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VA Abortion Clinic Inspection Report

Abortion clinics in Virginia thought they might have to close, since they were not able to meet tough new rules.

Under Governor Bob McDonnell, the Virginia Board of Health approved new requirements for abortion clinics – forcing them to follow the same rules as hospitals or shut down.  Supporters of the change said it was needed, because clinics posed a danger to women’s health.  This month, the state finished a routine semi-annual  inspection of all 18 facilities and found no serious flaws.  Erik Bodine is director of the Office of Licensure and Certification.

"We look at everything from maintenance of an inventory of medications, to their cleaning practices, to their disposal of medical waste, to the condition and maintenance on their equipment and furnishings.” 

Inspectors did find violations at 14 of the clinics, but Bodine said they were not serious problems.  Many dealt with sanitation and were easily resolved.

“They were cited for those things.  They had to come up with plans of correction for how they were going to clean, what cleaning agents were they using.”

The state reports no deaths related to abortion at Virginia clinics, and the board of health could issue a new, more lenient set of rules in September. 

Sandy Hausman is Radio IQ's Charlottesville Bureau Chief
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