VA refuses again to talk about Haley death
Re. Gus Bilirakis meets today with officials at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa to discuss care given to a Tarpon Springs man who died at the facility in June. Bilirakis' office has confirmed this. But the Department of Veterans Affairs refuses to discuss the meeting or to even confirm who Bilirakis is meeting with. Haley has consistently refused to discuss the death of veteran Richard Stecher, who died after an apparent failure of Haley doctors to promptly diagnose an obstructed bowel. We will update this story through the day as more information becomes available. The Bilirakis meeting is closed to the media and the VA refused even to say what time it will take place.
*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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