A patient's chances of surviving pneumonia are significantly better in the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Nashville and Murfreesboro than in other VA medical centers, according to a government scorecard. The VA hospitals here, collectively known as the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, also made improvements in patient safety and infection control during 2010. But a patient who is a fan of the system admits that many veterans still don't trust Tennessee Valley. Its Murfreesboro hospital exposed thousands of veterans to the risk of HIV and hepatitis when it used dirty colonoscopy equipment from 2003 to 2008.
