Southern Illinois hospital resumes some outpatient surgeries

More than eight months after its entire surgical unit was shut down because of a reported spike in post-surgical deaths, Southern Illinois Veterans Affairs hospital has resumed some outpatient surgeries. The VA halted all surgeries at the facility when at least nine deaths between October 2006 and March 2007 were "directly attributable" to substandard care. There was no immediate timetable for resuming more complicated, inpatient surgeries at the hospital.