( CNN ) -- Thousands of veterans in South Florida may have been exposed to hepatitis and HIV because of contaminated equipment after getting colonoscopies at the Miami Veterans Affairs Healthcare System , officials announced Monday . In a news release , Rep. Kendrick B. Meek , D-Florida , says such mistakes undermine the VA 's effectiveness . Two Florida lawmakers are asking for an inspector general 's inquiry . `` The VA is a model of the type of health care we provide our veterans , and when mistakes like this occur , it undermines the efficacy of the entire system , '' said Rep. Kendrick B. Meek , D-Florida , in a news release . Meek , along with Sen. Bill Nelson , D-Florida , is requesting an official inquiry by the inspector general of the VA . In a letter to retired Gen. Eric Shinseki , the secretary of Veterans Affairs , Nelson said he is also concerned about possible contaminated equipment at facilities in Murfreesboro , Tennessee , and Augusta , Georgia . `` I am requesting that the VA Office of Inspector General begin an investigation into the potential problems of contamination ; whether any patient has contracted an infection from unsterilized equipment ; and , most importantly , how we can prevent such problems from happening again , '' Nelson wrote . `` Finally , I urge the VA to commit to providing ongoing medical care in cases where it is responsible for exposing someone to a disease . '' On Monday , the VA sent letters to 3,260 people who may have had colonoscopies between May 2004 and March 12 , 2009 . Hospital officials said a review of safety procedures found that tubing used in endoscope procedures was rinsed but not disinfected . In the first 24 hours after the letters were released , the Miami VA got more than 2,600 calls and checked out more than 350 patients . Nearly 600 more are scheduled for examinations over the next two weeks , officials at the facility said . Learn more about what happened » . Officials say the risk of infection is minimal . `` What happened should not have happened . We are taking steps to change it right now , '' said John Vara , the Miami VA 's chief of staff . The problem at the Miami VA facility comes on the heels of similar problems with endoscopies at the VA clinic in Murfreesboro . In December 2008 , an investigation found that clinic workers were not following manufacturer 's directions and switched out parts they were n't supposed to switch out , according to investigators . About 6,000 people who underwent colonoscopies at the clinic were notified and offered free testing for infections . The Charlie Norwood VA Medica Center in Augusta , Georgia , also said it had `` recently notified 1,200 veterans they may have been exposed to infection when undergoing ear , nose and throat ( ENT ) procedures between January and November of 2008 . '' In Miami , the VA has opened `` special care clinics '' to test veterans who received the notice and to provide information . `` Screening is strictly precautionary and does not indicate that any patients have contracted a virus , '' Mary D. Berrocal , director of the Miami VA , said in a statement on the VA 's Web site . The special care clinics opened Tuesday morning , and officials say response from patients has been good . `` They are being proactive , and we are glad . We want them to get tested , '' said Susan Warren , a spokeswoman for the Miami VA facility .
Contaminated colonoscopy gear may have exposed Florida veterans to hepatitis , HIV . Florida lawmakers seek inquiry , raise concerns about other facilities . VA sent letters to people who may have had colonoscopies May 2004 to this month . Officials say tubing was rinsed but not disinfected , call risk of infection minimal .