WASHINGTON (Michigan News Source) – Continued mask mandates at a VA hospital in Iron Mountain is causing some veterans to ignore treatment, and it prompted a letter from Congressman Jack Bergman (R-Watersmeet). Bergman referred to the continued requirement as “overbearing bureaucratic regulations” despite “rock bottom COVID cases and hospitalizations in the U.P.”

In the letter from Bergman to Iron Mountain VA Director John Shealey, he writes, “I have heard from dozens of constituents sharing their frustrations with this policy – some of whom have chosen to delay or forego medical visits, or pay out of pocket to see another provider in the area without such restrictions.” Bergman calls for hospital to immediately drop its masking requirement since they are “not rooted in scientific evidence, and their adherence now may be actively harming the health outcomes of our Veterans.”

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The full letter can be read here. 

The Iron Mountain VA posted on its Facebook page on May 11 that masks would be optional except in “high risk areas.”

According to its website, the Iron Mountain VA serves 20,000 veterans across 25 counties in Michigan and Wisconsin.