Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 5-13-09

What’s Inside Today’s Local News for Veterans 

1. Camp Liberty Shootings Put Spotlight On Mental Care For Soldiers.  
2. Four VA Nominees Approved By Senate Committee.  
3. VA To Welcome Home Vets In Nebraska.  
4. US Army Disputes Product’s Ability To Help Soldiers Injured In Iraq.  
5. Ground Broken On VAPHCS Facility.  
6. VA Opens New Clinic In Oregon.  
7. VA Reps Take Tour Of Potential New Hospital In Illinois.
8. Mobile Health Unit To Be Donated To Cincinnati VAMC.  
9. Architectural Firm Awarded Contract For VA Hospital Project.  
10. Five Vets From Modesto, California, To Compete In Golden Age Games.  

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VA’s Transit Authority Suicide Prevention (TASP) campaign moves to Spokane, Wash., this week where it will run through August 8. Ads will be displayed on Spokane city busses in combinations of king-size posters, taillight displays, and interior cards. Spokane is the first of seven cities targeted in Phase 2 of TASP. The other cities are Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, and San Francisco. The locations were selected in consultation with the Office of Mental Health Services, based on suicide rates and the availability of trained suicide prevention coordinators to handle potential increases in workload. TASP was piloted in Washington, DC last summer. During that campaign, the number of calls to the suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-TALK) from the campaign area doubled. In the meantime, the VA-produced and distributed suicide prevention public service video featuring actor Gary Sinise has aired more than 8,000 times over commercial television stations since its release last October. The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs has posted the video on its Web site at http://veterans.house.gov/spotlight/mentalhealth.shtml.

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1.      Camp Liberty Shootings Put Spotlight On Mental Care For Soldiers.        McClatchy (5/13, Reilly) reports that "in the days before the shootings, Russell’s superiors — worried about his behavior — took away his weapon and urged him to get counseling at the stress center" where the shootings occurred. The Wall Street Journal (5/13, A12, Chon, Dreazen, 2.01M) and the Washington Times (5/13, Tomkins, 74K) run similar reports.
      Meanwhile, the Washington Post (5/13, Londoño, 652K), which says Russell "grabbed another service member’s weapon" prior to the shootings, reports, "Multiple lengthy deployments to war zones have led to a sharp rise recently in suicides and diagnoses" of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Washington Post (5/13, Weil, 652K) also profiles Michael Edward Yates Jr., one of the slain soldiers, who grew up "on the Eastern Shore of Maryland."
      The AP (5/13, Jelinek) reports Russell, who allegedly killed Yates and four other victims, "is on his third tour of duty in Iraq, according to his service record." The AP adds, "The stress of repeat and extended tours is considered a main contributor to mental health problems among troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan."
      The New York Times (5/13, A14, Dao, Alvarez, 1.06M), meanwhile, says "the multiple strains on Sergeant Russell’s life began to emerge in lengthy remarks by his father" to KXII, a Texas TV station. In the KXII interview, "Wilburn Russell said his son had recently angered a commanding officer, who had ‘threatened’ him."

"soldiers battle their way back to the civilian world."

      WKBT-TV La Crosse, WI (5/12, 5:04 p.m. CT) broadcast, "Representatives from the Tomah VA say PTSD is often misunderstood by the public, and the negativity surrounding it can lead some sold to avoid getting help. But they" also "say it’s important for soldiers to seek help, and for the community to help them do it."
      KTVL-TV Medford, OR (5/12, 5:04 p.m. PT) broadcast that the VA "recommends that if you know someone who’s suffering from PTSD, try to convince them to seek professional help." Similar stories were aired by many other local TV stations in various parts of the country, including WBOC-TV Salisbury, MD (5/12, 10:02 p.m. ET), KAMR-TV Amarillo, TX (5/12, 6:44 p.m. CT), WTHR-TV Indianapolis, IN (5/12, 6:05 p.m. ET), and WMAQ-TV Chicago, IL (5/12, 5:00 p.m. CT). And the KLAS-TV (5/12, McCarthy) website noted that the "VA in Las Vegas says nine full-time mental health specialists are dedicated to treating only" PTSD "patients, including those just returning from Iraq."
      Psychiatrist Says Iraq Veteran Convicted Of Rape Had PTSD.   The AP (5/13, Barrouquere) reports a former US soldier "who could be sentenced to death should have been removed from a combat zone known as the ‘Triangle of Death’ three months before he raped and killed a teenage girl in Iraq, a psychiatrist testified Tuesday. Dr. Pablo Stewart, a psychiatrist at the University of California-San Francisco, told jurors that former Pfc. Steven Dale Green exhibited clear signs" of PTSD "and acute stress disorder when he met with an Army counselor in December 2005." But Stewart, "testifying for Green’s defense, said Lt. Col. Karen Marrs" did "not meet the acceptable standard of care" when she "gave Green a sleep medication and sent him back into combat." Stewart’s "testimony came on the second day of the penalty phase of Green’s trial for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Abeer Qassim al-Janabi and the shooting death of her family in Mahmoudiya, Iraq, about 20 miles south of Baghdad."

2.      Four VA Nominees Approved By Senate Committee.   The Honolulu Advertiser (5/13) notes that on Tuesday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee "unanimously approved the nomination of four nominees to join Secretary Eric Shinseki’s leadership team at the Department of Veterans Affairs," said the office of US Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the committee. The "nominees were Roger W. Baker, to be assistant secretary for Information and Technology; Will A. Gunn, to be general counsel; Jose D. Riojas, to be assistant secretary for Operations, Security and Preparedness; and John U. Sepulveda, to be assistant secretary for Human Resources and Administration. Their nominations now go to a full Senate vote," and in a statement, Akaka said, "I urge my Senate colleagues to approve" them "without delay."

3.      VA To Welcome Home Vets In Nebraska.   In continuing coverage, WOWT-TV Omaha, NE (5/12, 4:07 p.m. CT) broadcast that the Department of Veterans Affairs is "rolling out the welcome mat for veterans in the Heartland." This Saturday, at Mahoney State Park, the VA is "holding a ‘Welcome Home’ celebration…for veterans" who have "served in Iraq and Afghanistan."

4.      US Army Disputes Product’s Ability To Help Soldiers Injured In Iraq.   In a front page story, the New York Times (5/13, A1, Wilson, Meier) reports, "A former surgeon at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, who is a paid consultant for a medical company, published a study that made false claims and overstated the benefits of the company’s product in treating soldiers severely injured in Iraq, the hospital’s commander said Tuesday" in a telephone interview. An "investigation by Walter Reed found that the study cited higher numbers of patients and injuries than the hospital could account for, said the commander, Col. Norvell V. Coots." The Times says the "former Army surgeon, Dr. Timothy R. Kuklo, reported that" Infuse, "a bone-growth product sold by Medtronic Inc.," had "much higher success in healing the shattered legs of wounded soldiers at Walter Reed than other doctors there had experienced, according to…Coots and a summary of an Army investigation of the matter."

5.      Ground Broken On VAPHCS Facility.   The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (5/13, Bowling) reports, "A $40 million veterans outpatient facility at the Heinz campus in O’Hara should open by January 2011, a spokesman for the general contractor said at Monday’s groundbreaking. The two-story Ambulatory Care Center is part of a $200 million project to consolidate services within" the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Terry Wolf, the system’s CEO, "said the building’s design includes several energy-saving and ‘green’ features. The agency anticipates getting a certification from the nonprofit" US Green Building Council, "Wolf said."

6.      VA Opens New Clinic In Oregon.   The Coos Bay (OR) World (5/13) reports, "The new Veterans Affairs Roseburg Healthcare System’s clinic in North Bend is open for the business of tending to veterans’ health concerns." The facility, located on Marion Street, opened Monday." It "replaces the VA’s Bandon facility, which closed on May 1."

7.      VA Reps Take Tour Of Potential New Hospital In Illinois.   The Braidwood (IL) Journal (5/13, Simon) reports, "The push to convert Silver Cross Hospital in Joliet into" a Veteran Affairs hospital is "being taken seriously. Last week, members of the Silver Cross staff hosted a tour for members" of the VA, "as well as representatives from the offices of local legislators." The Journal adds, "Silver Cross is slated to move to a new campus in New Lenox in 2012."

8.      Mobile Health Unit To Be Donated To Cincinnati VAMC.   WCPO-TV Cincinnati, OH (5/12, 6:09 p.m. ET) broadcast, "A generous donation is going a long way in helping local veterans get the healthcare they deserve." The "Cintas-Farmer Family Foundation will officially dedicate a mobile health unit" to the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center "this Friday." WCPO (5/12, Peagler) also covered this story on its website, as does the Kentucky Post (5/13).

9.      Architectural Firm Awarded Contract For VA Hospital Project.   The Birmingham (AL) Business Journal (5/13, Cooper) reports, "Birmingham’s Sherlock Smith & Adams said it was awarded the contract for a nearly $8.8 million project" for the Veterans Affairs medical center in Tuscaloosa. The "architectural firm said it will design two cottages and a rehabilitation facility" for the hospital, "said a news release." The Journal adds that the project "will have sustainable, or ‘green,’ design elements."

10.    Five Vets From Modesto, California, To Compete In Golden Age Games.   The Modesto (CA) Bee (5/13, Kadry) reports, "Six local veterans will be traveling to Birmingham, Ala., to compete" in the 23rd National Veterans Golden Age Games. Richard Torres, "Gerald Lewis, Steve Loua, Floyd Cunningham, Tony Gomez, and Leo Renkel will represent Modesto during the five days of competition." The games, which "run from June 1-5," are "the only national multi-event sports competition for older veterans with a wide range of abilities and disabilities."

11.    Doctors In Utah To Lead VA’s Nationwide Military Medical Record Initiative.   The Deseret (UT) Morning News (5/13, Moore) reports, "Thousands of veterans suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder or an aggressive, antibiotic resistant staph infection will soon be on the radar screen for researchers looking to find the most effective treatments by ‘mining’ the information contained in military medical records." Utah physicians at Salt Lake’s Veterans Affairs hospital "will provide overall leadership and coordination for the new nationwide VA initiative to unlock information in the VA’s electronic health records that have never before been available."