Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 1-16-09

1. Shinseki Urged To Follow Georgia Example Of DOD-VA Cooperation.  
2. Binghamton Vet Center Celebrates Grand Opening.  
3. Vet Center Opens In Florida.  
4. DVDs Donated To Tulsa Vet Center.  
5. Gulf War Advisory Committee Holds Hearing In Seattle.  
6. Study Highlights Success Of VA’s Telehealth Service.  
7. VA Planning To Break Ground On Long Beach Upgrades.  
8. Reaction From Texas Vets Mixed After Hearing About New Clinic.  
9. Local Commissioners Announce New VA Clinic To Be Located In Michigan.  
10. VA Pittsburgh Responding To Inspection Report.

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HAVE YOU HEARD?
While attending VISN 9’s Leadership Institute in 2005, Teresa Sammons, MT(ASCP)SBB, of the Louisville VA Medical Center was tasked to complete a project to “make a difference” – and she did. The transmissions services supervisor proposed a partnership with Ft. Knox’s Camp Memorial Blood Center that not only gave Army personnel an opportunity to collect blood from federal employees, civilians and veterans, but also saved her medical center about $250,000 a year. Blood was collected at the VA medical center and tested at Ft. Knox before being shipped overseas in support of the War on Terror. Excess blood was shipped back to the VA, which ultimately reduced the number of canceled surgeries and other healthcare services that would have been affected by blood shortages. DoD presented Sammons with a plaque for her contribution for collecting more than 600 units of blood before Camp Memorial relocated to Ft. Benning, Ga. Other VA Medical Centers, such as the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, are seeing the benefits of partnering with DoD blood centers. Between May and December 2008, the Houston VA medical center saved more than $300,000 by partnering with the U.S. Army Blood Bank located at the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Ft. Hood, Texas. In addition to saving taxpayer dollars, the VA/DoD partnerships prevent the waste of a scarce, perishable resource and maintain high levels of health care readiness.

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1.      Shinseki Urged To Follow Georgia Example Of DOD-VA Cooperation.   In continuing coverage, the Brunswick (GA) News (1/16) notes that "during a confirmation hearing in the Senate Wednesday," Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) "urged four-star Gen. Eric K. Shinseki," President-elect Barack Obama’s nominee for Veterans Affairs secretary, "to look at Augusta for what can be achieved with better cooperation between" the Department of Defense and the VA. Isakson "said the VA Medical Center in Augusta and the Eisenhower Army Medical Center at Fort Gordon know what teamwork is about when taking care of soldiers injured in Iraq or Afghanistan." Shinseki "said he would look into" the matter, stating, "While I am not familiar with the specifics of the Augusta program, I do know that there is a very good relationship between the Augusta VAMC and Fort Gordon, and I assure you that, if confirmed, I will seek more details about it and the feasibility of its expansion and perhaps emulation in other areas."
      Shinseki Pledges To Turn VA Into "21st –Century Organization."   The Washington Post (1/15, Tyson, 696K) reported Shinseki pledged Wednesday "to transform the Department of Veterans Affairs into a proactive, ’21st-century organization’ to meet the needs of a growing population of wounded veterans." In the hearing before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Shinseki "pledged to speed up the sluggish process for approving claims, which takes an average of six months; to streamline the transfer of medical and other records from the Defense Department to VA; to better meet the needs of veterans living in rural areas; and to modernize the delivery of benefits."
      UPI (1/16) reports Shinseki also "said he wanted to implement a long-promised ‘seamless transition’ for service members leaving active duty and work toward reopening VA healthcare enrollments to some moderate-income veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities." Shinseki "promised a dramatic transformation" of the VA "to become more ‘people-centric, results-driven, forward-looking.’" USA Today (1/15, Zoroya, 2.28M) and the New York Times (1/15, Shanker, 1.12M) also noted Shinseki’s confirmation hearing.

2.      Binghamton Vet Center Celebrates Grand Opening.   In continuing coverage, the WBNG-TV Binghamton, NY (1/15) website reported, "Men and women returning from service have a new resource for readjustment," because on Thursday, the "Binghamton Vet Center on Chenango Street" celebrated "its grand opening." The center is "run and funded by the federal Department of Veterans Affairs." The WBGH-TV Binghamton, NY (1/15) website also noted the center’s opening.

3.      Vet Center Opens In Florida.   In continuing coverage, the ninth story in the Naples (FL) Daily News’ (1/16) "People, Places and Things" column reports, "The Fort Myers Vet Center opened on Thursday at 4110 Center Pointe Drive." The center "will provide free counseling for veterans who have experienced combat."

4.      DVDs Donated To Tulsa Vet Center.   On its website, KJRH-TV Tulsa, OK (1/15, Palmerini) noted that on Wednesday, the Tulsa Vet Center "got a generous donation of more than 200 DVDs. The group called DVDs4VETs," which "donates used and new DVDs to VA hospital and vet centers all over" the country, "teamed up with the Tulsa based company, VCI Entertainment, to make the gift possible." Officials at the Tulsa Vet Center "say the DVDs are great for vets going through any type of rehab."

5.      Gulf War Advisory Committee Holds Hearing In Seattle.   In continuing coverage, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (1/15, Barber, 127K) reported, "A special Veterans Affairs panel aiming to do justice for the long-neglected veterans of the 1991 Persian Gulf War convened in Seattle on Wednesday" at the "auditorium of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System medical center." Several veterans attending the "all-day" hearing "told the 14-member Advisory Committee about problems they had after returning from Operation Desert Storm 18 years ago." One such veteran said she wanted to know from the committee if it is "truly trying to do something." Committee Chairman Charlie Cragin "insists it is. ‘What we are trying to do is find out what the VA is doing with regard to Gulf War veterans’ regarding benefits and services and to report back to the VA secretary, Cragin said." The Post-Intelligencer noted that the committee was scheduled on Thursday to take "trips to veterans outreach centers and homeless shelters."

6.      Study Highlights Success Of VA’s Telehealth Service.   The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (1/15, Bowling) reported, "A recent study of 17,025 patients enrolled" in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ "home telehealth service found that daily monitoring has reduced visits to hospitals by 19 percent and the number of hospital stays by 25 percent. With about 35,000 patients, the VA has the largest telehealth program in the world." The VA "will use its study to lobby Congress and the insurance industry to cover telehealth programs." The Tribune-Review noted that approximately "430 patients are enrolled" in the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s home telehealth program.

7.      VA Planning To Break Ground On Long Beach Upgrades.   The Long Beach (CA) Press Telegram (1/16, Canalis) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Long Beach Healthcare System plans to break ground" Friday "on a $100 million project aimed at renovating and replacing aging buildings and equipment."

8.      Reaction From Texas Vets Mixed After Hearing About New Clinic.   In continuing coverage, Texas’ Valley Morning Star (1/15, Martinez) reported, "Local veterans have mixed reactions to a $40 million veterans ambulatory surgery center…set to open in Harlingen by 2010." Veteran Adam Reyes said he is pleased about" the clinic, "but the Rio Grande Valley still needs a veterans hospital." But another vet, John Grimes, "said that with the services currently offered at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System and those that will be available at the new clinic, there will be almost no need to travel to San Antonio." The Brownsville (TX) Herald (1/15) ran the same story.

9.      Local Commissioners Announce New VA Clinic To Be Located In Michigan.   The Huron (MI) Daily Tribune (1/15, Hessling) said that on Tuesday, "Huron County Commissioners announced …a new Veterans Affairs" outpatient clinic "that could be up to 9,000 square feet in size is expected to open" in Michigan in 2010. According to a news release…sent" in December by the office of US Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), the clinic is "one of four that are expected to open" in the state in 2010.

10.    VA Pittsburgh Responding To Inspection Report.   The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (1/15, Bowling) reported, "The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Pittsburgh Healthcare System is tracking patient complaints, in response to a routine inspection. A report released this week "by the VA’s Inspector General Office makes 10 recommendations for improving the local system’s operations." The report, which "notes that top VA officials locally agreed with the recommendations and submitted improvement" plans, "says the local VA system is collecting previous complaints so it can look for trends that might have developed. Some of the recommendations in the report include more staff training on maintaining bacteria-free environments…and tighter controls for and more consistent handling of medical records."