Federal Reports

Why We Did This ReportThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General conducted this evaluation to determine whether the EPA adhered to federal laws, regulations, and EPA guidance pertaining to community engagement standards and practices at the Findett Corp. Superfund Site. Contamination of the groundwater at the Findett Corp. Superfund Site and the EPA’s response to that contamination has long been an issue of concern in the St. Charles, Missouri community. Summary of FindingsEPA Region 7 did not effectively engage with the community affected by the Findett Corp. Superfund Site. The region’s public-facing documents and presentations were too technical for the public to easily understand. The region also distributed information in newspapers with low circulation to reduce costs. As a result, members of the St. Charles, Missouri community, which is near the Findett Corp. Superfund Site, were unaware of opportunities for public participation and confused about the cleanup process. Further, after the discovery of an additional source of contamination, Region 7 did not promptly develop a new or updated community involvement plan for St. Charles. In addition, Region 7 did not effectively facilitate community involvement by providing timely technical assistance or other tools to the St. Charles community. It also did not use available mediation services in a timely manner to mitigate the contentious relationships among the Findett Corp. Superfund Site stakeholders, resulting in cleanup delays and community mistrust in the EPA.

During our unannounced inspection of Krome North Service Processing Center (Krome) in Miami, Florida, we found that Krome’s staff complied with Performance-Based National Detention Standards 2011, as revised in December 2016, for classification, voluntary work program, recreation, facility conditions, and non-medical grievances. However, they did not comply with use of force standards for several incidents.

This Office of Inspector General (OIG) Comprehensive Healthcare Inspection Program report describes the results of a focused evaluation of the quality of care delivered in the inpatient and outpatient settings of the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center in Alabama. This evaluation focused on five key operational areas:• Leadership and organizational risks• Quality, safety, and value• Medical staff privileging• Environment of care• Mental health (suicide prevention initiatives)The OIG issued two recommendations for improvement in two areas:1. Medical staff privileging• Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation activities2. Environment of care• Safe and clean patient care areas