COMBAT & OPERATIONAL STRESS/ PTS/TBI

·         Returning To The Battlefield, With A Brain Injury” (ALL THINGS CONSIDERED-NPR, 10 May 11) --- The signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan undefined mild traumatic brain injury, or TBI undefined is hard to diagnose and just as difficult to treat. Now, many of these injured soldiers are returning to duty, and doctors are struggling to determine whether and when they're well enough to fight. One way to find out is to observe patients under the stress of combat in simulated battlefield situations. That's what physicians at Fort Campbell in Kentucky are doing with recovering TBI patients.  http://www.npr.org/2011/05/10/136170907/returning-to-the-battlefield-with-a-brain-injury

·         General Peter Chiarelli Discusses Post War Trauma: (KUOW-NPR, SEATTLE) --- General Peter Chiarelli won't talk about post traumatic stress (PTS) without mentioning traumatic brain injury (TBI). Both share common risk factors, symptoms and functional impairment. Chiarelli says the Army has instituted new protocols to screen soldiers for both PTS and TBI while they're deployed.  http://kuow.org/program.php?id=23374

·         Few Troops Exposed To Bomb Blasts Are Screened For Concussion: (NPR) --- More than half of U.S. combat troops in Afghanistan have been exposed to bomb blasts in the last year, but only about 1 in 5 of them said they were examined for concussions, according to a draft of a recent military survey. Medical officials failed to screen about 80 percent of soldiers and Marines who reported being within 50 meters of a roadside blast during their tour of duty, according to combat troops surveyed in July and August of last year. http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/05/10/136186932/few-troops-exposed-to-bomb-blasts-are-screened-for-concussion

·         Radar Gun Diagnoses Head Trauma By Scanning a Person's Gait: (POPULAR SCIENCE) --- Concussions have been getting a lot of air time lately, not only as evidence has emerged among head trauma-heavy populations like NFL players that their lifestyles may be doing serious long-term damage to their brains, but also because soldiers overseas are particularly vulnerable to them thanks to the tactics of insurgent warfare. But researchers at Georgia Tech have designed a device not unlike a traffic cop’s “radar gun” that could soon diagnose head traumas quickly and accurately by analyzing a person’s gait, whether on the playing field or the battlefield. http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2011-05/radar-gun-concussions-diagnoses-head-trauma-persons-gait

WOUNDED WARRIOR CARE/TREATMENT

·         First-Ever Aortic Procedure Performed at LRMC: (USAF NEWS) --- The international and collaborative nature of medicine at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center resulted in a first-ever procedure that also prevented the need for open heart-bypass surgery. http://www.sg.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123255085

·         Impact of BRAC on military health care; Era ends at Walter Reed: (WTOP-DC) --- Coots says the facilities will have world-class capabilities to treat traumatic brain injuries, amputee care and rehabilitation, behavioral health care, substance abuse, comprehensive cancer care and every specialty any state-of-the-art hospital would have.  http://www.wtop.com/?nid=978&sid=2376820

WOUNDED WARRIOR & FAMILY SUPPORT

·         Leaders Discuss Afghanistan Redeployment Challenges: (DOD NEWS) --- During a May 6 redeployment-focused conference here that brought together the brigade’s seven religious support teams -- each consisting of a chaplain and chaplain assistant -- the brigade’s commander and command sergeant major outlined the challenges they expect as the troops move home and cope with their deployment’s aftermath. http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=63882

WARRIOR GAMES

·         Warrior Games in the Springs: (BERTHOUD RECOREDER, CO) --- The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), the Department of Defense, presenting sponsor Deloitte, and the United Service Organizations (USO) are bringing the Warrior Games again to Colorado Springs next Monday. The competition, which is a joint effort between the USOC and the Department of Defense, will take place May 16-21, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. http://www.berthoudrecorder.com/2011/05/10/warrior-games-in-the-springs/

·         Competitor gets lift in defeating illness: (VIRGINIA PILOT, NORFOLK) --- Last year, she learned about the Warrior Games and applied. It was her first opportunity to compete in years.  "It's nice in the fact that I'm not the only one anymore," she said. "A lot of times, especially for those of us who are retired, we're sort of cut off from the community and other people who are hurt because we're not active duty anymore." http://hamptonroads.com/2011/05/warrior-games-competitor-gets-lift-defeating-illness

·         Soldiers begin practice week for Warrior Games: (ARMY NEWS) --- The second annual Warrior Games is gearing up for competition with a week-long training session in Colorado Springs, Colo., starting today.  Two hundred wounded, ill and injured athletes from across the services are training to compete for gold in seven different events during the Games: archery, cycling, wheelchair basketball, shooting, swimming, track and field, and sitting volleyball. The competition runs May 16-21,2011, and is a joint effort the U.S. Olympic Committee and the U.S. Department of Defense. http://www.army.mil/-news/2011/05/09/56213-soldiers-begin-practice-week-for-warrior-games/

“SEA OF GOOD WILL”

·         Mullen: America Must Help Its War Veterans: (DOD NEWS) ---  Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke about service member and veteran issues to a crowd primed for a Lady Gaga show here last night. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff found a nontraditional audience for his message about the military as part of a fundraiser for the Robin Hood Foundation at the Javits Center. The group raised $132 million last year for charities all over the city, and this year announced a special fund to help veterans in Metro New York. http://www.defense.gov//News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=63891

VA

·         Federal appeals court blasts VA mental health care system, orders dramatic overhaul: (WASHINGTON POST) --- Noting that an average of 18 veterans a day commit suicide, a federal appeals court on Tuesday ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to dramatically overhaul its mental health care system.  In the strongly worded ruling, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it takes the department an average of four years to fully provide the mental health benefits owed veterans. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/federal-appeals-court-blasts-va-mental-health-care-system-orders-dramatic-overhaul/2011/05/10/AFP4MziG_story.html

HOMELESS VETERANS

·         Homeless Veterans Flashing Big Smiles These Days: (UNIV OF MD, BALTO) --- Bright is among more than 2,500 homeless veterans who are now flashing big smiles these days, thanks to a continuing partnership between the VA Maryland Health Care System and the Dental School.  "We fix up their smiles so they can interview for jobs and continue their lives. Smiling is a very important part of meeting people and socializing," said Douglas Barnes, DDS, MS, director of advanced education in general dentistry at the School, which is across the street from the VA hospital in Baltimore. http://www.oea.umaryland.edu/communications/news/?ViewStatus=FullArticle&articleDetail=12995

From: Office of Advocacy, Small Business Administration

Sent:  Wednesday, May 11, 2011 9:00 AM

Subj:  Factors Affecting Entrepreneurship among Veterans

We know from previous Advocacy-sponsored research and more than three decades of data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that year in and year out veterans have a consistently higher rate of self-employment than non-veterans.  Why is this?  The new study by the SAG Corporation, Factors Affecting Entrepreneurship among Veterans, investigates this question and quantifies a variety of factors observed in its analyses.

A copy of the report is located at:

http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/rs384tot.pdf  and the research summary can be found at: http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/files/rs384.pdf

Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Joe Sobota at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov

** To sign up for Advocacy updates via RSS feed, visit http://www.sba.gov/advocacy/feed

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From: Kevin Secor at VA HQ

Sent:  Wednesday, May 11, 2011 3:58 AM

Subj: HAVE YOU HEARD?

The U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC), are now accepting proposals for the 2011 Olympic Opportunity Fund. The program, provided through a partnership between the USOC and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will provide $5,000 to $25,000 per grant to community organizations to create and expand Paralympics sport and physical activity programs for disabled Veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces. Organizations eligible to apply for the Olympic Opportunity Fund include Paralympics Sport Clubs, USOC member organizations, military and Veteran service organizations and other community-based organizations that provide Paralympics sports programming or opportunities to Veterans with physical and visual disabilities. Last year’s grant recipients included some 20 community groups that partnered with VA facilities to provide specific adaptive sporting opportunities for patients at VA medical centers. Details on the 2011 request for proposals can be found at http://usparalympics.org/community-programs/2011-olympic-opportunity-fund. The online application is available at http://bit.ly/lohm4G . All completed applications are due by 5 p.m. Mountain Time, Friday, May 27, 2011.

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From: VA Media Relations

Sent:  Wednesday, May 11, 2011 12:08 PM

Subj: Veterans Affairs Honored by 2011 Innovations in Government Award

Harvard Cites Ethics Initiative as One of Top 25

WASHINGTON – The ethics program used by the Department of Veterans Affairs to handle issues affecting its patients is a semi-finalist for the prestigious “Innovations in Government” award from Harvard University for the third time in a decade.

“This honor is a tribute to the men and women who care for our sick and injured veterans, and to VA’s health care system, which is leading the industry in so many sectors,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  “In VA, we view ethics as an integral part of health care services to Veterans, which helps define VA’s health care excellence in the 21st century.”

VA’s ethics program, officially known as Integrated Ethics, is a practical and comprehensive model for organizational ethics that was developed by VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care.  In 2007, the IE was implemented at 152 VA medical centers and 21 regional networks across the country.

The annual award for excellence and creativity in the public sector is sponsored by Harvard University’s Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Kennedy School of Government.

The top 25 programs were selected from approximately 500 entries.  In the fall, five finalists and one winner of the Innovations in Government award will be announced.

The Integrated Ethics model uses an image of an iceberg to illustrate the concept of “ethics quality,” according to Dr. Ellen Fox, chief ethics in health care officer and chief architect of the Integrated Ethics model.

“At the tip of the iceberg are ethical decisions and actions that can be easily seen,” Fox said. “Beneath the surface are organizational systems and processes that drive behavior. Deeper still are the organization’s environment and culture, which are the foundation for everything else.” 

“Many ethics programs tend to be reactive,” said Melissa Bottrell, chief of integrated ethics for VA’s health care system. “They focus mainly on the tip of the iceberg.  But to create real and lasting organizational change, an ethics program must proactively address all three levels.”

In 2006, VA received the Innovations Award for its advanced electronic health records and performance measurement system, and in 2001, for its National Center for Patient Safety.  VA was a 1995 finalist for reengineering ambulatory care with a primary care program.

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From: VA Media Relations, Kevin Secor

Sent:   Wednesday, May 11, 2011 11:48 AM

Subj:  VA Physician Wins Prestigious Cardiac Award

WASHINGTON – Dr. Robert Jesse, principal deputy under secretary for health for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), has been honored by a leading professional association for his work to improve emergency cardiac care. 

“We are proud to see Dr. Jesse recognized for his service and honored that he continues a long legacy of VA physicians standing at the forefront of modern health care,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Robert Petzel.  “I can think of no one who deserves this award more than Dr. Jesse.”

The award was presented by the Society of Chest Pain Centers, best known as a grassroots effort to bring emergency physicians together to improve early cardiac care.  Raymond D. Bahr Award of Excellence is given to individuals who demonstrate extraordinary excellence, vision, and leadership in advancing healthcare.  The group said Jesse’s work in developing an innovative risk-based triage protocol for patients has contributed significantly to the field of cardiac medicine.

“I am delighted to receive this award,” Jesse said.  “To be recognized for contributing to improving cardiac care is truly humbling, and I am honored to be counted among other outstanding Bahr Award recipients.”

Jesse was honored at an award ceremony on May 4 at the 14th Congress of Chest Pain Centers in Miami.  The award was presented by the officers of the executive committee of the society. 

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Godspeed all..................Wayne