Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 08-14-08

Today’s Local News for Veterans from around the Country

What’s Inside:  A Summary

1. Peake Impressed By Nevada Project.
2. Construction Begins On Fort Jackson National Cemetery.  
3. Peake’s Trip To Iraq Briefly Noted.  
4. Advocate Urges Support For "Veterans Village."  
5. Alaska VA Preparing To Fight "PTSD Surge."  
6. VA Clinic To Help Soldiers With Drinking Problems.  
7. Brooklyn VA Calling For National Poster Submissions.  
8. VA Reps To Attend Third National Congress On Health System Readiness.  
9. Tuerk, Filner To Host Meeting On Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.  
10. Charleston VAMC Honored For Progress.

1.      Peake Impressed By Nevada Project.   In continuing coverage, the Las Vegas Review-Journal (8/14, Rogers) reports, "After a tour led by Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev.," Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake "said he was impressed" by the progress made on a VA medical complex currently being constructed in Nevada. According to Peake, the $600 million project, which includes a hospital, nursing home and mental healthcare facility combined with four community outpatient clinics around the Las Vegas Valley, will be the "crown jewel" of the VA’s healthcare system. The Review-Journal adds, "After concluding the medical complex tour, Peake was scheduled to speak Tuesday night at the Military Order of the Purple Heart national convention at the Marriott Hotel on Rampart Boulevard."

2.      Construction Begins On Fort Jackson National Cemetery.   The Army Times (8/14) reports, "Construction is underway for a new national cemetery that is scheduled to open this fall near" Fort Jackson, South Carolina. The cemetery "is one of four that are being built nationwide and will be named the Fort Jackson National Cemetery, according to an Army news release." In the release, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake said the VA "is keeping its promise to our nation’s veterans by building this new shrine." The Times adds, "VA officials are planning an official dedication ceremony for the $19 million project this fall."

3.      Peake’s Trip To Iraq Briefly Noted.   In a story noting a recent meeting between US Rep. Phil Hare (D-IL) and Army Capt. Jay Bush, the stepson of Illinois Senate Majority Leader Debbie Halvorson, while both men were in Germany, the Southtown (IL) Star (8/14, Ferrell) reports the meeting happened during the same week that Hare had "traveled to Iraq with…Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake to see first-hand the medical care being provided to soldiers."

4.      Advocate Urges Support For "Veterans Village."   In a letter to the editor of the Westchester (NY) Journal News (8/14), Dan Griffin, the executive director of Westchester County Chapter 49, Vietnam Veterans of America, writes, "We have told" the VA and all of its "secretaries in the past few years" that "we veterans want the services brought back that were shipped to Castle Point in Beacon." Now, however, the VA is "asking for profit-making developers to develop 167 acres in two phases" on "this prime property." Griffin urges readers to sign an online petition of support to "turn the FDR Hospital grounds into a ‘Veterans Village.’" He adds, "After you sign it, send it to everyone you know. If you do not have Internet access call, write, fax or e-mail" the VA "secretary and tell him that you want the ‘Veterans Village’ plan put in place now."

5.      Alaska VA Preparing To Fight "PTSD Surge."   On its website, KTUU-TV Anchorage, AK (8/13, Mapaye) said, "Reports show 18 to 20 percent of veterans in Iraq or Afghanistan will develop" post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) "or depression within a year or two after combat. It’s a percentage many health agencies in Alaska are taking very seriously." For example, at the "Alaska Veterans Affairs health care office in Anchorage, preparations are underway to fight a PTSD surge." In fact, Dr. Joseph Pace "was hired last September specifically to help veterans with PTSD." KTUU adds that the VA also "has hired new case managers, patient advocates and PTSD specialists."
      Counseling Services Offered By VA Vet Centers.   The Lafayette (LA) Daily Advertiser (8/14) reports the VA "operates more than 230 community-based counseling centers located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico," and the US Virgin Islands. These Vet Centers, three of which are located in Louisiana, "provide readjustment counseling and outreach services" to combat veterans. They "also provide services to their family members for military related issues."
      VA Accused Of Behind "Way Behind" On PTSD Cases.   In a related Liberty County (MT) Times (8/14) op-ed, Liberty County Health Officer Richard S. Buker, Jr., M.D., says the military and the VA "are currently way behind on processing" PTSD cases.
      Commanders Told To Eliminate Stigma For PTSD-Afflicted Marines.   The North County (CA) Times (8/13, Walker) reported, "Marine Corps commanders were told Tuesday that they must eliminate any stigma attached to troops suffering from" PTSD. The instruction "came on the opening day of a three-day Marine Corps conference in San Diego addressing" PTSD, "traumatic brain injuries and the effects those illnesses have on family members." Marine Corps officials "are increasingly relying on sergeants to monitor their troops and direct any of them" with PTSD "problems to get help. A new directive that will spell out the responsibilities for commanders and those who report to them is due out the first week in September," Thomas Gaskin, the coordinator of the Marines’ combat operational stress office in Virginia, said.

6.      VA Clinic To Help Soldiers With Drinking Problems.   On its website, News14-TV Charlotte, NC (8/13, Hough) said a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association "is raising some questions about what happens" to US military personnel "after they return home from fighting." The study "found that National Guard and Reserve combat troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were more likely to develop drinking problems than active-duty soldiers." On Wednesday, however, Secretary of the Army Pete Geren "and other public officials signed the Army Community Covenant," which "is designed to develop programs to improve the quality of life for soldiers," including "those who suffer from alcohol problems," and their families, The "new Veterans Affairs clinic opening next week in Charlotte will also cater to those soldiers."

7.      Brooklyn VA Calling For National Poster Submissions.   The Brooklyn (NY) Daily Eagle (8/14) reports the Brooklyn Campus of the Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System "is calling for ‘Veteran-Centric-Art’ for a National Poster Project on the Afghanistan/Iraq War." The "deadline for submissions…is Sept. 15." The winning artwork "will be made into a poster for Veterans Day 2008. The contest was initiated by the Department of Veterans Affairs Compensated Work Therapy Program (CWTP) and sponsored by the National Office of Psychosocial Rehabilitation of the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA)."

8.      VA Reps To Attend Third National Congress On Health System Readiness.   Government Security News (8/13, Goodwin) reported, "The Department of Health and Human Services will award a contract to the Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA), so that it can plan and convene the Third National Congress on Health System Readiness, intended to improve the capacity of hospitals and communities across the country to prepare for public health emergencies." The AMA "will organize the Congress, which will include representatives from" various Federal agencies, including Veterans Affairs.

9.      Tuerk, Filner To Host Meeting On Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.   The Imperial Valley (CA) News (8/14) reports, "This Friday, August 15th, Congressman Bob Filner and William Tuerk," Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs of the US Department of Veterans Affairs, "will host a roundtable meeting to discuss the Miramar Satellite expansion of Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery."

10.    Charleston VAMC Honored For Progress.   The AP (8/13, Carolina) reported, "The Charleston Veterans Administration Medical Center is being honored for making rapid improvement in recent years." US Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) was scheduled to visit "Charleston on Wednesday to present the hospital with the On the Move Award. The hospital is ranked No. 2 nationally for clinical care and No. 10 for overall quality among 155 VA hospitals." In 2006, "the Charleston VA was ranked 79th overall." The third story in the Myrtle Beach (SC) Sun News’ (8/14) "Carolina News" column and the Charleston (SC) Post And Courier (8/14, Coley) both publish similar stories.