifford)
*The O.P., military jargon for Observation Post, is your one-stop source for all things military in the Tampa Bay area: the latest news from the VA, what's happening at MacDill Air Force Base what's up with local troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Share your thoughts in the comments section and send your story ideas to the author.
William R. Levesque is the St. Petersburg Times military and VA reporter.
In a 20-year journalism career, he has covered Florida agriculture, the
courts, business, police and Pasco county government. He was the Times'
lead reporter in the Terri Schiavo case and also covered the criminal trial
of the Rev. Henry Lyons. He can be reached at 
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