Top 10 Veterans News from Around the Country 1-7-10

What’s Inside Today’s Local News for Veterans

1. VA, Kaiser Sharing EHR Information.
2. Committee Unanimously Approves VA Undersecretary For Health Nominee.
3. VA Fielding Questions Around-The-Clock From Veterans.
4. Antiseptic Linked To Fewer Post-Surgery Infections.
5. California Launches Program To Aids Vets Returning From War Zones.
6. Horses Help Veterans In California Recover From Injuries.
7. Caisson Horses Do Double Duty In Riding Program.
8. Virginia Program Seeks To Help Iraq, Afghanistan Vets.
9. KBR Lawsuits Put Focus On War-Zone Liability.
10. New Dover Facility To Serve Families Of War Dead.

1.      VA, Kaiser Sharing EHR Information. In continuing coverage, Government Health IT (1/7, Mosquera) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department and healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente have begun to share" electronic health record (EHR) "information of patients who receive care services from both providers in the San Diego, Calif., area. The project represents an important milestone in large institutional electronic health record sharing and also advances a presidential priority to create a lifelong virtual record for military families, VA and Kaiser officials said at a press teleconference to discuss their progress." After noting that the officials said the Defense Department will soon begin participating in the project, Government Health IT adds, "The VA and the Defense Department are currently working to establish a lifetime virtual record, which President Obama called for last April."

 2.      Committee Unanimously Approves VA Undersecretary For Health Nominee. The third item in the Washington Times‘ (1/7, Fales) "Sgt. Shaft" column notes that the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee "has unanimously approved the nomination of Dr. Robert A. Petzel to be undersecretary for health of the Department of Veterans Affairs." In that position, Petzel "would lead a growing health care system with hundreds of points of care, millions of patients, and VA’s mental health care, medical education, research and rehabilitative operations."  

3.      VA Fielding Questions Around-The-Clock From Veterans. The last item in the Washington Times (1/7, Fales) "Sgt. Shaft" column asks, "Did you know that the Department of Veterans Affairs fields questions from veterans 24 hours a day, seven days a week? Since 2002," the agency "has used the Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS) to receive questions from veterans via www.va.gov." The column adds, "IRIS is also the tool of choice for veterans benefits call centers, which enter inquiries on behalf of veterans and others."  

4.      Antiseptic Linked To Fewer Post-Surgery Infections. In a story on surgical-site infections, the AP (1/7) reports, "Bathing patients with an antiseptic and squirting medicated ointment up their noses dramatically cut the rate of dangerous staph infections afterward, researchers found" in a study
 "published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine." A second study, also appearing Thursday in the same publication, "found the antiseptic did a better job of preventing infections than the reddish-brown iodine solution that’s been used for decades to swab the skin before an operation." The second "study’s leader, Dr. Rabih Darouiche," of the Michael DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center "in Houston, and other experts expect the newer antiseptic to replace iodine." HealthDay (1/7, Edelson) publishes a similar study.
     Study Prompts DeBakey VAMC To Change Procedure. The Houston Chronicle (1/7, George, 427K) reports, "A study led by a Houston researcher has found" that chlorhexidine-alcohol, a "less-popular, but more-expensive surgery-site antiseptic," is "more effective at reducing infections" than povidone-iodine, the "most commonly used product." The Chronicle adds, "Most VA hospitals continue to use povidone-iodine to cleanse surgical sites, but because of the study, the DeBakey VA Medical Center is in the process of switching to chlorhexidine-alcohol, Darouiche said."
     The New York Times (1/7, A21, Belluck, 1.09M), meanwhile, notes that Darouiche "said chlorhexidine-alcohol was recommended a decade ago by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for cleaning when catheters were inserted, but had not been extensively studied for surgical preparation." 

5.      California Launches Program To Aids Vets Returning From War Zones. In continuing coverage, the Stockton (CA) Record (1/7, Johnson, 52K) reports, "Veterans returning home from abroad will have more help making the transition from life in a war zone to their homes in California through a new program launched Wednesday." Operation Welcome Home "promises to bring together state agencies, volunteers and nonprofits to better link veterans with health care, job training, housing and other support." The Record notes that during "his annual State of the State speech Wednesday," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said, "We have a fundamental obligation to anyone who has shed or risked blood for this country." 

6.      Horses Help Veterans In California Recover From Injuries. On its website, KGO-TV San Francisco (1/5, Didion) reported, "A growing number of Bay Area veterans are getting help to rehabilitate from their injuries from a different kind of therapist — a horse. The program, technically known as hippotherapy," is a "joint project between the Palo Alto VA and National Center for Equine-Facilitated Therapy" in Woodside, California. KGO noted that Veterans Affairs researchers "say the equestrian therapy has…shown benefit for the types of severe head and spinal trauma that have increased with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." 

 7.      Caisson Horses Do Double Duty In Riding Program. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (1/7, 263K) publishes a story that first appeared in the Washington Post (12/25, Shapiro, 684K).
 

8.      Virginia Program Seeks To Help Iraq, Afghanistan Vets. The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (1/7, Martz, 164K) says a state program in Virginia is "trying to help" Iraq and Afghanistan veterans "find help for problems they might not even want to discuss. The Virginia Wounded Warrior Program is using a tiny budget to reach a big problem — veterans with behavioral-health problems, ranging from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder to traumatic brain injuries." The Times-Dispatch notes that more than "813,000 military veterans live in Virginia, including more than 38,000 veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars." 

9.      KBR Lawsuits Put Focus On War-Zone Liability. The Wall Street Journal (1/7, A13, Searcey, 2.08M) says lawsuits filed against Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR), especially a recent one brought forth by a group of Indiana National Guardsman, have cast a spotlight on the difficulties active duty soldiers face when seeking compensation from the courts for war-zone injuries. According to the Journal, the Feres doctrine, a US Supreme Court ruling that bars active duty soldiers from filing lawsuits against the US government, also makes contractors like KBR immune from suits, provided the contractors can prove they did not violate specifications in their government contracts. 

10.    New Dover Facility To Serve Families Of War Dead. The AP (1/5, Chase) noted that on Wednesday, the "military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base," where US "war casualties from overseas are brought home," was scheduled to "open a new facility…to serve families who travel there to witness the return of their loved ones’ remains. The Center for Families of the Fallen will be staffed by counselors and support specialists who will assist families awaiting the return of their loved ones to the nation’s largest military mortuary. Families also will be able to meet with casualty assistance officers who are assigned to them."