Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 11-04-08

1. Veterans Summit Held In Texas. 
2. Construction On VA Facility In Florida Will Not Begin Before Next Year.  
3. VA Doctor Suffering From ALS Featured On National News Program.   
4. Togus VAMC Part Of Effort To Assist Homeless Veterans.  
5. Ground Broken On Fisher House In Massachusetts.  
6. Event Raises Money For Fisher House In Georgia.  
7. Centralization Efforts Creating Difficulties For VA Hospitals.  
8. VA’s Management Score Card Improves.  
9. VA To Begin Transferring Land In Mississippi.  
10. Coatesville VAMC To Celebrate Veterans Day.

HAVE YOU HEARD?  IT’S NATIONAL RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY WEEK 
It’s National Radiologic Technology Week (November 2-8) and each year in November, the month when Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen discovered the X-ray, hospitals, clinics and medical centers across the country celebrate the week by honoring the technologists, specialists and radiation therapists who provide radiologic images and services that diagnose illnesses, advance medical research and save lives. VA recognizes these professionals and the continued excellence of care they give to our veterans

1.      Veterans Summit Held In Texas.   The Corpus Christi (TX) Caller Times (11/3, Baird) reported "more than 150 exhibitors" were represented Saturday at the 2008 Veterans and Military Summit in Corpus Christi, Texas. Also in attendance at the summit was Jeff Milligan, "director of South Texas Veterans Health Care System, a newly formed Department of Veterans Affairs region." In discussing the event, Milligan said, "We need to encourage all veterans to apply for and take advantage of services they’ve earned." The Caller Times added, "By fiscal year 2011, the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System will separate from the South Texas Veterans Health Care System in San Antonio and have its own management team and budget."

2.      Construction On VA Facility In Florida Will Not Begin Before Next Year.   The Orlando Business Journal (11/1, Azam, Kauffmann, Fluker) reported US Reps. Tom Feeney, Ric Keller, Dave Weldon, John Mica, all Republicans, "and other politicians had their shovels ready Oct. 24, but it may be a while before the real work begins on the $656 million Veterans Affairs medical complex in Lake Nona." Construction will not "start until at least next year – and only if the VA’s 2009 budget is approved."

3.    VA Doctor Suffering From ALS Featured On National News Program.   New York’s North Country Gazette (11/2) reported that during a segment on Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology aired by CBS News’ 60 Minutes this past Sunday, one of the BCI users scheduled to be featured was "Scott Mackler, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Departments of Medicine & Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, who is afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease." The Albany (NY) Times-Union (11/2, Crowley) published a similar story.

4.      Togus VAMC Part Of Effort To Assist Homeless Veterans.   The Portland (ME) Press Herald (11/3, Cover) reported "62 homeless veterans…were bused" to the Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Saturday "to get help with a wide range of services." This was the "11th year" that "veterans service organizations and private, state and federal groups came together" to provide such help. Homeless vets "were brought in" from "10 pickup points across the state, said Jim Doherty, Togus spokesman."

5.      Ground Broken On Fisher House In Massachusetts.   The Boston Globe (11/3, Sanfeliz) reported, "Fisher House, a national organization that provides free lodging to families of veterans who are receiving medical care" at Veterans Affairs hospitals, "broke ground on a West Roxbury facility last Thursday." Fisher House "has seen an increase in the number of families who need its services and is building 14 new houses nationally in 2009, but the one in West Roxbury is the first in the New England area, said" Michelle Keating, "who is the president of Alder Foods, which sells food to the military and has donated to Fisher House in the past."

6.      Event Raises Money For Fisher House In Georgia.   On its website, WAGT-TV Augusta, GA (11/2, Clay) reported, "Dozens of Fort Gordon soldiers wounded in Iraq got some much needed help Saturday" when bikers with the American Legion Riders "donated $30,000" to the Fisher House at Fort Gordon. The donation was made during an event called "Roaring Thunder 2008." WAGT added, "The Fisher House at Fort Gordon only has seven rooms for families in need. Plans for a larger house at the Wrightsboro Road campus" of the Augusta Veterans Affairs Medical Center "are in the works." The WJBF-TV Augusta, GA (11/2, Bishop) website published a similar story.

7.      Centralization Efforts Creating Difficulties For VA Hospitals.   Federal Computer Week (11/3, Mosquera) reported, "The Veterans Affairs Department’s decision to centralize all information technology management, development and budget authority under the chief information officer is affecting the entire organization, including VA hospitals, department officials say." With centralization, VA hospitals "will no longer have the flexibility to intermingle spending on IT and non-IT medical services. They must now account for IT spending separately," said Robert Howard, the VA’s CIO. FCW added, "VA officials are establishing policies and procedures to help facilities identify and account for their IT spending. In the meantime, they have reallocated funds from other areas to cover IT spending for hospitals, Howard said." As a result of this, "hospitals are experiencing a shortage of IT funds, and the effort to standardize" the VA’s IT systems "has introduced more difficult changes for VA hospitals, he added."

8.      VA’s Management Score Card Improves.   Government Executive (11/3, Gruber) reported, "The Bush administration has released its traffic-light-style management score card for the last quarter of fiscal 2008, with agencies making the biggest strides in the categories of commercial services management and performance improvement." The Veterans Affairs Department was one of four agencies that moved "up a notch on commercial services management," going "from a red light, signaling an ‘unsatisfactory’ performance, to yellow," which indicates "mixed results." The VA also improved "in performance improvement," moving from "yellow to green," or "success."

9.      VA To Begin Transferring Land In Mississippi.   The Biloxi (MS) Sun Herald (11/3, LaFontaine) reported that on Tuesday, the Gulfport City Council "is expected to accept the first conveyance from the federal government of 50 acres of…Veterans Affairs property." When the conveyance "is completed at year’s end, it will be the largest land transfer in the history" of the VA.

10.    Coatesville VAMC To Celebrate Veterans Day.   In its "Calendar Of Events" column, the Coatesville (PA) Daily Local News (11/2) reported, "In recognition" of Veterans Day, "which takes place Nov. 11 this year," the Coatesville Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in Caln will have a week-long celebration, paying tribute to veterans."