A veteran who collapsed at the Albuquerque, N.M., VA hospital cafeteria died after waiting for an ambulance to take him to the nearby emergency room.
It took half an hour for the ambulance to be dispatched by the hospital and bring the patient to the ER located 500 yards away from the scene, according to CBS News.
VA spokeswoman Sonja Brown said Kirtland Air Force Medical Group personnel performed CPR until the ambulance arrived. [...]
The death comes at the Department of Veterans Affairs remains under scrutiny for widespread reports of long delays for treatment and medical appointments and of veterans dying while on waiting lists.
A review last week cited "significant and chronic system failures" in the nation's health system for veterans. The review also portrayed the struggling agency as one battling a corrosive culture of distrust, lacking in resources and ill-prepared to deal with an influx of new and older veterans with a range of medical and mental health care needs.