LOWELL -- U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas toured the Crescent House on Monday, following revelations that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General is investigating alleged drug dealing -- which may be linked to a death at the Lowell sober home -- by patients and employees at the agency's facilities across the region.

Tsongas, who represents Lowell and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said the visit was her first to Crescent House, which is one of two VA facilities of its kind in the country. Her conversations with several residents was overwhelmingly positive, she said.

"They all felt that it had made a difference in their lives," Tsongas said in an interview Tuesday, adding, "There were a lot of strong feelings expressed to me."

Because it is continuing, the congresswoman did not talk with the residents about the OIG investigation, which was first reported in The Sun last month. That article also quoted several former residents of Crescent House and VA employees who said the facility was not conducive to addiction treatment because residents swapped and sold drugs and the program was monitored at night and on weekends by senior residents who sometimes helped others cheat drug tests.

"The point I tried to make was that our job in Congress -- we want everything to work but we can't presume that everything is going as it should," Tsongas said. "And that given the issues that have been raised, how appropriate it is to have an investigation."

The Crescent House is the last step in the Bedford VA hospital's addiction-treatment program. It is intended to be a bridge between strictly monitored programs, like a detox facility, and a return to regular life.

There is some debate in the veterans community about how structured and strict such programs should be.

"It was interesting actually to me to hear some of the residents talk about that," Tsongas said. "Some were comfortable with that ... more forgiving approach and others felt it was harder for them."

U.S. Rep. William Keating, who represents Massachusetts' 9th District, which covers Cape Cod and much of the South Shore, has also taken an interest in the Bedford VA.

Tsongassaid she and Keating have spoken to a constituent together about some of the problems at the hospital and that they would work together through the legislative process to find ways to help the facility and veterans, if it is needed.

"When we hear there's a problem, our challenge and our obligation is to constructively try to address it," Tsongas said.

http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_30675908/tsongas-tours-va-site-where-client-died