Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 09-05-08

1. POW/MIA Flag To Be Flown At VA Medical Facilities Later This Month. 
2. US Said To Need More Vet Centers.  
3. US Army Says Another Suicide Record Could Be Set.  
4. Government’s Computer Security Problems Said To Be Related To Poor Spending.  
5. Former Pro Baseball Umpire Visits Roseburg VAMC 
6. Interim Clinic To Open In South Carolina.  
7. Ceiling Lifts Being Installed At Memphis VAMC.  
8. New Garage Open At North Chicago VAMC.  
9. Clinic In North Carolina To Add Another Physician.  
10. Minnesota Veteran Wins Medals At Golden Age Games.

1.      POW/MIA Flag To Be Flown At VA Medical Facilities Later This Month.   The second story in Bill Harding’s Craig (CO) Daily Press (9/4) column noted that September 19th is when observances "of National POW/MIA Recognition Day are held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state capitols, schools and veterans’ facilities." On that day, Congress "has mandated the flying of the National League of Families’ POW/MIA flag" at "major military installations, national cemeteries, all post offices, VA medical facilities, the World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the official offices of the secretaries of state, defense and veterans affairs, the director of the selective service system and the White House."

2.      US Said To Need More Vet Centers.   In a letter to the editor of the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer (9/5), Columbus resident Jim Rhodes says he asked the city’s mayor, Jim Wetherington, "to write a letter to the secretary of Veterans Affairs requesting the establishment of a Vet Center…in Columbus." The Secretary’s "reply…indicated that according to the VA’s latest official estimate and projection of veteran population by county, there are currently 100 counties nationwide without a vet center that have a higher unserved veteran population than Muscogee County." But "I would be ashamed, Mr. Secretary," to "admit we have 100 counties nationwide without a Vet Center."

3.      US Army Says Another Suicide Record Could Be Set.   The AP (9/5, Jelinek) reports, "Soldier suicides this year could surpass the record rate of last year, Army officials said Thursday, urging military leaders at all levels to redouble prevention efforts." As of the end of last month, "there were 62 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers and Guard and Reserve troops called to active duty, officials said. Another 31 deaths" also "appear to be suicides." Col. Eddie Stephens, the Army’s deputy director of human resources policy, said if those figures are confirmed, the number of soldier suicides for 2008 could eclipse last year’s 115. A shorter version of this AP story appears in the New York Times’ (9/5, A21) "National Briefing" column.
      The Washington Post (9/5, A2, Tyson) reports Army officials "voiced concern that an array of Army programs aimed at suicide prevention has not checked a years-long rise in the suicide rate." They added, however, that the number of deaths would probably have gone up even more without those programs. 

4.      Government’s Computer Security Problems Said To Be Related To Poor Spending.   NextGov (9/4, Aitoro) reported, "From a security perspective, almost every top analyst inside and outside government agrees: Federal computer networks are a mess." But "according to managers and industry consultants, the government’s security problems are not the result of a lack of money (although more certainly would improve the situation); instead, they’re linked to not wisely spending the money the government has budgeted." Agencies "spend much of their IT budgets complying with" the 2002 Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), "leaving little to fund more strategic security practices." With FISMA, agencies "end up being graded on how well they have secured networks on a system-by-system basis," which is "what happened at the Veterans Affairs Department, says Bruce Brody, who was CISO at VA and then the Energy Department from 2001 to 2006." While he was at the VA, the department "earned an F on its FISMA score card because auditors…did not take a comprehensive view of how secure the IT infrastructure was, Brody says.

5.    Former Pro Baseball Umpire Visits Roseburg VAMC.   On its website, KPIC-TV Roseburg, OR (9/4) reported Larry Barnett, a famous Major League Baseball umpire, visited the Roseburg Veterans Affairs Medical Center Wednesday "to thank America’s veterans for their service." Barnett, "who…officiated four World Series games" before retiring in 1999, "has visited all 172 VA hospitals in the country, and says that he loves the opportunity to say thank you to those who fought for our country."

6.      Interim Clinic To Open In South Carolina.   The Spartanburg (SC) Herald Journal (9/5, Powell) reports "an estimated 20,000 veterans eligible for services in Spartanburg County can expect an interim" Department of Veterans Affairs "clinic to open at 1330 Boiling Springs Road on Sept. 30, said Spartanburg County Veterans Affairs Officer Gerald Kiehl." A new VA outpatient clinic had been "slated to open in Spartanburg in July," but Kiehl said he did not know why there was a delay." Kiehl added that permanent clinic is now tentatively scheduled to open in October 2009.

7.      Ceiling Lifts Being Installed At Memphis VAMC.   The Memphis (TN) Commercial Appeal (9/4, Connolly) reported, "The Memphis Veterans Affairs Medical Center is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to install" ceiling lifts, which are machines used "to help reduce back injuries common among nurses and other health care workers." The "installation of the lifts reflects other trends: the US population is aging, hospitalized patients are sicker and more likely to need help in moving, patients must move because too much bed rest can cause potentially deadly sores and other complications." Other factors "making it harder to move patients" are rising obesity rates and the fact that the "average age of nurses is creeping upward." At the Memphis VAMC, for example the "average nurse is 50 years old."

8.      New Garage Open At North Chicago VAMC.   The Lake County (IL) News-Sun (9/5) reports, "A new garage is open for patients, handicapped and visitor parking at the North Chicago Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes. The garage is part of the VA/Department of Defense partnership between" the hospital and health clinic. Construction "is also underway on the new ambulatory care center, which will be built near the parking garage. North Chicago VA Medical Center and Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes are working toward becoming the first fully integrated federal health care facility by October 2010."

9.      Clinic In North Carolina To Add Another Physician.   The Macon County (NC) News (9/5, Wisdom) reports the Franklin Veterans Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) "is up and handling a full load," but in October, a third physician will be added the staff. The CBOC "opened its doors Aug. 20," and for "established patients things have run smoothly, but a couple of new patients questioned the efficiency of the clinic." Sherry Page, "administrative assistant to the chief of staff, said new patients can go ahead and start the enrollment process with the Franklin CBOC, but they may not be able to get an appointment until October."

10.    Minnesota Veteran Wins Medals At Golden Age Games.   The fourth story in the St. Cloud (MN) Times’ (9/5) "Two-Minute Drill" column reports, "St. Cloud veteran Charles Lidberg won two gold medals" at the Department of Veterans Affair’s National Golden Age Games, held "Aug. 20-24 in Indianapolis. The only veteran participating from Minnesota, Lidberg also carried the Minnesota state flag" in the event’s opening ceremony