Honoring the FallenCore Values and Characteristics
Operation Mend
Kidz Camp
July/August 2011
Honoring the FallenCore Values and Characteristics
Operation Mend
Kidz Camp
2 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Features
Who We Are, What We Stand For 6A look at the journey to develop VA’s Core Values and Characteristics Keeping Pace With Claims 10VBA employees create a workload management tool Marking the Journey to Recovery 12Tampa VA’s challenge coins for Veterans treated for PTSDStepping Up for Homeless Veterans 14 First nationwide VA2K Walk and Roll draws a big responseTheir Service Will Never Be Forgotten 16Fargo VA helps support local Honor Flights for World War II Veterans Scary Diagnosis, Effective Treatment 18Prostate cancer treatment brings peace of mind to VA executive Operation Mend: Healing the Wounds of War 20‘Plastic surgeon to the stars’ helps Veterans with disfiguring wounds All Fun and Games 22Kidz Camp entertains Veteran dependents at the Kansas City VABruised But Not Beaten 24The National 9/11 flag visits the Martinsburg VA Going the Distance for a Cause 25Three VA retirees bike to raise money for Alzheimer’s Association
Departments
3 Feedback 33 Have You Heard4 News You Can Use 36 Honors 26 Around Headquarters 39 Heroes 30 Introducing 40 Golden Age Games31 Medical Advances
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VAnguardVA’s Employee MagazineJuly/August 2011Vol. LVII, No. 4
Editor: Lisa GaeglerAssistant Editor/Senior Writer: Gary HicksPhoto Editor: Robert TurtilStaff Writer: Amanda Hester
Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420(202) 461-7427E-mail: [emailprotected]/opa/publications/vanguard.asp
On the coverErnest Cowell, an Army, Army Air Corps and Navy Veteran of World War II, Korea and Vietnam, rings the ceremonial bell after the names and citations of each of the 14 Medal of Honor recipients buried at the Los Angeles National Cemetery are read during the 2011 Memorial Day commemoration ceremonies. With 37 years of military service, Cowell, 84, remains active as coordinator of the local Joint Services Color Guard as well as with many military and Veterans organizations. photo by Paula Berger
VAnguard • July/August 2011 3
FEEDBACKOUTLOOKFEEDBACK
Military Cultural AwarenessI love the article on page 8 of the May/June issue, “To Know Them is to Serve Them Better.” It really means a lot when anyone addresses me, a retired gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, by my former rank.
I make it a point when I walk down the halls of the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System in Temple to greet everyone (male or fe-male) with either a “Hello” or “Howdy,” and be very respect-ful to everyone (young or old), no matter what branch they may have served in. I want them to feel pride about what they have done, and grateful that they have the VA to come home to. Oorah!Mark LeSabre Campbell Sr.
Administrative Support Assistant
Information & Technology Central Texas Veterans
Healthcare System
Before Military Cultural Awareness Training was cre-ated, our students, residents and fellows were told that during each first encounter with a Veteran-patient, they should ask the patient what branch of the military they served in, when and where did they serve, and what was their military occupational specialty. To those who never served (and who will never be asked to serve), it has become an experience that transforms the elderly Veteran into a war fighter, 50 to 60 years younger.
It tells those who are unlikely to volunteer what was expected of an American service man or woman when their country called. It can put their service-related disability into perspective: the patient is not a simple “lower extremity amputee” but a war fighter
who lost his leg to a tank bar-rage in Germany, frostbite in Korea, a sharpened, buried, feces-covered bamboo spike in Vietnam, or an improvised explosive device in Iraq or Af-ghanistan.
When the Veteran can sense genuine concern on the part of their caregiver, the potential for a better outcome can be anticipated. This has not been called Military Cul-tural Awareness but a way that each and every patient would like to be known in a VA facil-ity. It is light years removed from the common introduc-tion of doctor to patient in the private sector, when the first question asked is: “What health insurance plan do you have?”
Ralph G. Oriscello, M.D. Chief, Cardiology Division
Department of Medicine VA Medical Center
East Orange, N.J.
Reaching Out to the DeafI want to applaud the letter from Teresa Martin in the May/June edition. She de-scribed the learning process that she and her staff went through while trying to better communicate with Deaf co-workers.
As a former American Sign Language interpreter in the public schools, and active in Nashville’s large and vibrant Deaf community, I can affirm that most hearing people have no idea of the daily struggles that Deaf people endure. A quote from Helen Keller is quite instructive: “Blindness separates you from things, but deafness separates you from people.”
I’m proud to say that our facility has several Deaf and Hard of Hearing employees. It was my privilege to provide ASL interpretation earlier this year for a friend and co-worker who retired after 42 years of
federal service, the last 26 of those with the VA.
Given our mission of caring for combat-wounded Veterans, and given the higher numbers of hearing-loss cases in recent years (as a result of more-powerful roadside bombs), I think that the VA should not only try to “fix” the hearing loss via technol-ogy (hearing aids, cochlear implants, etc.), but also em-phasize ASL socialization skills and integration with the larger Deaf community—some of whom are also combat Vet-erans.
Many of the hearing people (“Hearies”) that learn American Sign Language do so via volunteer programs, such as outreach classes at churches. (I teach one.) Many of those volunteers would be willing to give some of their time to teach ASL to a combat-wounded Veteran, or to visit with Deaf Veterans that can sign.
There are social groups built around Sign Language—such as our local Silent Din-ners, which meets monthly in the food courts of area shop-ping malls. Wounded warriors that have lost their hearing can meet new friends, have fun, and avoid isolationism—once they have learned American Sign Language.
Reaching across the language barrier—whether spoken or signed—is a great way to make someone feel
welcomed and valued. This outreach becomes even more important when the language barrier was imposed upon someone while serving our country in combat.
Tom Kovach Program Support Assistant
Engineering VA Medical Center
Nashville, Tenn.
I have severe-to-profound hearing loss, but I still have good use of my verbal enun-ciations and I can communi-cate well, albeit quite loudly. However, trying to hear within social/work environments is another story and a true chal-lenge for me every day. Peers in the workplace are not al-ways sensitive to our struggles and it makes it difficult for us to feel included in many ac-tivities. Deafness and hearing impairments vary at different levels, but the struggles we encounter are consistent across the board.
It meant a lot for me to know that someone in VA cared enough to consider the daily struggles encountered by Debbie and David in their work environments. I wanted to take the time to say thank you for talking about this because it is truly an area that presents many challenges and is often overlooked.
Heather OsborneSupport Services Division
VA Regional OfficeNewark, N.J.
Have a comment on something you’ve seen in VAn-guard? We invite reader feedback. Send your comments to [emailprotected]. You can also write to us at: VAn-guard, Office of Public Affairs (80D), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave., N.W., Washing-ton, D.C., 20420. Include your name, title and facility. We may need to edit your letter for length or clarity.
We Want to Hear from You
4 VAnguard • July/August 2011
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Since humans could first com-municate, learning from each other has been a means of survival. As was the case centu-ries ago, we continue to grow communities of knowledge around stories and experi-ences so others can prosper from what we have learned and continue to learn. What has changed is the way we im-mediately and relevantly col-laborate.
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, and collaborative spaces like SharePoint and communities of practice, provide us tools that help harness the ability to learn socially. To transform into a 21st-century organiza-tion, VA is leveraging these tools to connect the collective knowledge of its employees and foster a continuous learn-ing environment.
That’s what drove the VA Learning University to host the Department’s first Social Learning Summit in Wash-ington, D.C., on July 20. The Summit brought together so-cial learning thought leaders in VA and industry to engage in dialogue with VA employees about social learning concepts, strategies and technologies.
“Most importantly, we wanted to start a conversa-tion,” said VALU Dean Alice Muellerweiss. “Through this conversation, we wanted to explore what social learning is, and inspire people to think of ways it could benefit VA.”
The Summit was the brainchild of Muellerweiss. She challenged Dr. Reginald E. Vance, the director of VALU Learning Infrastruc-ture, to design, develop and deploy a social learning event that would engage learning leaders about how VA can incorporate social learning into
a 21st-century VA workplace. Vance assigned a dedicated team to the task, and ap-pointed Sara Barker, VALU program specialist, as the proj-ect leader for this effort.
The Summit began with Elliott Masie, a recognized thought leader in workforce learning, business collabora-
tion and emergent technolo-gies. He stepped out of a class he was teaching to appear live via videoconference, using the situation as a teachable mo-ment.
Masie stressed that tech-nology can bring groups with
overlapping interests together to learn from each other, but using the technology is half the battle. He emphasized that social learning is more about learning how to learn from each other than it is about communities such as Twitter, Facebook, or the myriad other social media tools.
VA Learning University Hosts First Social Learning Summit
The reason to bring social learning to an organization, Masie said, is to harness the power of conversation, and create a continuous learning environment. “Social media helps, but if people aren’t en-gaged, then who cares?”
Steve Radick, the founder of Booz Allen Hamilton’s Digital Strategy and Social Media practice, built on Masie’s thoughts through a composite character named Alex, a successful young VA employee “stuck in a rut.” Alex was disenchanted that his learning at VA was limited to his job description, and despite promotions and praise, he was not adequately develop-ing as an employee. Radick demonstrated, through Alex, that effective social learning invigorates employees through connections to people and in-formation.
Charles Gluck, a Booz Allen Hamilton expert in com-munities of practice, continued the story by showing Alex’s experience with a community of practice. “A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a pas-sion, and learn how to do it better as they interact regu-larly,” said Gluck. “In join-ing a community of practice, Alex was able to learn from expertise across VA on his own terms.”
Lauren Bailey, deputy director of Online Communi-cation in the Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs, detailed how VA is improving communication with Veterans through social media. Bailey outlined three social media best practices: push fresh content at a reasonable pace; know your audience; and be real with that audience. These three principles, according to Bailey, help establish trusting and collaborative relationships through social media.
The Summit also spot-lighted two upcoming tools that will enable social learning to occur throughout VA—the
The Summit brought together social learning thought leaders in VA and industry.
continued on page 5
VAnguard • July/August 2011 5
OUTLOOKNEWS YOU CAN USE
Leadership Portal and My-Career@VA. The Leadership Portal is a website that hosts a series of online communities. On the portal, VA leaders will be able to connect with each other and subject matter ex-perts to share content focused on improving leadership.
Victor Geary, program manager for Leadership VA, spoke about the success of pi-loting the Leadership Portal in
LVA. Participants are sharing information and collaborating in ways unseen in previous LVA classes. According to Geary, students are soliciting each other’s expertise on a grander scale, and taking own-ership of the class because of the Leadership Portal.
VALU Deputy Dean Dr. Arthur P. McMahan high-lighted the upcoming tool MyCareer@VA, a cutting-edge career development program
that helps VA employees map their careers. He demonstrated throughout his presentation how social learning and an in-dividual’s career arc relate.
“The three things that drive us to work every day are to be people-centric, forward-looking, and results-driven,” McMahan said. “Social learn-ing allows us to do all three.” MyCareer@VA and the Lead-ership Portal are scheduled to launch in the fall.
VALU plans to hold ad-ditional Social Learning Sum-mits across the country. “This was a great start,” said Muel-lerweiss, “but we’re just getting started.”
To learn more about social learning and how VA is using it, visit the Social Learning Community of Practice and Vance’s blog at vaww.infoshare.va.gov/sites/VALU/006vc/SocialLearning/default.aspx.
Following a recent visit to the San Francisco VA Medi-cal Center, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark blogged about the good work being done there and the partner-ship that’s developed between the medical center and the City College of San Francisco, where more than 1,000 Vet-erans are enrolled under the GI Bill.
“The blog by Craig is very gratifying,” said Gregory Hinrichsen, VA’s Community Mental Health consultant. “His blog not only highlights our efforts for Veterans at the San Francisco VA Medical Center; it brings attention to our important mental health outreach efforts at Bay area colleges and universities. As Craig notes below, this out-reach program is one of our model sites for the T21 ini-tiative regarding partnering with colleges and universities attended by Veterans on the GI Bill.”
Here’s what Newmark blogged:
“There’s a lot of good stuff happening for veterans every-where in the US, and a whole bunch happening in San Fran-cisco. CCSF, the City College of SF, has a lot of student veterans, over a thousand, using the new
GI Bill. They have a good stu-dent lounge, and I’ve written about it and my small support for it, and have asked for your help also.
“Turns out, there’s a great VA Medical Facility in SF, getting help directly to student veterans at their facility. (First, do me a favor, check out their Facebook page and Like it.)”
Newmark is referring to the Veterans Outreach Pro-gram, developed by the San Francisco VA Medical Center.
“We provide a one-stop shopping experience at a con-venient location on campus where Veterans can access in-formation, enroll in VA health care on-site, and receive on-site mental health services and as-sistance in navigating both VA and university services,” ex-plained Keith Armstrong, Vet-erans Outreach Program direc-tor for the San Francisco VA Medical Center. “Providing mental health care on campus allows for earlier identification and treatment of mental health problems after deployment. This, in turn, may help pre-vent long-term disability and improve outcomes for younger generations of Veterans.”
“This program is chang-ing peoples’ lives,” said Derek Blumke, co-founder of Stu-
dent Veterans of America. “These kinds of partnerships with universities around the country are very much needed and are giving Veterans the opportunity to focus on what’s important: getting a college degree.”
Dr. Antonette Zeiss, VA’s acting deputy chief mental health officer, noted that Vet-erans with complex mental health needs are less likely to “slip through the cracks” when they have convenient access to comprehensive mental health care on campus.
“In addition,” she said,
“VA’s location on campus de-stigmatizes mental health treat-ment, and may ensure that student Veterans receive the services needed to achieve their academic goals.
“Our hope,” she contin-ued, “is to take the model that we’ve developed in collabora-tion with City College of San Francisco and its student Vet-erans and replicate it, in some form, not only at Bay Area colleges and universities but also at colleges and universities across the country. Student Veterans should have easy ac-cess to VA care.”
Craigslist Founder ‘Likes’ What He Sees at San Francisco VAMC
Bridget Leach, a social worker with the San Francisco VA Medical Center, talks with student Veteran Juan Valdez about the many different VA services available to him.
edgardo caballero
Summit cont.
6 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Who We Are,What We Stand For
Left: VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich helped lead the two-and-a-half-year effort to develop VA’s Core Values and Core Characteristics. The effort involved participants from VA Central Office and all three administrations; above: The official I CARE logo.
The journey to develop VA’s Core Values and Characteristics was long and transformational for
the employees who participated.
michael l. moore
VAnguard • July/August 2011 7
VAnguard sat down with VA Chief of Staff John Gingrich to talk about how these Core Values and Characteristics came about, and what they mean for the Department and its 315,000 employees. As Chief of Staff, Gingrich works closely with the Secretary and Deputy Secretary in managing day-to-day operations of the federal government’s second-largest Cabinet department.
His background includes exten-sive experience in both the federal government and the corporate world. He retired from the Army as a colonel in 2001, after a 30-year career that included service in the Gulf War. Gingrich comes from a family with a long line of military service—his father served in World War II, and his grandfather served in World War I.
Q: Can you provide some insight on why you believe developing Core Values and Characteristics within VA is important?A: As the senior leadership team made different assessments during the past few years, an area that continu-ally surfaced was the absence of an overarching set of core values that ap-plied to all VA employees. These new Core Values and Characteristics pro-vide a common ground and compass by which we can all communicate both with each other and with people outside of VA.
Every member of our VA team plays a critical role in supporting our strategic mission—to best serve our Veterans, their families, their caregivers and survivors—and also contributes to our reputation as an or-ganization. It is important for all of us to operate with the same Core Values, and for all VA organizations to strive to embody the same Core Character-
As VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and his senior leadership team began as-sessing agency operations after his arrival in 2009, one thing kept cropping up: the lack of an overarching set of core values that unified the workforce. On June 20, the Secretary announced VA’s Core Values and Characteris-
tics in a message to all employees.istics. We now have the foundation to enable us to do just that.
Q: Please describe the process you used to develop the Core Values and Characteristics. How are these Values and Characteristics being in-troduced to the workforce?A: The process used to develop these Core Values and Characteristics was thorough, collaborative and inclusive. It involved participants from VA Central Office and all three of our VA administrations—Health, Benefits and Cemeteries—and it took nearly two-and-a-half years.
This transformational journey be-gan in 2009 and got back to the basics as we asked important questions, such as “How well are we performing our mission?” “What is changing in our operating environment and how do we respond to that change?” “What is working, and what isn’t working so well, and why?” Included in this thorough and time-consuming process were two productive off-site meetings that included people from almost ev-ery part of the Department—one held in New Orleans and the other at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C.
The participants from the differ-ent VA organizations provided invalu-able input into the development of our Core Values and Characteristics. Additionally, critical thinking around these Core Values and Characteristics involved collecting input from the VA workforce through sensing ses-sions, surveys, and other efforts seek-ing feedback, as well as discussions on a wide range of topics. Based on these activities, and the recommendations of the different panels and groups, with the support of our senior leaders, Secretary Shinseki recently approved the VA Core Values and Character-
istics highlighted in this edition of VAnguard. These Core Values and Characteristics reflect the consensus views as to the existing culture of VA and what the workforce believes VA should look like in the future.
Leaders at all levels throughout VA have hosted meetings this sum-mer with their people to provide de-tails about our Core Values and Char-acteristics, lead discussions about what they mean to us individually and as a Department, and address questions. The Secretary will begin introducing these Core Values and Characteristics to external audiences in August, start-ing with his remarks at the different Veterans Service Organization con-ventions.
Q: Is there a particular reason VA needs Core Values and Character-istics at this time? Does it mean the VA workforce is not currently doing something they should already be do-ing or acting in a certain way?A: No—VA’s dedicated workforce has always demonstrated a strong commit-ment to Veterans and exhibited many worthwhile values aimed at providing the best possible services, care, and support to Veterans. However, until now we have not had one overarching and enduring set of Core Values and Characteristics that applied to all VA employees at all levels of the organiza-tion.
Q: What does “I CARE” mean to you, and what do you hope it will mean to the VA workforce?A: Our new Core Values are: Integ-rity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence, which spells out “I CARE”—the fundamental ethos we want every member of VA to embody as the most important message we
8 VAnguard • July/August 2011
seek to convey to Veterans and other beneficiaries. Based on other life ex-periences, I have seen first-hand the importance Core Values can have on a large organization and the positive impact they can have on the work-force.
In a Department as large and geographically dispersed as VA—and especially given our moral obligation to Veterans, their families, and other beneficiaries—it is essential we have one set of agreed-upon Core Values and Characteristics that guide our individual and collective actions as well as the decisions we make and our overall direction as an organization. I anticipate our VA workforce will positively embrace these Core Values and Characteristics, and look for ways to exemplify them in their daily work environment.
Q: Do you envision these new Core Values and Characteristics will have an effect on Veterans’ perceptions of VA?A: Well, that is a very important part of our goal. Our Core Values spell out
the words “I CARE,” which certainly is an appropriate message for us to convey to Veterans and other benefi-ciaries. Typically, the most important factors that influence perceptions are actions and behaviors, not words.
These new Core Values and Characteristics are more than just words. They represent our promise to do our best, every day, to perform our crucial mission of caring for Veterans, family members, and other beneficia-ries.
These Core Values and Char-acteristics will help focus all of us in the VA workforce on these important and desirable principles, and they will
undoubtedly influence behavior. The Values and Characteristics and as-sociated “I CARE” logo will also send a strong signal that we take pride in what we do and we care deeply about our mission. It underscores our com-mitment to “caring” and is one of many ways we demonstrate VA is a people-centric organization. As these Core Values and Characteristics be-come synonymous with our workforce, I believe it will have a positive effect on the perceptions Veterans and oth-ers have of VA.
Q: How will VA sustain these Core Values and Characteristics over time, and will VA organizations and individual workers who exemplify these values and characteristics be recognized in any special way?A: Core organizational values are en-during; by their nature they are made to withstand the test of time. They are not linked to any particular person or group, so although people come and go within VA, our Core Values will remain constant. They become the foundation of our VA culture and will
form the base upon which everything we do as an organization is built.
As part of a healthy and intro-spective process, all successful orga-nizations occasionally review their environment, missions, organizational design, business practices, standardized procedures, and other key enablers to verify if any revisions are appropri-ate in an ever-changing and complex world. This type of introspective and analytical process could include reviewing the Core Characteristics to verify if all existing characteristics are still serving the purpose for which they were created.
In regards to special recognition
for individual VA employees and or-ganizations, we are in the initial stages of developing a program which will enable us to identify the members of our VA workforce as well as those VA organizations which best exemplify our Core Values and Characteristics. This program will be enterprise-wide, involve all three of our administra-tions and VACO, and will include an annual banquet in Washington hosted by the Secretary at which time the winners in the different categories will be recognized.
Q: We understand that a new Vision for VA is being developed and will soon be approved by the Secretary. How will that Vision be linked to, or supportive of, the Core Values and Characteristics?A: Our Core Values define “who we are.” Our Core Characteristics define “what we stand for” and what we strive to be as an organization. Our Core Values and Core Characteristics form the individual and organizational foundation on which we will develop VA’s Vision, which will define “where we are headed.”
Our Core Values, Characteristics and Vision are congruent with our three VA guiding principles: people-centric, results-driven, and forward-looking. Collectively, these principles and Core Values, Core Characteris-tics, and a new Vision will bring us much closer to attaining our strategic goal of becoming a 21st-century VA.
Q: Is there anything more you want to say about the VA Core Values and Characteristics or VA Vision?A: I have discussed our Core Values and Characteristics with many differ-ent people around the country who are part of our VA workforce, and I received positive feedback from the vast majority of those I have spoken with. My sense is that our people recognize the need for an overarching and enduring set of Core Values and Characteristics and are pleased we now have them.
“These new Core Values and Characteristics are more than just words. They represent our promise to do our best, every day, to perform our crucial mission.”
VAnguard • July/August 2011 9
Our Core Values define “who we are ...”
... Our Core Characteristics define “what we stand for.”
10 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Car racing aficionados know Indianapolis as home of the Indianapolis 500.
Veterans Benefits Ad-ministration staff may also soon regard the city as the birthplace of another kind of platform that serves the need for speed—in this case a computer program.
The Indianapolis Segmenta-tion Timeliness Assessment Tool (i-STAT) gives Indianapolis VA Regional Office staff a quick and easy way to determine which Veteran’s claim to work on next. The tool was created by VBA employees, who are confident it will prove crucially impor-tant to the progress of VBA’s claims transformation campaign, given the thousands of claims awaiting Veterans service representatives’ attention.
An outgrowth of VBA’s efforts to eliminate the claims backlog, i-STAT helps employees move claims through the decision process, so VBA can
keep pace with claims demand. The tool also helps managers balance their teams’ workloads. And now a separate tool based on i-STAT is being scoped for national implementation.
“Part of the challenge and frustra-tion for employees is that they face, on average, 300 claims sitting behind them that need to get worked,” says Ena Lima, Indianapolis Veterans Service Center manager. “That’s overwhelming. The tool tells them which case to focus on next, so they’re always working on the right one.”
Desktop iconIn day-to-day terms, the excite-
ment surrounds an icon that now appears on Indianapolis employees’ computer desktops. Double clicks on the icon yield a customized list of claims assigned to them. The claims are prioritized based on rules that have been programmed into the tool. For example, if a claimant is known to be
homeless, the system knows to give the claimant’s file priority.
The lists include tracking infor-mation, so the employees can physi-cally go get the folders for each claim. i-STAT also has a mini dashboard feature, which enables employees to see how their work contributes to team performance targets.
“I like the fact that i-STAT as-signs cases without the human factor or any prejudice involved,” says Eric Francis, a rating Veterans service representative in Indianapolis. “No RSVR can say or feel they are being singled out for certain cases.”
For managers, the tool gives a quick snapshot of their teams’ work-loads, and it enables them to regulate assignments based on the workloads. If an employee is out of the office, man-agers can use the tool to shift that per-son’s assignments so the claims do not sit idle while the employee is away.
“i-STAT makes work assignment
Keeping Pace With ClaimsVBA employees create a workload management tool.
The Indianapolis VA Regional Office is serving as an “Integration Lab” for testing together the process improvement initia-tives that seem most promising.
courtesy of vba
VAnguard • July/August 2011 11
In March, Indianapolis staff as-signed to the “Express Lane” (which handles claims with one or two claimed conditions) began using the first version of i-STAT. By now, all Indianapolis employees assigned to the processing teams use the tool, while the programming team contin-ues to refine it.
“Each time we get together, we add functionality,” says Marr, an as-sistant coach at the Louisville office who is on a recurring detail to the I-Lab. “So we’re incrementally mak-ing it work better. Since Indianapolis is a lab environment, it’s also a sort of lab for the workload management tool. We already have lots of lessons learned that we hopefully can glean from and make a national tool the best it can be.”
National toolDiscussion about a similar tool
for all regional offices began soon after VBA executives saw i-STAT in action. “That’s what kicked off the national version,” Marr says.
And that version, now called the Intelligent Work Queue, has taken on a life of its own.
The tool presents a similar ap-proach to workload management—ensuring the right claim is with the right employee at the right time. It also aligns individuals’ performance targets with regional office and na-tional targets. A key distinction is the Intelligent Work Queue is pro-grammed to assign work based on terminal digits.
“I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction,” says Perry, a management analyst at the Togus VA Regional Office, who also is on part-time detail to the I-Lab. “As we begin to roll it out, we will have more concrete evidence of how it improves performance.”
virtual,” says Sara Ferris, a coach in the Indianapolis office. “As the coach, I no longer have to hand-deliver cases all day. It makes work assignment fair and equitable.”
I-Labi-STAT came to life because of a
new role for the Indianapolis VA Re-gional Office.
VBA has undertaken roughly four dozen initiatives geared toward elimi-nating the claims backlog and process-ing all Veterans’ claims within 125 days with 98 percent accuracy.
VBA leadership has designated the Indianapolis office as VBA’s In-tegration Lab, or I-Lab, for testing together the process improvement ini-tiatives that seem most promising.
Given the new role for Indianap-olis, last December the service center management team reconfigured how the office triages, develops and rates claims so they could test the initia-tives together. Where previously In-dianapolis Veterans service represen-tatives worked the full scope of claims that came in—which is the case at most regional offices—they segmented the workload based on number of is-sues per claim and complexity.
The issue of workload manage-
ment then surfaced; specifically, how to divide up the work and track which employee is responsible for which claim.
Like other regional offices, India-napolis’s long-standing protocol for addressing the issue had been based on claimants’ terminal digits (which are the last two digits of the claimants’ Social Security numbers). Each em-ployee was assigned to work all claims with a specific terminal digit. “When we got away from terminal digits, we lost some of the accountability,” says Natalie Gries, management analyst for the Indianapolis office. “We had to find a way to get the accountability back.”
Database softwarei-STAT was originally designed
by Anthony Shows, the training man-ager at the Milwaukee VA Regional Office, who in conjunction and co-ordination with Gries and three col-leagues—including Louisville’s Jason Marr, Togus’s Edward Perry, and Of-fice of Business Process Integration’s Vail Brown—leveraged their database software expertise to build i-STAT. They programmed it to make assign-ments based on criteria in each claim file and employees’ workloads.
Left: The Integration Lab environment cre-ates more opportunities for collaboration among team members. Pictured left to right are: Susan Burke, Natalie Gries, Mike Ste-phens and Deb Street.courtesy of vba
12 VAnguard • July/August 2011
The James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital in Tampa, Fla., has started a new Challenge Coin Program for the Vet-
erans served in our Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Program.
Our Veterans have been instru-mental in this process through their recognition of the value the Chal-lenge Coin Program holds for those who have PTSD. Discussion of the potential benefits of this new program has led to full support and funding by a group of individuals who recognize the struggles of those who suffer from PTSD following their return from combat.
We designed the coins. Peter Martin, CEO of Ameripack Inc., funded the program, and Ben Baar, CEO of B&R Tactical Corporation, produced the coins. Retired Maj. Gen. Hawthorne L. “Peet” Proctor, a Vietnam Veteran, brought all parties together to make this project possible.
Martin’s business supports military initiatives. His company donates a portion of all its sales to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Baar, a retired Army officer, be-gan his military career in Berlin in the early 1980s. After 21 years of service, his career ended because of wounds sustained while deployed to Iraq dur-ing a 2003 combat tour. The founda-tion of Baar’s company is “serving those who serve.”
Proctor entered the Army in 1969 as a second lieutenant and served during the Vietnam War. He rose to the rank of major general, serving as the 46th Quartermaster General of the Army. Even in retirement, his commitment to serve “his” soldiers continues.
The challenge coin has been an American military tradition for almost 150 years. All major campaigns, going back to the Civil War, show evidence of the use of the coins as not just a token, but as a symbol of membership in a group representing ideals greater than oneself. Today, each military coin symbolizes unit identity and
Tampa VA’s challenge coins are a reminder to Veterans
completing PTSD treatment of what they’ve accomplished.
Marking the Journey to
Recovery
shows the pride and lineage of belong-ing to such a unit.
These custom-made coins bear unit mottoes, crests and colors, and represent a close affiliation with that
specific unit. Often presented by unit commanders and senior non-commis-sioned officers to soldiers for exem-plary work done “above and beyond,” these coins have a special place in
The front of the Tampa VA’s challenge coin for Veterans with PTSD.steve hollingshead
VAnguard • July/August 2011 13
mission is to reach out and connect to those who hesitate to seek treat-ment for PTSD by attending outreach events and speaking engagements. Sharing their stories and helping to guide others in seeking treatment is part of giving back to their brothers and sisters who have also fought for our freedoms.
The challenge coin holds life-long meaning for our Veterans who have PTSD. It also helps others seek treatment, as our Veterans who have begun their journey to recovery show their coin to comrades. The chal-lenge coin represents hope, courage, commitment, and the enduring spirit of those who have sacrificed for the service of our country. The delivery of a challenge coin upon completion of the PTSD treatment process ac-knowledges our Veterans’ journey to recovery.
As VA employees, it is so impor-tant for all of us to understand and appreciate the meaning and value of a challenge coin given to our Veterans as recognition of achievement and accomplishment. Spirit of service and connection to the military and the long-standing traditions never leave our Veterans.
The delivery of a challenge coin following completion of an emotion-ally difficult treatment process for PTSD brings tears to the eyes of our Veterans. They are as grateful for our service as we are for their service. This generous gift from Veterans to Vet-erans has implications far beyond the clinical program.
It is our hope that sharing this program within the VA community will lead the way to more facilities and PTSD clinical programs offering this valuable military tradition and recog-nition to those who have borne the battle. This is our challenge to other VA facilities.
military culture and tradition. The Vietnam War pointedly cap-
tured the importance of the challenge coin. According to Soldiers magazine, the 11th Special Forces Group created coins to show their unique identity and special bond forged as warriors, part of an elite group of soldiers.
What some might misconstrue as a simple token of remembrance was, in fact, much more and had a much greater effect on unit morale. For those who served, this coin helped strengthen unit cohesion, pride and honor during an extremely difficult time in our nation’s history. By the mid-1980s, unit coins became popular among the members of the various branches of service.
Along with this coin came the “coin check,” involving a challenge and response. This was a simple, friendly way of proving your member-ship in a unit by producing the coin to another who challenged you. The penalty for not having your coin with you varied from doing push-ups to be-ing appointed to complete some type of task. As a result, many troops car-ried their coin in their wallet, ready to respond to any challenge.
When Veterans or service mem-bers pick up coins they were present-ed—whether it was one week ago, one year ago, or 20 years ago—they will tell you that they remember their accomplishment, and that the coin evokes memories, good and bad. But most of all they will once again recall the powerful feeling of esprit de corps.
For our Veterans with PTSD who receive mental health services, the treating providers who work with these individuals notice their drive, motivation and dedication to com-pleting their mental health treatment and assignments. Our Veterans want to reach their goals and work hard to achieve them by facing their challeng-es and pushing forward to completion.
Military personnel all around the world carry, collect and trade unit challenge coins. It is an honor for a service member to be recognized for
their accomplishments with the pre-sentation of a challenge coin. This spirit of exemplary service, shared sacrifice and unit cohesion continues, even as our service members leave the military and enter the VA system of care.
For our Veterans who struggle with PTSD secondary to traumatic events that occurred during service to our country, seeking mental health treatment is often extremely difficult. Veterans tell us that they are proud or that there are other Veterans who need our help more. They tell us how emotionally overwhelming it is to participate in the treatment process as well as how much relief they have been able to achieve with treatment.
This relief improves the Veteran’s quality of life and also improves the lives of their friends, families and loved ones. Participating in treatment requires the same level of commit-ment, perseverance and hard work that many of our Veterans know all too well.
The delivery of the challenge coin upon completion of the PTSD treatment acknowledges a Veteran’s journey to recovery. It validates their struggles along the way and their dedi-cation to continue forward and face these obstacles. They have chosen the path of engaging in mental health treatment and are recognized for this outstanding accomplishment and achievement. Recovery is different for every Veteran, and completion of treatment is just the beginning.
The receipt of a challenge coin also represents significant individual accomplishment during treatment for PTSD. For some Veterans, this may include special contribution to the mission of the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Trauma Recovery Program.
The mission to serve those who have not yet come through the doors, and to serve those who need continued care, is often mobilized by Veteran Peer Support Volunteers. For some of our Veterans, part of their
Editor’s note: Co-author Dr. Carri-Ann M. Gibson is a physician at the Tampa VA. Her husband and co-author, A. Mi-chael Gibson, is a West Point graduate and CEO of G2 Fuel Technologies.
14 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Sometimes an idea is so pitch-perfect it moves an entire organization. The first na-tionwide VA2K Walk and
Roll started with that kind of idea—to support employee fitness and home-less Veterans. But even the event’s organizers were surprised by the overwhelming response from VA em-ployees on June 2. Nearly 17,000 par-ticipants, including more than 1,800 Veterans, joined in at 155 sites across the country that day, far beyond ex-pectations.
“I was thinking about an event that could get people excited about being physically active and also benefit the Veterans we care about. Going out for a walk is easy to do, it doesn’t require much prep time and can be done during lunch break,” said Ebi Awosika, M.D., director of the Veterans Health Administration’s Employee Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program, who led the suc-cessful VA2K with Program Manager Sandie Schmunk. Most facilities hosted the event between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time.
While a national planning group of several VA organizations provided guidance to VA facilities on prepar-ing for and running the event, local coordinators and planning committees were encouraged to add their individ-
ual ideas. “We wanted everybody to have their own kind of walk and roll, to feel free to tweak the event, and they did that,” said Awosika.
Enthused VA employees got to work and set up festive, 2K (1.2 mile) walking courses in their communities. They found creative ways to pump up the event with extras such as live music, stretching exercises, Zumba classes, a mid-course yoga session, five-minute massages, and even a barbecue lunch. At one site, a previ-ously homeless Veteran sang the na-tional anthem. “That’s the one I got most emotional about; it touched my heart,” said Awosika.
The VA2K course for the Sierra Nevada Health Care System in Reno led to a grand opening ceremony that day for the newly designed Healing Gardens Homeless Shelter for Veter-ans. Among other highlights:n In Washington, D.C., at VA Cen-tral Office, Deputy Secretary W. Scott Gould led more than 400 employees on the 2K walk. He was accompanied by Deputy Assistant Secretary for Hu-man Resources Management Tonya Deanes, VA Health and Wellness Program Manager Kara Szirotnyak, and Awosika.n In Durham, N.C., a group of exu-berant employees got revved up for the walk.
n In Bedford, Mass., formerly home-less Veteran Joe Ramage played the guitar and sang the national anthem.n In Fresno, Calif., an employee dressed as “Toucan Canny” led a group of fans.n In Salem, Va., a group of employees brought together their musical talents.n In Detroit, a disabled Veteran joined employees on a tree-lined path.
Participants across the country received visors and buttons from VA Health & Wellness and water from the Veterans Canteen Service. Some sites ordered colorful T-shirts and provided healthy snacks. Each site decided on its own list of donations for homeless Veterans and posted that information for employees, who gave generously with toiletries, socks, un-derwear, clothing, shoes, boots, blan-kets, bedding, small appliances, clean-ing supplies, paper products, dishes, shower curtains, silverware and rugs.
The lead organization, Employee Health Promotion Disease Prevention Program, within the Public Health of-fice of VHA, combines occupational safety programs with health promo-tion activities to help staff members make healthy lifestyle choices. The program focuses on four general areas: physical activity, tobacco cessation, stress reduction and healthy eating.
Other VA organizations involved
Stepping Up for Homeless Veterans
First nationwide VA2K Walk and Roll draws an overwhelming response from employees.
VAnguard • July/August 2011 15
in national planning were VHA’s Homeless Veterans Program, VA Homeless Programs Office, VHA Com-munications, Veterans Canteen Service, VA Voluntary Service, Office of Nursing Services, National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and VA’s Health & Wellness Team.
The event blends well with VA’s five-year plan to end homelessness for Veterans. More than 150,000
Participating sites: 155medical facilities: 145states represented: 45 Participants: 16,847veteran participants: 1,852items collected: 25,911estimated value of contributions: $172,000estimated calories burned: 2,092,376estimated fun value: Priceless!
VA2K By the Numbers
Clockwise from left: Employees in Detroit head out on their walk, joined by a disabled Veteran; An employee dressed as “Toucan Canny” leads a group of fans in Fresno, Calif.; In Bedford, Mass., formerly homeless Veteran Joe Ramage played the guitar and sang the national anthem.
Veterans are homeless in the United States. Veterans account for nearly one-third of all homeless people nationwide. The overflowing boxes and bags of donations will go a long way to help homeless Veterans with their basic needs. “A great event for a great cause” is how smiling, energized employees described their experience. “This shows the passion VA has for our homeless Veterans,” said Awosika.
VA2K planners are already shar-ing ideas for next year’s event and will soon be contacting sites across the country. Look forward to an even big-ger and better event in 2012!
By JoAnn Blakeanthony santoya
larry marchionda
kristin Pressly
16 VAnguard • July/August 2011
“We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in
France, we shall fight on the seas and the oceans, we shall fight with growing confi-dence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.” - Winston Churchill
These famous words inspired more than 16 million Americans to serve and defend their country and its allies during World War II. By the time the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., was completed in 2004, more than half of Veterans who fought in a World War had died.
In 2004, a retired Air Force captain and VA physician’s assistant named Earl Morse developed the concept of Honor Flight to provide WWII Veterans the chance to visit their memorial. The first North Da-kota Honor Flight was developed by committee members of the WDAY WWII Honor Flight in 2007. This group played host to four flights in-viting Veterans from North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota to visit the WWII memorial free of charge. More than 800 Veterans flew out of Fargo and Grand Forks, N.D., during the original flights.
In response to a need for ad-ditional flights, the first Roughrider Honor Flight was organized in Sep-tember 2008. Roughrider Honor
Flight is a volunteer organization that is funded entirely through the gener-osity of its supporters and is the sole active North Dakota member of the Honor Flight Network.
On May 6, the Roughrider Honor Flight flew out of the Bismarck, N.D., Airport with what would be the last group of WWII Veterans. It was the fifth Honor Flight for the Roughriders. “When I agreed to chair this effort,” said Kevin Cramer, co-chair of the Roughrider Honor Flight committee, “I knew there would be a first flight and I was pretty sure there would be a second. I was amazed when we began organizing the fifth flight. We made the commitment to do this as long as there was a local WWII Veteran able and ready to go.”
Through its commitment and fundraising efforts, the Roughrider Honor Flight made it possible for more than 500 additional local Veter-ans to visit the memorial. The Fargo VA Health Care System has sup-ported these flights in various ways, including providing medical support on numerous Honor Flights since their inception in 2007.
Most recently, Dr. Brian Han-co*ck, chief of staff for the Fargo VA Health Care System, was able to par-ticipate in the final Roughrider Honor Flight as head physician on the medi-cal team. “This is another way for us at the Fargo VA to demonstrate our commitment to all of the Veterans, but in this particular case, those from the WWII generation,” said Hanco*ck.
Making this trip even more meaningful for Hanco*ck was the op-
portunity to share the experience with his father, James Hanco*ck, a WWII Veteran. “I was able to bring my dad, who was a Pearl Harbor survivor and had not had the opportunity to go to Washington to see the memorial that was created for these heroes.”
The Fargo VA has also been deeply involved in fundraising efforts to support these flights. Through the work of the Fargo VA Employee As-sociation and the generosity of VA staff and volunteers, the Fargo VA was able to donate well over $5,400 to the final Roughrider Honor Flight.
“It says a lot about the employees here,” said Cindy Bartholomay, one of the organizers of the fundraising event. “When you think of how much money was raised, it’s unbelievable. This is a difficult time, money is tight, and still, they came through.”
This was the third fundraiser the Fargo VAEA has held for the Honor Flights. In total, Fargo VA employees have donated well over $17,000 to support these flights. Bartholomay was also able to serve as an escort on one of the original Honor Flights and describes the trip as one of the most memorable times of her life.
When the Veterans and volun-teers returned to Bismarck on May 7, they were greeted by students, family and community members welcoming them home. Most surprising to them, however, was the support they re-ceived from complete strangers while in Washington, D.C.
Hanco*ck said that while the group was visiting Arlington National Cemetery, more than 150 middle
Their Service Will Never Be Forgotten
The Fargo VA helps support Honor Flights to pay tribute to America’s World War II Veterans.
VAnguard • July/August 2011 17
sionals from the Fargo VA have pro-vided medical support to the Honor Flights since they started,” he said. “The staff members who volunteer get a very special reward from the oppor-tunity to directly serve these Greatest Generation Veterans who sacrificed so much for our country.”
Many of those involved with the Honor Flights, from organizers to those who were driven to donate to such a worthy cause, have felt the same sense of pride, duty and honor toward the Veterans these flights have served. “I am so overwhelmed by the [Fargo VA] employees’ generosity,” said Bartholomay. “It just shows why this is such a wonderful place to work. We all feel the same passion and love of serving our Veterans.”
By Karinn R. Davidson
school students began applauding for the WWII Veterans, and that was only one example of impromptu sup-port the Honor Flight participants received. “None of these children were born when this war was occur-ring,” said Hanco*ck, “yet these were spontaneous eruptions of support, pride, honor and respect for men and women who participated in a war that these students have only read about in history books.”
Tom Selleys, a longtime volun-teer at the Fargo VA and a WWII Veteran who joined the Army at the age of 16, was also a participant on the last Roughrider Honor Flight. When asked what he enjoyed most about the trip, Selleys found it dif-ficult to choose, but described the memorial as “beautiful beyond words. They pulled out all the stops and made it a monument of beauty, brav-ery and valor.”
Selleys is certain his sentiments
are echoed in the hearts of every Vet-eran who visited the monument that day. He expressed gratitude for not only the opportunity to participate in the final Roughrider Honor Flight, but for the treatment he and every Vet-eran received during the entire trip.
“I think the Roughrider Flight was set up for royalty because the treatment we received was beyond description,” Selleys said. “Each Vet-eran seemed like he was being treated individually, from the takeoff in Bis-marck to landing back in Bismarck, it felt like each Veteran was led around personally and given every kind treat-ment imaginable.”
The continued support of the Honor Flights by the Fargo VA Health Care System was important to Michael Murphy, Fargo VA Medical Center director. “Health care profes-
Clockwise from top left: Veterans were greeted by active-duty soldiers at the Bismarck, N.D., airport prior to departure; Pearl Harbor survivor James Hanco*ck with sons Dr. Brian Hanco*ck, left, and Keith Hanco*ck; Allyn Hanson, of Bismarck, views the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery; World War II Veteran Tom Selleys poses with friend Terri Schwartz in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
layn mudder/lPt images
layn mudder/lPt images
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18 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Cancer is always a fright-ening word, even for a high-profile member of the health care community. For
Larry Biro, director of the VA Heart of Texas Health Care Network (VISN 17) in Dallas, getting the diagnosis of prostate cancer was scary and unex-
pected. Even though his preliminary diagnosis indicated low-risk disease, he said, waiting for his final diagnosis and learning what stage cancer he had were very stressful.
Fortunately, Biro’s low-risk cancer was small. A team of physicians led by E. David Crawford, M.D., director of
Urologic Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and a pro-fessor at VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System in Denver for 30 years, successfully treated the cancer. Craw-ford said Biro’s experience provides a typical example of how a patient with early prostate cancer warning signs can progress over the years to an ac-tual diagnosis of prostate cancer.
“It all started in fall 2006,” said Biro. That’s when Crawford noticed a rising prostate specific antigen level, a key marker for prostate cancer. He recommended a standard 12-core transrectal biopsy, which came back negative.
But because Biro’s PSA level continued to rise at subsequent three-month checkups, he said, “Dr. Craw-ford put me on Avodart.” Over the next two years, it reduced his PSA level from 5.6 ng/dl to a stable 1.95 ng/dl.
Although Biro responded well to Avodart, in spring 2009, Crawford recommended a new test that mea-sures the concentration of prostate cancer antigen 3 gene in urine. Biro’s results were slightly elevated, Craw-ford said. “I took another PCA3 test in fall 2009,” added Biro, “and it was even higher.” Accordingly, Crawford recommended a second biopsy, which also came back negative.
However, added Crawford, “Tran-srectal biopsies are imperfect. Often people must undergo multiple sets of them to find a cancer.”
A spring 2010 PCA3 test height-ened Biro’s fears. “I remember dis-tinctly,” he said. “I was in Washing-ton, D.C., where I had traveled for a meeting, and got an e-mail saying that my PCA3 level had doubled to the high 80s,” a level which indicates a high probability of prostate cancer.
Unsure of what to do, Biro called Crawford, who quickly e-mailed sev-eral colleagues. One of them—the PCA3 test’s inventor—suggested an MRI. When this also found no cancer, Crawford recommended a 3-D map-ping biopsy, a cutting-edge technique
Targeted focal therapy brings health care executive, prostate cancer survivor peace of mind.
Scary Diagnosis, Effective Treatment
nathan armes/university of colorado
VAnguard • July/August 2011 19
likened to a “male lumpectomy,” said Crawford.
The procedure itself, performed by Crawford in October 2010, took about 60 minutes. Afterwards, Biro wore a catheter for four days.
“After that,” he said, “there were a few minor complications, such as blood in the urine,” a normal side ef-fect which lasted a couple months, but no sexual or other side effects.
At his first post-TFT checkup, his PSA had dropped 80 percent, Biro added. “Months out, everything has gone as planned.”
Indeed, Crawford said that for selected patients with prostate can-cer, TFT appears to provide a safe, effective treatment option. “Ap-proximately one-third of the men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are potentially candidates for active surveillance or TFT.” In UCCC’s experience, with more than 250 3-D mapping biopsies, he added, “about 40 percent of patients turn out to have low-grade cancers that are amenable to TFT.”
For more information, visit www.3dprostate.com or call Dr. Clif-ford Jones, University of Colorado Urologic Oncology, 720-848-0684.
he helped pioneer at UCCC.Biro underwent this one-hour
procedure in June 2010. Rather than taking the standard 12 samples, or cores, Crawford took 50 cores, guided by a template placed under the perineum, to produce a computerized 3-D map of Biro’s entire prostate.
“We now know this biopsy method yields information as valid as a post-surgery, whole-mount patho-logic specimen would give us. Now we have a pretty complete picture of the disease within the prostate, and we can make more personalized treatment recommendations for each patient,” said Crawford. Biro’s 3-D mapping biopsy showed low-grade (Gleason grade 6) cancer in 10 percent of one biopsy core.
Fortunately, Biro already knew a lot about treatment options. “This had been going on for nearly four years,” starting with his high PSA in 2006. As supervisor of the VA health care system and social services for most of the state of Texas, which includes four VA medical centers that provide care to 300,000 Veterans, he added, “I talked to a lot of doctors and read hundreds of articles.”
Although the information was
helpful, he said, “I had always feared the possible side effects from a whole-gland solution for a cancer that af-fected a tiny fraction of my prostate.”
Radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy—completely irradiat-ing or removing the prostate gland, respectively—often leaves patients with many side effects, including in-continence and erectile dysfunction, Biro explained.
“The thought of wearing diapers for the rest of my life and losing sexual function over one small spot of cancer wasn’t appealing,” he said.
So instead, Crawford recommend-ed either active surveillance—closely monitoring Biro to make sure his can-cer wasn’t growing—or targeted focal therapy. Guided by the 3-dimensional biopsy map, TFT destroys only the diseased portion of the prostate by freezing it with cryotherapy.
“I couldn’t see doing active sur-veillance,” said Biro. “Knowing that I had cancer, I didn’t know what I’d be waiting for. I felt like I might as well get it done.”
In that regard, he said TFT pro-vides an intermediate option between active surveillance and radical treat-ments. This focal therapy may be
Opposite: According to his doctor, Larry Biro’s experi-ence is a typical example of how a patient with early prostate cancer warning signs can progress over the years to an actual diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Left: Dr. E. David Crawford, director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, goes over prostate biopsy results with Larry Biro. A 3-D mapping biopsy showed Biro had low-grade cancer. The 3-D map-ping biopsy is a technique Crawford helped pioneer. Standard transrectal biopsies sometimes do not find can-cer, even when it is present.
nathan armes/university of colorado
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20 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Like so many Veterans of previous conflicts, today’s young Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan carry the scars
of battle buddies getting killed, long deployments and painful combat wounds. The scars they bear not only reflect the mental anguish but also the visible wounds of combat.
Operation Mend is an organiza-
‘Plastic surgeon to the stars’ uses his skills to help Veterans with severely disfiguring wounds.
tion that changes the lives of service men and women exposed to impro-vised explosive devices that have left severely disfiguring results. Envisioned by Ronald A. Katz, executive com-mittee member of the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Board, Opera-tion Mend offers returning service members and Veterans with severe facial injuries access to the military’s
best burn center and private sector’s plastic and reconstructive surgeons.
“I feel it’s a tremendous op-portunity to give back to those who laid it all on the line for us,” said Dr. Timothy Miller, chief of the Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “Being a plastic surgeon, it’s truly a privilege for me to be able to give back.”
Beverly Hills surgeon Miller takes a lot of ribbing for being the “plastic surgeon to the stars,” but make no mistake: he has a deep appreciation for and understanding of what Vet-erans go through in battle and has a strong desire to help them out.
“I know what it’s like to be shot at,” he said.
Miller earned his military street credentials serving two years in Viet-nam as an Army doctor. He’s already provided life-changing plastic surgery to three fellow Veterans from the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Sys-tem and is anxious to help even more.
“Veterans don’t know Operation Mend exists,” said Miller. “Most peo-ple do not know this type of plastic
Dr. Timothy Miller as an Army doctor in Vietnam.courtesy of timothy miller
VAnguard • July/August 2011 21
surgery on severely disfiguring wounds can be done.”
Miller hopes more Veterans who sustained severe burn injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan will reach out to Op-eration Mend for assistance.
According to Miller, Veterans or
service members interested in this free service need to provide documenta-tion they sustained burn injury in Iraq or Afghanistan. They also need to send photos to UCLA, where Miller and his staff can review them. Everything from travel to hotel ar-
rangements, medicine and hospital expenses are provided free of charge to Veterans or service members who participate in Operation Mend.
For more information or to make donations, visit http://operationmend.ucla.edu, or call 310-206-0500.
Dr. Timothy Miller examines Marine Cpl. Aaron P. Mankin during an office visit. Mankin was Operation Mend’s first patient in 2007. He was wounded in 2005 when an improvised explosive device detonated under the amphibi-ous assault vehicle he was traveling in.
ucla
22 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Kidz Camp entertains dependents of Veterans at the Kansas City VA Medical Center.
All Fun and GamesPamela james
Logan Heagy, 4, shows his aunt, Jennifer Peterson, the VA activity book he got at Kidz Camp at the Kansas City VAMC.
Logan Heagy, 4, colors pa-tiently as his aunt and uncle watch him from their wait-ing room chairs. Next to his
chair and scattered about on the pint-sized table are Lego blocks, crayons and even a toy dump truck. Heagy is one of the first kids to try out the new “Kidz Camp” concept at the Kansas City VA Medical Center in Missouri.
The concept was developed by Pamela James, medical technologist/microbiologist in the Kansas City VAMC’s Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Division. James, a 31-year employee of the VAMC, was in the midst of a leadership development
course and needed a final project. Noticing that the children, and of-tentimes grandchildren, of Veteran patients were brought in to doctor’s appointments, she realized there was a need for an activity center to keep them occupied in the waiting rooms.
A mother herself, James knew the hardships of getting children to sit still, behave and wait. After she brought her idea to the public affairs officer, the executive leadership team quickly jumped on board to make the VAMC a more family-friendly place. With a new women’s clinic in opera-tion and extended weekend hours, the staff knew the potential for children
to be around the facility was going to grow.
Working off a limited $20,000 budget from a patient-centered care grant, the team brainstormed the most creative ways to incorporate a children’s atmosphere into the facility. Determining where to put the center was the first step. After a search, the facility’s intensive care unit waiting room was deemed the logical choice. Often, family members are placed there for extended periods, await-ing news of a loved one’s health. For little kids, the ICU can be a sterile, scary place. In addition, the facility’s hospice unit and three waiting room
VAnguard • July/August 2011 23
Congress established the childcare initiative as part of the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Ser-vices Act of 2010, signed by President Obama in May 2010. The pilot cen-ters include Northport, N.Y., Tacoma, Wash., and Buffalo, N.Y. Operated on-site by licensed childcare provid-ers, the centers provide for children ages six weeks to 12 years, and drop-in services are offered free to Veterans who are eligible for VA care and visit-ing a facility for an appointment.
In a recent survey, VA found that nearly a third of Veterans were interested in childcare services, and more than 10 percent had to cancel
or reschedule VA ap-pointments due to lack of childcare. “While the number of women Veterans continues to grow, they use VA for health care proportion-ately less than male Veterans,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant with the VA Women Veterans Health Stra-tegic Health Care Group. “We hope that by offering safe, secure childcare while the Veteran attends a doc-tor’s appointment or therapy session, we will enable more women Veterans to take ad-
vantage of the VA benefits to which they are entitled.”
Women Veterans are one of the fastest-growing segments of the Vet-eran population. Of the 22.7 million living Veterans, more than 1.8 million are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran popula-tion, and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services. VA estimates women Veterans will constitute 10 percent of the Veteran population by 2020 and 9.5 percent of VA patients.
By Amanda Hester
VA activity books await children on a table at Kidz Camp.
Pamela james
clinics received Kidz Camp activity centers.
Installed in January, the Kidz Camp features tables, wall activity boards, and even a VA activity book featuring fun facts, coloring pages, and puzzles about Veterans and the Kansas City facility. Brand new four-count crayon packs, non-toxic and washable, are waiting for children ages 3 and up when they pick up their VA activity books from the clinic check-in areas. To keep clutter to a minimum, left-over crayons and coloring books are discarded by housekeeping at the end of their daily shifts.
Among the wall-mounted activity units, one of three in the Kidz Camp, is “Funny Face.” Chil-dren can pick from various magnetic noses, mouths, ears, eyelashes, and other facial features to cre-ate an amusing face on a white laminate board. Another unit, called “Touch N’ See,” features a temperature-sen-sitive background. When the surface is touched, it changes color based on a person’s body heat, allowing children to “finger paint” without the mess. In “Bug Town” and “Treasure Chest,” kids are able to move attached puzzle pieces through a maze, offering plenty of twists and turns. According to staff, the “Giggle” mirrors, which allow kids to contort their reflections into all sorts of shapes and sizes, even causes some of the Veteran patients to happily join in and play.
So far, Veteran patients and kids alike are happy with the setup of the Kidz Camp. One 5-year-old saw the activity center in the women’s clinic and told the nurse he was happy he could play and not make noise that
would “bother the sick people.”Due to the success of the program
and limited costs to install, there are future plans to bring two more Kidz Camp centers to the facility’s admis-sions waiting area and radiology area. Additionally, a large primary care waiting room is being redesigned to incorporate a “kid-friendly” compo-nent. According to Glenna Greer, Kansas City VAMC public affairs officer, “the timing is perfect. We are seeing more kids in the medical center with their Veteran parents, grandpar-ents and caregivers.”
In general, childcare opportuni-ties pose a major concern among VA’s
Veteran patients. In July, VA Secre-tary Eric K. Shinseki announced the launch of free, drop-in childcare ser-vice centers at three VA medical cen-ters, part of an effort to improve access to health care for the growing number of women Veterans. “We know that many Veterans, particularly women Veterans, are the primary caretakers of young children,” said Shinseki. “We want these Veterans to have the op-portunity to access the high-quality health care that VA offers, and we be-lieve that these childcare centers will make it easier for Veteran caregivers to visit VA.”
24 VAnguard • July/August 2011
Standing opposite the south tower of the World Trade Center, the West Street Building was enveloped in
plumes of smoke and debris when the twin towers collapsed. The north façade of the building was charred and gutted, but a 30-foot American flag, sus-pended from the scaf-folding of a renovation project, survived.
With deep tears and stains, the flag hung as a memorial over the remains of the World Trade Center. A work crew at Ground Zero recovered the flag and placed it in stor-age, where it waited for seven years.
With the ap-proaching 10-year an-niversary of Sept. 11, that same flag is being sewn back together one stitch at a time by citizens of every state. The New York Says Thank You Founda-tion is on a mission to restore the National 9/11 Flag with the help of Veterans, police of-ficers, firefighters, and local service heroes. On June 21, the Mar-tinsburg (W.Va.) VA Medical Center was honored as the second VA medical center in the na-tion to host a stitching ceremony for the flag.
As each person entered the room for the occasion, deep emotion was visible on many of their faces. Sad-
ness, respect and honor overwhelmed them as their eyes met the American flag, lying majestically in the center.
The combined color guard circled the room with flag bearers carrying the American, West Virginia, VA, and POW/MIA flags, while the honor
guard of the 167th Airlift Wing, West Virginia Air National Guard, assem-bled at each corner of the National 9/11 Flag.
The room was silent. For many, faded patches of cloth and thread would never again mean so much.
Bruised But Not BeatenThe National 9/11 Flag visits
the Martinsburg VA Medical Center.“Veterans, the men and women who pledged to honor and protect this nation, are like the American flag,” said Medical Center Director Ann R. Brown.
“They are a symbol of our unity as a people. Without them, we could not
be whole.”After guest speakers
and honor guard, eight members of the commu-nity nominated as local service heroes were asked to place their stitch in the flag. One such hero, American Legion Rid-ers, Post 14 Director and Veteran Brian Tolstyka said, “This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show the honor and love for our country.”
Following the cer-emony, everyone was invited to stitch. The line of people waiting to leave their mark on his-tory spilled out the door. Veterans unable to stand were wheeled to the flag, their hand guided with the needle through a patch of deep red fabric. One Veteran was so moved that he broke into tears and almost col-lapsed. Emotion flooded the room.
The day came to a close when members of local fire and police departments carefully folded the flag into the traditional triangle before it continued on its journey across the country.
By Sarah Tolstyka
Original remnants of the National 9/11 Flag lay in the foreground, reassembled with restorative patches from American flags destined for retirement. kathryn morris
VAnguard • July/August 2011 25
Riding with bloated panniers is much harder in the wind. After all, the trio was going into the prevailing winds that blow west to east across the United States. Miller said the choice let them start earlier in the year than they would going the other way because of the chance for snow in the Rocky Mountains.
Going west, the sun was not in their eyes—or the eyes of passing motorists—during the morning, when much of the riding was done.
The men tried to cover about 60 miles a day. Nights were spent in campgrounds and hostels.
During the day, they found librar-ies or a WiFi connection to upload blogs at the popular website for tour-ing cyclists, crazyguyonabike.com.
Bill Miller, Curtis Hunter and Don Williams are all in their 60s, all avid bicyclists, all VA retirees, and all re-
cently shared an adventure.They left in April from Yorktown,
Va., to ride more than 3,900 miles to Astoria, Ore., on the American Bicy-cle Association’s TransAmerica Trail. The trip took about three months.
“We’ve been so excited about this, like three little kids waiting for Christmas to come,” said Miller dur-ing the journey.
Hunter and Williams have anoth-er connection that’s not so happy.
They have relatives who have late-stage Alzheimer’s disease. For Williams, it’s his mom who no longer knows who he is.
Hunter’s brother-in-law also has the affliction that robs 5 million Americans of their memories before stealing their lives.
That’s why the men used the coast-to-coast bike trip to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Association. Their goal was to raise $10,000. Online con-tributions were being accepted at alz.kintera.org/sportingevents/transam.
Miller returned to central Illi-nois to retire after a career with VA in Chicago and Washington, D.C. Hunter and Williams were co-workers with Miller at VA. All three worked in the information technology field. They stayed good friends.
Miller rode a bike all his life. His first multi-day trip was the Cycle Across Maryland, a ride of about 400 miles.
Eventually, he heard about RAGBRAI, the annual bicycle ride across Iowa.
He first did that ride just after the new millennium, the same year Wil-
liams earned the Iron Butt Award by riding his motorcycle in 49 states in seven days. After that motorized feat, Williams decided to try riding two wheels sans motor.
The next year, he joined Miller on RAGBRAI. Hunter joined them the year after that when a doctor told him to quit running to spare his knees.
Not long ago, one of them sug-gested they ride across the country. The idea was to ride totally unsup-ported by motorized vehicle. If they wanted it along, they had to carry it themselves—camping gear, cookware, clothing, everything.
Miller was training by adding bricks to his panniers, the packs that attach to his bike, a Surly Long Haul Trucker. But he switched to loading actual gear when experiments re-vealed that training with sheer weight wasn’t enough.
Going the Distance for a CauseThree VA retirees bike across the country to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Left to right: Bill Miller, Don Williams and Curtis Hunter biked more than 4,000 miles.
courtesy of bill miller
Editor’s note: This story by Scott Rich-ardson originally appeared in The Panta-graph, Bloomington, Ill.; it was updated and adapted for VAnguard by Tim Clifton.
26 VAnguard • July/August 2011
AROUND HEADQUARTERS
Retired Brig. Gen. Allison A. Hickey, a 27-year Veteran of the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, and a graduate of the first U.S. Air Force Academy class to include women, was sworn in as VA’s Under Secretary for Benefits.
Hickey, a pilot and air-craft commander, has 17 years of leadership in Department of Defense strategic and transfor-mation planning, program and resource implementation, pub-lic and congressional affairs, and quality and organizational management.
She served as head of the Air Force’s Future Total Force office, and as Assistant Deputy Director of Air Force Strategic Planning, leading one of the largest mission and culture change efforts the Air Force has gone through since its in-ception.
Additionally, Hickey held the position of Air Force Future Concepts and Trans-formation Division Chief, focused on the integration of technologies, organizations and operations that became the model for the Air Force of 2025.
She also brings private industry experience, leading human capital management as an executive for Accenture in its work for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agen-cy, and supporting operational business processes for other intelligence community or-ganizations in the areas of customer relationship manage-ment, call center practices, and other 21st-century information technology systems.
“As a recently separated Veteran, I have first-hand experience with the transition processes that thousands of
Veterans and their families experience every day,” said Hickey. “I also have personal knowledge of the issues and sacrifices made by military families—including those of our National Guard and Re-serve. I am excited to be part of the VA team focused on
serving Veterans.”Hickey replaced Acting
Under Secretary for Benefits Michael Walcoff, who will be retiring from VA after more than 35 years managing the Department’s benefits pro-grams and 57 field offices, with nearly 20,000 employees.
Steve L. Muro, a Vietnam Veteran with leadership ex-perience at every level of the National Cemetery Adminis-tration, was sworn in as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. Muro had been Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs since January 2009.
Starting in 1979 as an au-tomotive mechanic at the Los Angeles National Cemetery, Muro’s life’s work has been linked with VA’s memorial af-fairs administration. He served in leadership positions at eight national cemeteries and as director of Memorial Service Network IV, based in Oak-land, Calif., responsible for cemetery operations in nine Western states. From 2003 to 2008, Muro was director of
the cemetery administration’s Office of Field Programs. Dur-ing that period, he twice led NCA in achieving the unprec-edented American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 95 percent.
In October 2008, Muro received the Presidential Rank Award as a Meritorious Execu-tive. Awarded to fewer than 5 percent of senior federal ex-ecutives, the award recognizes exceptional leadership, accom-plishments and service over an extended period. Also in October 2008, he was named Deputy Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. He was named Acting Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs on Jan. 21, 2009.
Muro is a Navy Veteran
who served two tours in Viet-nam, including tours onboard the destroyer USS Benjamin
Stoddert (DDG22) and a tour with a mobile construction Seabee battalion.
Allison Hickey Sworn in as Under Secretary for Benefits
Steve Muro Sworn in as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs
VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki officially appoints Steve Muro as Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs. Muro was officially sworn in on June 6; he’d served as Acting Under Secretary since January 2009.
Allison Hickey is sworn in by VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki as her husband, Robert, looks on.
michael l. moore
emerson sanders
VAnguard • July/August 2011 27
OUTLOOKAROUND HEADQUARTERS
Each year, the President recognizes and celebrates a small group of career senior executives with the Presidential Rank Award. Recipients of this prestigious award are strong leaders and professionals who achieve results and consistently demonstrate strength, integ-rity, industry, and a relentless commitment to excellence in public service.
There are two categories of rank awards: Distinguished and Meritorious. Award win-ners are chosen through a rig-orous selection process. They are nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by boards comprised of private citizens, and approved by the President. The evaluation criteria focus on leadership and results.
Distinguished Rank re-cipients receive a lump-sum payment of 35 percent of their rate of annual basic pay; Meritorious Rank recipients receive 20 percent of their rate of annual basic pay. All recipi-ents receive a framed certificate signed by the President.
VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki honored the 14 Department leaders who re-
ceived 2010 Presidential Rank Awards during a ceremony at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, D.C., on July 14. “These men and women, with their energy, intellect, drive and determination, have lifted VA to a higher plane, making government live up to its potential for good,” the Secretary said.
VA’s Distinguished Ex-ecutive recipients were: Susan Bowers, Director, VA South-west Health Care Network (VISN 18), Mesa, Ariz.; and Peter Henry (retired), Direc-tor, VA Black Hills Health Care System, Fort Meade, S.D.
Meritorious Executive re-cipients were: Phillipa Ander-son, Assistant General Coun-sel, Office of Government Contracts, VA Central Office; Dr. Carol Batten-Fillman (retired), Director, St. Paul VA Regional Office, Minne-sota; William Cox, Director, Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, Clarksburg, W.Va.; John Dandridge Jr., Direc-tor, VA MidSouth Healthcare Network (VISN 9), Nashville, Tenn.; Richard Ehrlichman,
14 VA Executives Honored With Presidential Rank Awards
VA has embarked on a major initiative to reach out to wom-en Veterans to solicit their input on ways to enhance the health care services VA pro-vides to women Veterans.
Representatives at VA’s Health Resource Center are placing calls to women Veter-ans nationwide, asking them to share their experiences with VA and suggest potential en-hancements that will further VA’s mission to provide the best care anywhere.
Assistant Inspector General for Management and Administra-tion, Office of the Inspector General, VA Central Office; Kevin Hanretta, Deputy As-sistant Secretary, Office of Emergency Management, VA Central Office;
Samuel Jarvis (retired), Director, Muskogee VA Re-gional Office, Oklahoma; William Paul Kearns III, Chief Financial Officer, Veterans Health Administration, VA
Central Office; Thomas Las-towka, Director, Philadelphia VA Regional Office & Insur-ance Center; Timothy Liezert, Director, Orlando VA Medi-cal Center, Florida; William Nicholas (retired), Director, Roanoke VA Regional Of-fice, Virginia; and Ronald Walters, Director, Office of Finance and Planning & Chief Financial Officer, National Cemetery Administration, VA Central Office.
Women Veterans are one of the fastest-growing segments of the Veteran population. Of the 22.7 million living Veter-ans, more than 1.8 million are women. They comprise nearly 8 percent of the total Veteran population and 6 percent of all Veterans who use VA health care services.
VA estimates by 2020 women Veterans will consti-tute 10 percent of the Veteran population and 9.5 percent of VA patients. The HRC, which
started placing calls on June 1, is contacting women Veterans who have enrolled, but have not begun using VA services.
“Through this contact center, we are placing friendly, conversational calls to women Veterans,” said Patricia Hayes, chief consultant for VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care Group. “We want these Veterans and their caregivers to talk candidly about why they are not using VA, whether they are aware
of the gender-specific services we offer, and what additional services they would like to see VA offer.”
The HRC representa-tives making the calls are also informing women Veterans about the services VA offers and quickly connecting them with appropriate departments if they are interested in trying VA health care. Veterans who have complaints about VA are connected to a patient advo-cate who helps resolve issues.
VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki applauds the Department’s 2010 Presidential Rank Award recipients at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., in July.
VA Launches Major Effort to Reach Out to Women Veterans
james lucas
28 VAnguard • July/August 2011
AROUND HEADQUARTERS
In April, the Presidential Management Fellows Program attracted thousands of students from across the nation to par-ticipate in a highly selective job fair in Washington, D.C. Representatives from dozens of federal agencies competed for the best and brightest seeking a meaningful career opportu-nity.
“Being part of this year’s PMF Job Fair was a great experience,” said Corrine D. Smith, who represented the VA New England Healthcare System at the event. “The event was well organized. We were able to meet so many wonderful candidates, and we conducted more than 30 inter-views.”
Each year, the Office of Personnel Management re-cruits recent graduates from top master’s and doctoral pro-grams from accredited colleges and universities worldwide. Fellows can be hired at the GS-9, GS-11 or GS-12 level (or equivalent).
The Presidential Manage-ment Fellows Program selects only the best candidates to become finalists. Just one in 10 applicants are ultimately chosen for a fellowship.
Fellows are able to ex-perience working at a federal
agency through a two-year ap-pointment during which they are challenged with a variety of tasks that require tactical and strategic skills. In addition to working at a single federal agency, fellows have the option to participate in a rotational opportunity at another agency. The program’s main objective is to develop potential govern-ment leaders.
“The PMF program has been an excellent way for me to become part of VA,” said current VA fellow Zeke Reich, Alternative Dispute Resolu-tion specialist, Class of 2010. “Looking around at this year’s PMF job fair, I was very excit-ed to think that a new genera-tion of PMFs will be joining us soon.”
These students are look-ing for careers that will accom-modate their scholastic and employment attributes. Since federal agencies offer many of the benefits and career pros-pects a PMF is seeking, VA provides information about every branch of the Depart-ment and also conducts on-site interviews for qualified fellows. It is essential to establish a highly positive image of VA, its mission, and to emphasize what sets VA apart from the other federal agencies at the
event.“I reinforced friendships
that began at my in-person assessment in Atlanta, clarified position descriptions posted online, made strong contacts at several agencies, and had some very favorable inter-views,” said Matt Deaton, a 2011 PMF finalist.
“I must say that VA stood out in terms of recruitment and organization before and during the fair,” Deaton add-ed. “I pursued two positions within VA, and in both cases my e-mails and phone calls were returned promptly, and
in both cases interviews were scheduled and carried out with professionalism and tact.”
Presidential Manage-ment Fellows are available for hire year round, providing a constant stream of top talent to hiring managers. Each year, the PMF Program recruits thousands of applicants and puts them through a rigor-ous screening process. Only the best become PMF final-ists. Inquiries about the PMF program can be sent to [emailprotected], or visit the OPM/PMF website at www.pmf.opm.gov.
PMF Program Draws Best and Brightest to Work in Government
Kimberly Waggoner, special assistant to the director at the Martinsburg (W.Va.) VA Medical Center, speaks to PMF finalists about the benefits of working for VA.
On June 17, the Secretary of the Interior designated four VA medical centers as Nation-al Historic Landmarks—the highest honor and level of rec-ognition for historic properties in America.
The newest National Historic Landmarks are all former branches of the Veter-ans Health Administration’s
National Historic Landmark Status Granted for Four VHA Sites
earliest ancestor—the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers: Milwaukee (former Northwestern Branch); Moun-tain Home, Tenn. (former Mountain Branch); Leaven-worth, Kan. (former Western Branch); and Hot Springs, S.D. (former Battle Mountain Sanitarium).
Before these four sites
were listed, VHA had only two properties listed as Na-tional Historic Landmarks: the Governor’s House at Togus, Maine, and a Silurian archaeo-logical site on the grounds of the Milwaukee VAMC. All of the former National Homes had cemeteries on them, and in 1973 they were designated as national cemeteries. Nation-
al Historic Landmark status is also extended to the national cemeteries located at these four sites.
There is a distinction between being listed on the National Register of Historic Places versus listing as a Na-tional Historic Landmark. Properties nominated for either category must meet
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VAnguard • July/August 2011 29
OUTLOOKAROUND HEADQUARTERS
PMF Program Draws Best and Brightest to Work in Government certain age, historic integrity and significance criteria, and survive a stringent review process; however, listing as a National Historic Landmark requires that a property be of national significance and that the architecture and site retain an exceptional level of historic integrity and character.
National Historic Land-marks represent the “cream of the crop” in American history or architecture, and these four medical centers now join other significant American land-marks—like the White House, U.S. Capitol, Monticello, and Hoover Dam—in represent-ing an important part of the nation’s past. Each of the new landmark sites will be honored with a bronze plaque from the Secretary of the Interior. The National Historic Landmark Program was established in 1935 and is administered by the National Park Service on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior.
VA partnered with the National Park Service in 2004 to conduct a historical study of sites constructed by VHA’s
The VA Office of Health Information and Office of Informatics and Analytics have launched a pilot project called MyVeHU Campus.
MyVeHU Campus is a Web-based application that as-sists staff with electronic health record training no matter their location. Launched April 26, MyVeHU Campus offers ac-cess to EHR training tools created from a collection of VA eHealth University confer-ences.
MyVeHU Campus is designed to provide the best learning on VA’s award-winning EHR through online
training. All resources are at your fingertips, available for access from the comfort of your own office or from anywhere there’s an Internet connection—from within or outside of the Department’s firewall.
Phase I of MyVeHU Campus has a super, simple, smart search tool to expedite searching for specific EHR training courses. Whether you are looking for a course on disease management or you are searching for a specific health prevention topic, MyVEHU Campus is your one-stop, on-line solution.
VHA Launches Pilot Electronic Health Record Training Web Site
earliest ancestor. VA’s Historic Preservation Office, the Na-tional Cemetery Administra-tion History Program, and the VHA History Office were
involved in the project. Visit this site to read the
nomination report executive summary: www.nps.gov/his-tory/nhl/Downloads/NHDVS/
NHDVS%20Draft%20Two.pdf. Additional information on the National Historic Land-marks can be found at: www.nps.gov/nhl.
Once logged on, users can enter “disease” as a search criterion and get a return on all related courses. If you don’t know where to begin, the questions in “Interview Search” will guide you to nar-row your search by Track, Topic, Keywords, Year, Title or other detail until you ar-rive at the selected course. MyVeHU Campus also offers bookmarking and favorite features to enhance the user’s learning experience.
“We hope VA staff will make MyVeHU Campus their campus for EHR learning by enrolling and bookmarking
www.MyVeHUCampus.com today,” said Gail Graham, act-ing Assistant Deputy Under Secretary for Health, VHA Office of Informatics and Ana-lytics. “MyVeHU Campus will continue to expand and meet users’ needs.”
For questions, contact Becky Monroe, director of training and strategy, VHA Office of Informatics and Analytics, at [emailprotected], or 319-430-0445. Take time today to log on and join the nearly 2,250 users from various countries already tak-ing advantage of MyVeHU Campus.
The newest National Historic Landmarks are all former branches of the Veterans Health Administration’s earliest ancestor—the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, including the Northwestern Branch in Milwaukee.
courtesy of vha history office
30 VAnguard • July/August 2011
INTRODUCING
INTRODUCING
Patrick Sheehan knows all too well the perils of riding the Metro in the Washington, D.C., area. Not only does he deal with the crowded trains, delays and noise daily—he is also visually impaired.
Several years ago, Sheehan was approaching a train at the Silver Spring, Md., station and stepped toward a spot of light that to him indicated an open car door. In fact, it was a space between the cars, and if Shee-han hadn’t realized that at the last minute, the mistake could have been fatal. “If I had fallen into the tracks and the train started up, I could have been crushed, or at least very badly hurt,” said Sheehan, 57.
To prevent such ac-cidents, Sheehan, chairman of the Accessibility Advisory Committee that works with Metro, lobbied to make door barriers a standard part of Metro’s rail cars. In addition, Sheehan, who lost much of his vision in an accident at age 33, has been a driving force behind several improvements, including the installation of barriers between rail cars, guaranteed elevator access and
better station lighting. Shee-han also led the effort to line platform edges with a bumpy material, making it easier for blind people to detect them with canes.
For his efforts, Sheehan was recently awarded the 2010 Richard W. Heddinger Acces-sible Transportation Award by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The award honors a person or or-ganization whose efforts have resulted in significant improve-ments to accessible public
transportation services for people with disabilities.
“Mr. Sheehan has been a champion for people with disabilities, devoting much of his life to improving accessibil-ity in the Washington region and across the country,” said Christian T. Kent, Metro’s Assistant General Manager of Access Services. “We are grate-ful for his leadership and are pleased to present him with the Heddinger Award.”
Since 2002, Sheehan has served as director of the Sec-tion 508 Program Office with-in VA’s Product Development Product Assessment Compe-tency Division in Washington, D.C. He also serves as VA’s Section 508 coordinator, representing the Department in all matters dealing with in-formation technology confor-mance, including interpreting the 508 requirements and how they will be implemented en-terprise-wide. At VA, Sheehan is responsible for ensuring that all electronic and information technology VA buys, procures, maintains or develops meets the requirements of Section 508.
Section 508 ensures that federal employees and members of the public with disabilities have access to and use of information and data comparable to that of employ-ees and members of the public without disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Sec-tion 508 compliance applies to everything from desktop and portable computers, to video and multimedia products, Web-based Internet and Intra-net information and applica-
tions, software applications and operating systems.
Sheehan often talks to IT professionals, procure-ment officials and disabled VA employees to explain what Section 508 is, what disabled employees can expect from VA regarding access, and the agency’s responsibilities under Section 508 and Section 504, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.
But Sheehan doesn’t stop at just making sure VA is com-
pliant with Section 508. In fact, he has become an expert in his field, giving talks in the community, advocating at public forums, and campaign-ing for disabled access rights across the D.C. area. He has advocated on behalf of people who are blind on a number of issues, including the installa-tion of Accessible Pedestrian Signals at street intersections throughout the state of Mary-land, which resulted in a fed-eral decision to install audible traffic signals at intersections
throughout the United States.Sheehan has chaired the
AAC for WMATA for the past 20 years, working on transit issues for disabled persons. He also previously served on the board of directors with the American Council of the Blind, working on issues such as transportation and pedes-trian access for blind and low vision individuals.
To Sheehan, campaign-ing for disabled rights and access is more than just a job. He is satisfied that the needs of disabled people are now taken into consideration on all Metro projects. “Now acces-sibility is integrated into the overall design of what we are doing,” he said. “It’s not an afterthought or add-on.” By Amanda Hester
Patrick Sheehan
“Now accessibility is integrated into the overall design of what we are doing. It’s not an afterthought or add-on.”
Patrick Sheehan is an advocate for disabled rights and access.
Access and Safety for AllPatrick sheehan was awarded the 2010 richard W. heddinger accessible transportation award by the Washington metropoli-tan area transit authority.
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VAnguard • July/August 2011 31
OUTLOOKMEDICAL ADVANCES
Researchers Seek Clues to Combat Stress Resilience and Longer Life in Purple Heart MedalA study led by VA research-ers found that aging Veterans who earned the Purple Heart show decreased mortality compared with those who had not earned the medal. Ad-ditionally, those war-wounded Veterans who survive into later life—especially those who do not develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—may provide valuable clues as to the factors that lead to resilience to combat stress.
A team of VA researchers who studied more than 10,000 Veterans of World War II and the Korean War produced these findings, which appeared online in the journal Depres-sion and Anxiety. “Among the older Veterans we studied, those with Purple Heart cita-tions had half the mortality rate of those without Purple Heart citations,” said lead au-thor Tim Kimbrell, M.D., a physician-researcher with the Center for Mental Health and Outcomes Research, based at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.
Whether the Purple Heart holders had chronic PTSD or not, they were about twice as likely to still be alive after some 10 years of follow-up, compared with those with no Purple Heart and no PTSD. The study included Veterans
who were 65 or older in the late 1990s. It tracked their sur-vival through 2008.
It is estimated that more than a million service mem-bers received a Purple Heart in World War II, and nearly 119,000 in the Korean War. In recent years, researchers with VA and the Department of Defense have sought insight into the psychological and neurobiological factors that en-able some service members to avoid developing PTSD after traumatic events.
The authors of the new VA study say Purple Heart holders who survive long past their war experience without PTSD may be the ideal popu-lation on which to focus such research.
“Our theory was that there are many factors that contribute to resilience to PTSD, and these same factors may increase survival,” said Kimbrell.
The researchers were surprised to find that among Purple Heart recipients, those with PTSD had slightly lower mortality than those without PTSD. This is a contradiction to several studies that have shown a link between chronic stress conditions such as PTSD and worse survival.
Kimbrell and colleagues suggest this finding is due to what they term “early attri-tion.” Those who had been physically injured in World War II or Korea and suffered
PTSD may have been less likely to survive until age 65 in the first place; the PTSD-Purple Heart group included in their study may have been an exceptionally healthy and hearty cohort of Veterans.
The researchers say fur-ther studies involving these Veterans, as well as those who were wounded in combat but did not develop PTSD, may lead to new insights to help prepare future service members to cope with the stress and trauma of war.
Kimbrell, in addition to
his VA role, is also a professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He col-laborated on the study with other authors from his site, as well as with colleagues from the Houston Center for Qual-ity of Care and Utilization Studies, at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center; Baylor College of Medicine; the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, S.C.; the Medical University of South Carolina; and the University of Texas Health Science Center.
A VA study found that aging Veterans who received the Purple Heart show decreased mortality compared with those who did not receive the medal.
Bariatric Surgery Study Looks at Survival Impact in Older VeteransIn the first study to compare survival associated with bar-iatric surgery in mostly male patients, bariatric surgery was not significantly associated with decreased mortality, ac-cording to a research study published in the June 15 issue
of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of obesity, which is a challenge to treat. Bariatric surgery is the most effective way for severely obese patients to achieve weight loss.
The bariatric surgery study compared mortality rates
for 850 obese Veterans who had received the procedure at one of 12 VA bariatric surgery centers between 2000 and 2006. These Veterans were considered to be “high risk” due to older age and greater weight in comparison to more than 41,000 obese Veterans who had not received bariatric surgery, but had used VA out-
patient services. The study also compared
mortality rates for 847 obese Veterans who had received bariatric surgery and 847 matched obese Veterans who had not received bariatric sur-gery. Patients were followed for nearly seven years.
The study was designed to shed light on the benefits of
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32 VAnguard • July/August 2011
MEDICAL ADVANCES
found that bariatric surgery was not significantly associ-ated with reduced mortality. Maciejewski recommends that Veterans who are considering bariatric surgery in VA, and who are similar to Veterans ex-amined in this study, “should be counseled by their VA sur-geon that bariatric surgery may not impact their survival in the medium term (6-7 years), but that the long-term associa-tion with mortality remains unknown.”
Moreover, because a high proportion of Veterans with diabetes or high cholesterol are able to discontinue their medi-cations after bariatric surgery, he suggests that longer-term survival benefits be examined for Veterans who had bariatric surgery after 2006, before VA changes its policy or guide-lines.
Dr. Joel Kupersmith, VA’s chief research and devel-opment officer, notes that VA considers all associated evi-dence in any policy decision,
but notes this is just one study. “It is by conducting leading-edge research studies such as this one on bariatric surgery, and evaluating the meaning in the context of all rigorous sci-entific evidence, that VA Re-search provides the foundation for optimal Veterans’ health care,” he said.
bariatric surgery in a defined group of patients over a lim-ited timeframe. Despite this study’s findings, investigators are not suggesting VA stop do-ing bariatric surgery for certain patients.
“Significant weight loss results in improved disease control and quality of life for patients, so there are many reasons why patients like those in our study may still want to undergo bariatric surgery,” said Dr. Matthew Maciejewski, the study’s lead investigator and part of the Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Services Research in Durham, N.C. “Also, other studies, conducted on different patient popula-tions, have found bariatric sur-gery to be associated with re-duced mortality and have also suggested that survival benefits from surgery-induced weight loss may take longer than six years to become evident.”
An analysis of the 1,694 propensity-matched patients
Maciejewski also does not recommend that insurers stop covering bariatric surgery for high-risk patients based on these study results because, “survival is just one aspect of the cost-effectiveness of bar-iatric surgery, which has been shown to be cost-effective for eligible patients.”
Special Journal Showcases VA Women’s Health ResearchA special supplement of the journal Women’s Health Issues published July 13 shows the tremendous growth and di-versity of VA women’s health research in recent years.
Titled “Health and Health Care of Women Veterans and Women in the Military: Research Informing Evidence-based Practice and Policy,” the special journal edition, known as a supple-ment, features commentaries by VA investigators examining the role, history and future of women’s health research.
For example, in an open-ing commentary, Elizabeth M. Yano, Ph.D., and Susan M. Frayne, M.D., discuss the heightened focus on health
services research, with more articles published between 2004 and 2008—the first four years after the VA Office of Research and Development established its women’s health agenda—“than in the previous 25 years combined.”
The supplement also includes 18 peer-reviewed research articles addressing the changing demographics and demands of VA health care presented by the recent surge of women Veterans into the VA system. Among the topics addressed are: gender differences and disparities in care; mental health, including military sexual trauma and substance abuse; post-deploy-ment health, including post-traumatic stress disorder; qual-ity and delivery of care; and special populations, including
homeless women Veterans and those with traumatic brain injuries.
“With women expected to make up 10 percent of the Veteran population by 2018,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Robert A. Petzel, M.D., “our goal of excellence in health care for all of our nation’s Veterans makes it im-perative that we prepare now to meet future demands.”
VA Chief Research and Development Officer Joel Ku-persmith, M.D., noted, “VA Research is making a tremen-dous difference in the lives of women Veterans. The supple-ment clearly shows the scope and depth of VA’s research portfolio and the many ways we are working to improve the health of women Veterans.”
Women’s Health Issues is
the bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal of the Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. The journal focuses on applied research in women’s health care and policy issues.
The special supplement, focused on research related to the health issues of women Veterans and military women, was sponsored by the Health Services Research and Devel-opment Service, VA Office of Research and Development, with support from the Women Veterans Health Strategic Health Care group.
Free full-text access to the supplement’s articles on VA women’s health research is available at www.whijournal.com/supplements.
In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the prevalence of obe-sity, which is a challenge to treat.
robert turtil
VAnguard • July/August 2011 33
OUTLOOKHAVE YOU HEARD
Sock Hop Brings Back MemoriesThe VA Hudson Valley Health Care System’s Castle Point campus holds several dances each year to enhance cultural transformation initia-tives in the Community Living Centers. Many Veterans love to reminisce about the past, and the CLC residents suggested a sock hop. Nutri-tion and Food, Recreation Therapy, Voluntary and Nursing Services collaborated to make this event a “blast from the past.”
All aspects of the dance immersed the residents back in time to the ’50s, from the food—mini hamburgers, French fries and root beer floats—to the soda shop, music and juke-box-themed décor. Fifties music was provided by a disc jockey, and staff dressed in ’50s attire to add to the ambience. Residents, volunteers, and family members from the Montrose and Castle Point campuses attended, socialized and danced to the music.
“Getting together for an event really stimulates the residents and brings back good thoughts,” said Catherine Napoli, associate chief for Extended Care at VA Hudson Val-ley. “What a wonderful outing we had,” said Charles Ferris, a disabled Veteran and Purple Heart recipient.
Rhode Island National Guard Commanding General Enrolls at Providence VAWhen the Providence (R.I.) VA Medical Center opened its nationally recognized Operation En-during Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Clinic back in February 2010, the goal was to provide OEF/OIF Veterans a one-stop shopping model of integrative primary and behavioral health care as well as an opportunity to seek after-hours care. The Clinic became an overnight success and, to date, has more than 400 newly established patients. It was recently re-designated as the OEF/OIF/
OND Post-Deployment Clinic to include Veterans participating in Operation New Dawn and now provides Veterans with both their initial and follow-up appointments.
On May 25, the Clinic welcomed one of its newest enrollees. Maj. Gen. Robert Bray, commanding general of the Rhode Island National Guard and adjutant for the state of Rhode Island, joined the long list of newly established patients who have en-rolled and are receiving their health care at the Providence VAMC. Just like every other Veteran who establishes care with VA, Bray underwent a vesting examination, which
includes a primary care screen as well as mental health and traumatic brain injury screens. He also met with representatives from the Providence VA Regional Office, the Vet Success on Campus Program, and the local Wounded Warrior Project.
“The Providence VAMC’s implementation of the OEF/OIF Clinic has provided a unique one-stop shopping model of care for our Veterans,” Bray commented after his visit. “The service is fantastic, but it is the VA’s employees that make the difference. Especially their smiles.” Bray re-cently tendered his resignation from his position as state adjutant and commanding general, Rhode Island National Guard, effective June 30.
Nebraska Health Care Professionals First in VA to Attend Homeland Security TrainingEleven health care profession-als from the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System were the first in the Veterans Health Administra-tion to attend an integrated training program at the Center for Domestic Preparedness, in Anniston, Ala., in June. The CDP is operated by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is the only federally chartered weap-ons of mass destruction train-ing facility in the nation.
The VA employees at-tended the Healthcare Leader-ship for Mass Casualty Inci-dents course, which is a four-day, 32-hour program that provides health care responders an opportunity to address realistic decisions regarding an all-hazards disaster in a facility-based exercise. The course is a combination of lecture and exercises, providing respond-ers a foundation on which to make critical decisions during a fast-paced final exercise.
The CDP develops and delivers advanced training for emergency response providers, emergency managers, and oth-er government officials from state, local and tribal govern-ments. The CDP provides more than 50 training courses that focus on incident manage-ment, mass casualty response and emergency response to a catastrophic natural disaster or terrorist act. Resident training at the CDP includes health care and public health courses at the Noble Training Facility, the nation’s only hospital dedi-cated to training health care professionals or their agency.
Resident Charles Ferris takes time out to pose with his recreation therapist, Charles Leitch.
Patient Care Assistant Valerie Machado takes Maj. Gen. Robert Bray’s vital signs.
thomas antonaccio
christine coulter
34 VAnguard • July/August 2011
HAVE YOU HEARD
VA Palo Alto Project Delivers Disaster Kits to Veterans With DementiaGovernments must react to disasters, but they can also learn from past experience and respond accordingly. That’s the spirit behind the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Ge-riatric Research Education and Clinical Center/Geriatrics and Extended Care pilot project to distribute disaster education and disaster kits to Veterans with memory loss.
The GRECC team aligned with Home Based Primary Care program rep-resentative Abbie Layton and the VA San Jose Adult Day Health Care Program representative Sue Anne McLean to develop and disseminate these kits. The team put together 550 disaster kits and began distribution on June 24 to Veterans and caregivers through Home Based Primary Care, Adult Day Health and GRECC clinics. The kits contained such things as a crank radio, an emergency beacon, a first aid kit, photo ID and emergency contact number holders, hand sanitizers, gloves, face mask, key information related to behavior manage-ment strategies in a disaster and other helpful disaster response information.
“These kits are intended to support Veterans with special needs,” said Dr. Nancy Oliva, ge-riatric fellow with the GRECC. “Research conducted after 9/11 revealed the special problems en-countered by frail older adults and other populations of need. Memory loss can occur in Veterans, particularly in older adults, as a result of various dementias, previous traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Disaster preparedness in a vulnerable Veteran and caregiver popula-tion calls for anticipatory guidance and structured support in the form of the basic information and supplies in the disaster kits.” The kits cost $25 each. Much of the money came from commu-nity donations.
Ribbons Cut for VA’s First and Second Free-Standing Dialysis ClinicsOver a two-week period, the VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) hosted official ribbon-cutting ceremo-nies for VA’s first two free-standing dialysis clinics. The clinics, located in Fayetteville, N.C., and the Brier Creek area of Raleigh, N.C., were first conceived in 2008 to address the growing need for dialysis among Veterans in North Carolina.
According to VISN 6 Director Dan Hoffmann, the network developed a long-range plan that focused on building internal capacity to provide dialysis and to estab-lish best practices in provid-ing dialysis care for Veterans. “Bringing these clinics on line clearly demonstrates our com-mitment to caring for Veter-ans, and our responsiveness to their specific and localized needs,” Hoffmann said.
The VA Dialysis Clinic at Fayetteville is a 16-station clin-ic that will serve 64 Veterans, and the VA Dialysis Clinic at Brier Creek is a 12-station clinic that will serve 48 Veter-ans. According to Dr. Wissam Kourany, medical director of the Brier Creek clinic, bring-ing dialysis under a single umbrella of care enhances continuity of care and allows for consistent and integrated oversight of medical records. This gives the Veteran’s entire health care team the ability to maintain continuous awareness of each Veteran’s treatment and status.
Hoffmann stated that “while the unfortunate fact is that the need for dialysis in this area is expected to grow, the fact that we are here today is testament to VA’s commit-ment to meeting those needs.”
Cleveland VA Medical Center Empowers Veterans and People With DisabilitiesIn May, the Cleveland VA Medical Center hosted its first-ever career fair strictly for Veterans and people with disabilities. “The focus of the event was to knock down barriers that Veterans and people with disabilities often face when seeking employment, by arranging informational meetings with managers in our organiza-tion,” said recruiter Chuck Bonacci. Out of the 79 job seekers that attended, 11 are being considered for hire.
“This fair was not formed to hire Veterans and people with disabilities; it was formed to hire highly qualified in-dividuals who happen to be Veterans and people with dis-abilities,” said event coordina-tor Shawn Beham. Supervisors praised the job seekers for their enthusiasm and motivation. Many were blind, mentally challenged, or Veterans with service-connected disabilities.
The job fair was consistent with VA’s goals for hiring more employees with disabilities and Veterans.
Navy Veteran Ray Chastain and wife Charlotte receive a disaster kit from Betty Wexler, clinical nurse specialist.
barbara breen
gail gullickson
VAnguard • July/August 2011 35
OUTLOOKHAVE YOU HEARD
Father’s Group Seeks to Change Negative Cycles of Thinking and BehaviorThe Veterans of the Father’s Group in the VA Maryland Health Care System’s Intensive Outreach Program hosted their “Father’s Day 2011” program on June 16 at the Baltimore VA Medical Cen-ter, inviting a national fatherhood expert to deliver the keynote address. Joseph T. Jones is CEO of the Center for Urban Families and a panel member of the Fatherhood and Healthy Families Taskforce of President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partner-
ships. About a dozen Veteran fathers also presented their perspectives on the need to honor their own fathers, change and improve their legacies, modify their roles as fathers to be more than “providers,” and embrace other roles, such as mentors, listening boards and role models.
“I spoke to Father’s Group back when it first started, and it is gratifying to see how far it has come and how much it has grown over the years,” Jones said, noting that the event is now held in an auditorium with nearly 80 participants. The Father’s Group is an elective psy-choeducational group that began in 1999 and is led by Mark Arenas, Ph.D., a clini-
cal psychologist. Since its inception, Father’s Group members have made presentations to VA clin-ics and programs and at fatherhood conventions, educating others about fatherhood and recovery.
Fort Bliss National Cemetery Honors Seven Unaccompanied VeteransSeven Veterans whose re-mains had been in the care of the coroner’s office in Las Cruces, N.M., unclaimed, were laid to rest at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in Texas with military honors on July 6. This was a collaborative ef-fort between the Missing in America Project, Funeraria Del Angel Martin Central Funeral Home, Dignity Memorial providers, staff at Fort Bliss National Cemetery and the Na-tional Cemetery Scheduling Office in St. Louis.
“These Veterans, whose remains, for whatever reasons, have never been claimed by anyone as family—we stand now as their family,” said Mary Slawson, of Funeraria Del Angel. “It is an honor and a privilege to be able to provide these soldiers and airmen with the dignified burials they de-serve.” The procession was led by the Patriot Guard and Freedom Riders. A crowd of more than 100 attended the ceremony. Dignity Memorial and the funeral home provided the metal urns, each with the branch of service emblem.
The five Army Veterans’ urns were carried by Army Veterans, including Fort Bliss National Cemetery Director Mat Williams, and the Air Force Veterans’ urns were carried by active duty Air Force. An Army and Air Force chaplain each said prayers, followed by taps and folding of the flags. As a distant bagpiper played “Amazing Grace,” one flag was presented to Las Cruces Mayor Kenneth Miyagishima, and one to El Paso Mayor John Cook. The other flags were presented to Fort Bliss National Cemetery to fly on the Avenue of Flags. The seven Veterans were placed in the columbarium at Fort Bliss National Cemetery.
VA Butler Hosts First PTSD Awareness DayVA Butler (Pa.) Health-care successfully hosted an inaugural Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Day June 27 in conjunc-tion with National PTSD Awareness Day.
Behavioral Healthcare staff members specializing in the treatment of PTSD were on hand throughout the day, including psychol-ogists and social workers, to offer support, distribute informational materials, and answer questions re-lated to PTSD and PTSD support services and treat-ment options for Veterans and family members.
In addition to making health care professionals available, Butler Health-care provided information-al and resource materials from the National Center for PTSD, QuickSeries® PTSD and TBI booklets, VA Butler Healthcare sup-port services information, as well as patient educa-tion tools and giveaways, snacks and more to em-ployees and visitors alike.
VA Butler Healthcare is planning to make Na-tional PTSD Awareness Day an annual event in an effort to offer accurate and current information about what PTSD is and the advances that have been made to treat it, dispel the myths, and provide the opportunity to decrease the stigma surrounding mental health issues and PTSD. VA Butler’s Be-havioral Healthcare staff also plans to expand the event next year to include additional information and activities.
Director Mat Williams (in suit) carries an Army Veteran’s urn.
National fatherhood expert Joseph T. Jones speaks to the group at their Father’s Day event in Baltimore.
mary camardelli
richard milanich
36 VAnguard • July/August 2011
HONORS
Chief Nursing Officer Receives Honorary Degree from Marquette UniversityCathy Rick, VA’s chief nursing officer, was recog-nized for a lifetime of ser-vice to Veterans when Mar-quette University in Mil-waukee recently bestowed her with an honorary doc-torate in science. “Catherine Rick serves as the voice of more than 75,000 nurses in the largest integrated health care system in the world,” said Marquette University President Robert Wild. “Her pioneering efforts over the past decade are cited as a national model for the private sector, setting the stage for health care im-provement for all of us.”
Wild said Rick created the necessary structures for systems improvement, data-driven inquiry, and the ability for nurses to act at the point of care, concurrently capturing and spreading innovation throughout the entire VA system. “During the recent health reform debate,” he said, “many of Ms. Rick’s innovations within the VA were credited with bending the cost curve and achieving quality across a full con-tinuum of care.” Rick was nominated for her honorary doctorate by Margaret Callahan, dean and professor at Marquette University’s College of Nursing.
Cathy Rick received an honorary doctorate during Marquette University’s May 22 commencement. Partici-pating in her “hooding ceremony” are Father Robert Wild, university president, and Margaret Callahan, dean and professor at the school’s College of Nursing.
courtesy of marquette university
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance Receives Government Accountants Group AwardVA Deputy Assistant Secretary for Finance Edward J. Murray received the prestigious Achievement of the Year Award from the As-sociation of Government Accountants in July during the organization’s 60th Annual Professional Development Conference & Expo-sition in Atlanta. The AGA Achievement of the Year Award provides national recognition to an individual for outstanding achieve-ment in developing, implementing or improving financial management during the past year.
Murray led an effort to deliver specialized training to VA’s entire financial management workforce of approximately 6,800 em-ployees. He led identification of training designed to enhance the technical skills of beginning career employees through senior-level employees, provided multiple venues for staff to obtain recognized financial certifications, set up senior-level training to aid the de-velopment of future leaders through attendance at the Chief Financial Officers Academy, and planned and held large-scale financial management conferences. Murray is responsible for the financial management of the second-largest Cabinet department, and one of the most complex from a financial perspective. In fiscal year 2010, VA spent $127.2 billion across a complex range of programs.
Health Administration Center Executive Appointed Baldrige ExaminerJames McCorvey, chief financial officer for the VA Health Administration Center in Denver, has been appointed by the director of the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, Dr. Patrick Gallagher, to the 2011 Board of Exam-iners for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award, created by public law in 1987, is the highest level of national recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive. As an examiner, McCorvey is responsible for reviewing and evaluating applications submitted for the award. The board is composed of approximately 500 leading experts selected from in-dustry, professional and trade organizations, education and health care organizations, and nonprofits (including government). Those selected meet the highest standards of qualification and peer recognition. All members of the board must take part in a preparation course based on the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence and the scoring and evaluation processes for the Baldrige Award.
VAnguard • July/August 2011 37
OUTLOOKHONORS
Houston VA Executives Receive Award of Merit from Bar AssociationThe Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center’s director, Adam Walmus, and Social Work executive, Miguel Ortega, were recognized by the Houston Bar Association with an Award of Merit for their support and assistance with the successful legal clinic held at the Houston facility each Friday. Walmus and Ortega have been integral to the success of the Bar Associa-tion’s weekly legal advice clinic for Veterans. Their support and assistance in navigating VA regulations has made it possible to con-duct a legal clinic every Fri-day at the medical center.
The pair has been in-strumental in setting up a network to ensure that Vet-erans who enter the hospital get the resources they need, including help with legal issues such as family law, landlord/tenant issues, wills and probate, and tax laws. Since 2008, the clinic has continued to grow and now assists 30-40 Veterans each week, with five to eight vol-unteer attorneys providing legal advice.
Physician-Researcher Honored for Career AchievementVA physician-researcher Dr. Michael J. Fine received the 2011 John M. Eisenberg Award for Career Achievement in Research from the Society of General Internal Medicine recently. “Dr. Fine’s work reflects great credit upon the VA health care system and our research program,” said VA Chief Research and Development Of-ficer Dr. Joel Kupersmith.
Fine directs the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), based in Pennsylvania, and is a professor at the University of Pitts-burgh. His innovative research has led to improvements in the clinical manage-ment of community-acquired pneumonia. The work has also helped shape nation-al and international quality and efficiency standards in this area. In related work, he recently evaluated an initiative at several VA sites to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections and boost providers’ use of alcohol-based hand rubs, which was recently recognized by the New England Journal of Medicine. He also led a major study aimed at shortening the duration of intrave-nous antibiotic therapy and hospital stays for people with pneumonia.
Right: Adam Walmus (seated) and Miguel Ortega received the Award of Merit from the Houston Bar Association.
VA Employee Inducted Into Pennsylvania Veterans Hall of FameThe Pennsylvania De-partment of Military and Veterans Affairs inducted a VA employee into its Hall of Fame earlier this year. Dr. Rory Cooper, director of Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Rehabilitation Research and Development Service for VA, was recognized for his exceptional service to veterans, the military and the nation.
“Dr. Cooper is a uniquely gifted scien-tist, engineer, inventor, educator, author, athlete, motivational speaker and public servant,” said Maj. Gen. Wesley E. Craig, the state’s adjutant general. “He has dedicated himself to improving the lives of veterans, people with dis-abilities and service mem-bers through advanced engineering and medical rehabilitation research and development.”
Since 2004, Cooper has been co-director of the Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s science symposium on research to clinical care and medi-cal rehabilitation. He is a co-editor of the Borden Institute’s Textbook of Military Medicine on the care of combat amputees. Cooper led the effort to bring the National Veter-ans Wheelchair Games to Pittsburgh this year and served as chairman of the event’s local organizing committee.
temPle Webber
38 VAnguard • July/August 2011
HONORS
Promising Houston Cancer Researcher Receives AwardDaniel A. Anaya, M.D., a surgical oncologist and director of the Liver Tumor Program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, was re-cently selected to receive the 2011 Conquer Cancer Foundation of American Society of Clinical Oncol-ogy Career Development Award for his research, ti-tled “Postoperative Transitional and Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in Elderly Patients with Colorectal Cancer.”
Anaya’s research focuses on using a comprehen-sive battery of tests geared toward assessing the base-line health condition of elderly patients to predict how surgical and multidisciplinary management of colorectal cancer affects patients’ subsequent quality of life and ability to recover their pre-cancer health. This information will assist in the decision-making process when considering different treatment strate-gies and identify specific areas where care provided before, during and after surgery can be optimized. The goal of Anaya’s research is to improve overall outcomes in the elderly. Anaya is also an assistant professor of Surgery/Surgical Oncology at Baylor College of Medicine.
IT Deputy Honored by Government ExecutiveVA Deputy Assistant Sec-retary Jerry Davis, of the Office of Information and Technology, was featured in Government Executive magazine’s June special is-sue “The Chiefs,” spotlight-ing innovative chief officers in various disciplines in the executive branch. The Government Executive edito-rial team selected Davis to be featured in the magazine because “you have done an exemplary job in address-ing the challenges your agency faces. We believe our audience—senior lead-ers from across the federal government and the mili-tary—would be very inter-ested in hearing about your successes and your views on what the future holds.”
Davis was invited to speak, along with other fea-tured executives, at a related event, part of Government Executive’s long-running series at the National Press Club. The forum offers many high-ranking govern-ment officials a chance to air their views on pressing issues of the day.
VA’s Mail-Order Pharmacy Wins J.D. Power Customer Service AwardVA’s mail-order pharmacy program has been recognized as a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion, one of only 40 entities in the United States to earn the distinction this year. “We are honored to receive this distinction and be included in this elite group of companies that focus on customer service excellence,” said Rita Brueckner, national quality management officer for VA’s Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy program. “Customer satisfaction is our top priority, and we appreciate this external recognition of our efforts.”
VA’s CMOP program mails prescription medications and supplies directly to patients. Local VA medical center pharmacies almost always process and dispense the initial prescription order; after that, the vast majority of refills are handled via mail order. The goal is delivery of medication or supplies to the patient within 10 days of request. VA typically gets the prescription delivered in less than five days. CMOP processed nearly 107 million prescriptions in fiscal year 2010. Every workday, 300,000 Veterans receive medication or supplies from VA.
Dr. Daniel Anaya
Lovell Nurse Wins American Nurses Association Immunity AwardNavy Veteran Stephen Dolak, an immunization nurse specialist at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center in North Chicago, Ill., was recently awarded the American Nurses Association Immunity Award for June 2011. The monthly national immunity award is part of the ANA’s Bringing Immunity to Every Community project. “This award is much more a reflection of my immunization team,” said Dolak. “It’s about this motivated team providing the best care for our patients.”
Dolak considerably streamlined the immunization program at the Lovell FHCC’s Fisher Branch Health Clinic by redesigning it to facilitate a larger volume of patients. This change increased the compliance rate for tuberculosis skin test interpretive readings from 60 to 95 percent. The retired Naval officer with 22 years of service also improved the vaccine program to protect against yellow fever, endemic to some tropical regions, while also devising a plan to reduce waste of multi-dose vials of the vaccine.
Stephen Dolak lt. vanessa dehner
VAnguard • July/August 2011 39
OUTLOOKHEROES
Dental Professionals Save More Than Teeth and SmilesIn the early evening of June 16, four Minneapolis VA Medical Center dental staff members were bicycling around Minnehaha Park following the annual picnic to honor outgo-ing residents. One of them noticed a man in the fast-moving creek, less than 50 yards from a waterfall. He appeared to be in serious trouble, attempting to grab onto rocks, but slipping away.
Giselle Rushin, a VA dental as-sistant, was the first to respond. She jumped off her bike, leaped over the fence by the creek, and extended a hand to help the stranger. Dental assistant Linda Borash, dental hygienist Donna Young and dentist Dr. Ipinder Puri were right behind her. They formed a human chain and began to pull together, but it wasn’t enough to extract the man from the water. Young began yelling for help. Fortunately, a couple of bicyclists heard the call and stopped to join the human chain. Together the group was able to haul the man to safety. The victim was later transported to a hospital.
Off-Duty Dublin VA Cop Saves Veteran’s LifeWhile dining with his family at a local restaurant, Sgt. Craig An-dreen, of Police Services at the Carl Vinson VA Medical Center in Dublin, Ga., noticed a man standing at a table with a pan-icked look on his face. The man’s wife yelled, “He’s choking.” Without hesitation, Andreen performed the Heimlich maneuver, forcing the obstruction out and saving the man’s life. After learn-ing that Andreen was a police officer with VA, the victim proud-ly proclaimed that he was a Navy Veteran and thanked him for not only saving his life, but also for his own continued service to his country as a federal police officer.
When asked to describe his actions, Andreen said, “I just did what I was trained to do. VA police officers are required to be CPR-certified at all times, and I’ve been a VA cop for seven years, so I was definitely ready. Besides, public service is what I do.” Chief of Police Frank G. Jordan Jr., was not at all surprised by his officer’s actions. “Sgt. Andreen never misses an opportu-nity to demonstrate what true public service is all about.”
VA Officers Respond to Shots FiredOn May 5, Phoenix VA police received a phone call that gunshots were being fired in the parking lot outside the Community Living Center. The caller hung up before providing any details.
VA police officers Er-ick DeWerth and Kenneth Wright were on duty and immediately responded to the area of the CLC, where a large group of people were gathered outside pointing to a man stand-ing along the perimeter fence line. Apparently, the man had been involved in a road rage incident and fired multiple gunshots at the other vehicle. As Offi-cers DeWerth and Wright approached, the man be-gan yelling, “I have a gun.” With weapons drawn, the officers ordered the man to the ground and successfully took him into custody.
Assisting in the in-cident were Lt. Norman Drury, Sgt. Tim Franklin and Officer Hector Ba-rahona, who arrived on scene while DeWerth and Wright were taking the suspect into custody. Each provided critical on-site support by cordoning off the area and processing the crime scene.
“Their ability to respond quickly, with lim-ited information, and place themselves in harm’s way for the safety of others is a true example of courage and willingness to get the job done,” said Assistant Chief of Police Justin K. Flynn. “Both DeWerth and Wright are being awarded Certificates of Commendation.”
Middletown Vet Center Therapist Thwarts Suicide AttemptJames McMahon, a marriage and family therapist at the Middletown (N.Y.) Vet Center, was on his way home from work on June 10 when he saw a man standing on a bridge with one foot over the railing looking like he was about to jump. “My initial thoughts were the outcome wouldn’t be good for the guy, or an innocent driver passing by, if he decided to follow through with his intention,” said McMahon, who immediately turned his car around and went back to talk to the would-be suicide victim.
“I asked him if he wanted to talk, to which he initially didn’t respond, but moved closer to the outer edge of the overpass,” McMahon recalled. “I continued to attempt to engage the gentle-man until we began a disjointed conversation about the circ*mstances leading up to this point in the day. At that point, people were driving by slowly, and I asked a passing driver to call the local police for assistance.” McMahon continued to talk to the man until authorities arrived.
Left to right: Dr. Ipinder Puri, Linda Borash, Giselle Rushin and Donna Young.
aPril eilers
Sgt. Craig Andreen
golden age games PhotograPhy team
Quest for Gold in Hawaiifor 25 years, military veterans age 55 and older have come to the national veterans golden age games to compete and demonstrate that the warrior spirit never fades. this year, the competition was held in honolulu may 26-31. more than 900 veterans from across the country, includ-ing air force veteran alan mccullough, 58, of indianapolis, competed in 14 different categories for medals. the event is co-sponsored by va, help hospitalized veterans and the veterans canteen service. it was hosted this year by the va Pacific islands health care system. aloha!
