1.      VA Awards Contract For Colorado VA Hospital Work. The Aurora (CO) Sentinel (9/9, Goldstein, 8K) reports, "Kiewit-Turner has won a $1.3-million contract to begin design and construction work on a new veterans' hospital in Aurora," including the design of a new 206-bed medical center. "The rapid development of the new hospital in Aurora comes after years of delays and scrapped plans for a new VA hospital under several presidential administrations." VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said, "The new hospital demonstrates our continued commitment to serve America's veterans with the finest facilities and health care models."
     The Denver Business Journal (9/8) reports that the hospital will "replace a 60-year-old facility in Denver that local officials have deemed outdated and inadequate to serve the region's growing population of veterans."

2.      Connecticut Holding "Stand Down." The Bristol (CT) Press (9/9, 8K) reports, "Connecticut veterans will have access to dozens of vital social outreach services during "Stand Down 2010" Friday at the State Veterans Home campus on West Street in Rocky Hill." Gov. M. Jodi Rell said in a prepared statement, "Our state is only now beginning to recover from the recent recession - and that can pose especially difficult challenges for veterans and their families struggling to live independently," adding, "The practical and easily accessible assistance available at Stand Down offers an effective way for veterans to regain their independence and dignity." State Veterans' Affairs Commissioner Linda S. Schwartz said, "Stand Down offers a safe haven for any veteran in need to gain valuable information and assistance."

3.      Montana Veterans' Cemetery Plans Waiting On Study. The Marshall (MN) News Record (9/8, Brainard) reports that the move to build a veterans' cemetery "attracted much attention both within the county and throughout the state," but it "will wait on both a study as to the land's suitability and for work by area legislators to push for state funding in the 2011 session in St. Paul." Commissioner Chuck Amunrud "is waiting to hear back" from the state planner and architect. "If there are any concerns about the property, he hopes to hear that in the near future, to try to take care of them before the legislative session starts."

4.      North Carolina State Legislator Seeks Review Of Resources For State's Veterans.  WSPA-TV Ashville, North Carolina, (9/8, Kittle) reports that North Carolina "state Rep. Wendell Gilliard, D-Charleston, called on the state House Medical, Military, Public & Municipal Affairs Committee to review the resources available to South Carolina veterans." Gilliard "says the meeting will be a fact-finding mission for state representatives so they can work with their colleagues in Washington to look for solutions." Gilliard says that "so many" have contacted him with problems or complaints "that he stopped counting two years ago." Dr. Louise Will-Wallace, a psychologist with the Dorn VA Medical Center, "says the VA has expanded tremendously in the last few years to deal with the huge influx of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan." Veteran Steven Diaz "says he got great care in VA hospitals, but" that at the Dorn VA Medical Center, "They were having a little bit of trouble adjusting to the new veterans coming back from this war and the high cases of PTSD."

5.      Pennsylvania Vet Center Head Let Go. The Norristown (PA) Times Herald (9/9, Wright, 14K) reports, "After close to six years of service Rebecca Kesselring" was fired from her position as commandant of the Southeastern Veterans Center. Joan Nissley, press secretary for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, said that "Kesselring was escorted from the premises Wednesday morning following a review of her management over the past six months." She added that there are no charges pending against Kesselring and the move was "not based on the lack of quality care in the home or disciplinary action," as it was "a management decision."

6.      Grant To Fund New Jersey Health Center For Women Veterans. The Courier Post (NJ) (9/9, 55K) reports, "Virtua Health has received a $3 million grant to fund a new health center for women veterans." It "will be run in conjunction with the Warrior Transition Program at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst" in a pilot program "designed to help health care workers better understand the unique problems facing the growing population of women veterans."

7.      Sioux Falls VA Center Holding Events For Suicide Prevention Week. The Sioux Falls (SD) Argus Leader (9/8) reported, "To observe Suicide Prevention Week," and as "part of VA's campaign to help veterans, their families and others recognize warning signs of potential suicide and how to effectively intervene," Eric Hipple, former NFL quarterback with the Detroit Lions, tell his personal story of his son's suicide at the Sioux Falls VA Center. "VA staff will be available to provide more information about VA's Suicide Prevention Program and to answer questions following Hipple's presentation." Additionally, Jenny Briest, whose husband was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq, "will share a message of patriotism during the Sioux Falls VA Medical Center's annual community Patriot Day program."

8.      VA Issues Second Contract For Processing Agent Orange Claims.  Nextgov (9/8, Brewin) reports that while, in July, IBM got a VA contract "to develop within three months a system to process claims for veterans suffering from diseases related to" Agent Orange, "last week officials inexplicably issued another contract searching for a second contractor to do the job in one-third the time," even though the IBM contract is still in place. The claims will be processed separate from the other systems the Veterans Benefits Administration uses, and "VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said he wanted to tap private sector skills to fast-track the development of the system." Former VA chief of staff Harold Gracey said that "he assumed the department put out the second procurement as a backup plan," while "a source familiar with VA said he viewed the second source procurement as a poke at IBM to fulfill its requirements on time." Still, veterans groups say they are "worried the department might not be able to meet its deadlines."

9.      VA Streamlining, Speeding Up Processing Of Agent Orange Claims.  Federal News Radio (9/8, Kubota) reports, "Veterans Affairs decided to streamline and speed up the process of settling claims of illness related to Agent Orange." Brad Mayes, Director of the VA's Regional Office in Boston and former Director of VA's Compensation and Pension Service, said that "VA is 'adding three new diseases to the list of conditions that are presumed to be service-connected as a result to exposure to'" Agent Orange. He added, "VA is looking to streamline the processing of these claims, and ultimately all claims, by developing simplified exam protocols."

10.    Lockheed Gets Contract For Biomass Facility At New York VA Medical Center. The Greater Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin (9/9, Nguyen) reports, "Department of Veterans Affairs awarded Lockheed and construction company Whiting-Turner a three-year, $15 million contract to develop a biomass facility at the VA Medical Center in Canandaigua" that will be similar to Lockheed's biomass facility in Owego. The "VA Medical Center's biomass facility will be about 10,000 square feet and outfitted with a fully automated steam-generation system that uses wood chips and bark from nearby lumber yards and logging operations to produce heat and power." Steven Bolewski, VA network energy manager, said, "Using locally available biomass as an energy source will allow the VA to avoid costly swings in energy prices." Under the contract, "Lockheed will build, install and test the equipment for VA Medical Center, as well as train the VA on how to maintain the biomass system. Whiting will provide onsite construction leadership and work with the VA to integrate the system."
     WENY-TV Elmira, New York, (9/8) reported, "Officials say the facility will provide the VA with some much-needed savings that can be passed on to vets." WBNG-TV Binghamton, New York, (9/8), WICZ-TV Binghamton, New York, (9/8), WETM-TV Elmira, New York, (9/8, Davidow), WBGH-TV Binghamton, New York, (9/8), and YNN (9/8) also cover this story.

11.    Advocates Say "Data-Driven Healthcare" Can Help Save Lives.  PBS NewsHour (9/9, Amico) reports that after experiencing some problems following a second liver transplant, health administrator Jim Traficant "has become an advocate for electronic health records, and for data-driven health care. 'What we need is an interoperable health system,' he said," because this can help save lives. Notably, "Todd Park is one of the people charged with fixing that problem. As chief technology officer" at HHS, "his job description is basically two words: change agent." PBS says that "one of his early projects is the Blue Button Initiative, a system that lets Medicare and Veterans' Affairs patients download their personal medical records, with the idea that they'll share that with health care providers."

12.    Tips Suggested For Veterans Going To College. In the US News and World Report (9/8) "Professors' Guide" blog, Lynn F. Jacobs and Jeremy S. Hyman write on the 10 best suggestions by Dorothy Gillman, vice president of the National Association of Veterans' Programs Administrators (NAVPA) and veterans administrator at Ramapo College of New Jersey, for returning veterans seeking to go to college. Gillman suggests meeting with the veterans administration and getting GI benefits. "There is a wide a variety of education benefits offered by the Veterans Administration," and individual states' programs vary. She also suggests applying for both financial aid and scholarships. Indicating veteran status on housing forms can prevent being placed with traditional students. Gillman also suggests taking the College Level Examination Program can connecting with other veterans at the school.

13.    Purple Hearts Routinely Denied For Traumatic Brain Injuries.  NPR (9/9, Miller, Zwerdling) reports, "Army commanders have routinely denied Purple Hearts to soldiers who have sustained concussions in Iraq, despite regulations that make such wounds eligible for the medal, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found," reflecting "a broader skepticism within the military over the severity of mild traumatic brain injury." However, "Veterans groups that focus on the Purple Heart support awarding it in cases of concussions, as the regulations spell out." Similarly, "Paul Sullivan, a former Department of Veterans Affairs official who now heads Veterans for Common Sense, an advocacy group," called the situation "an outrage." Besides recognition, the medal gives "recipients a higher priority in obtaining medical service from Veterans Affairs medical facilities."

14.    Welcome Back Event To Be Held In South Carolina. The AP (9/9) reports, "South Carolina's unemployment benefits agency and the Veterans Administration are welcoming back veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan" in an event on the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor. It includes a job fair, health fair, "guided tours and workshops on getting a job and the ins and outs of managing credit."

15.    Returning Veterans Often Have Issues, Need Help. The Daily News Of Newburyport (MA) (9/9, Hendricks, 12K) reports that those "who work with returning veterans know that for many, the hardest part of serving in Iraq may have just begun." Amesbury veterans agent Kristen LaRue says there is "sort of a time line that many of our returning veterans seem to follow," with many returning to work right upon reentering the country, "then it's not uncommon six months to a year later for those same veterans to return to my office with more serious issues like post traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury."

16.    VA Provides Headstones, Markers For Veterans. The "Veterans' Corner" column in the Indiana (PA) Gazette (9/8, 15K) reports that veterans "are eligible for an inscribed headstone or marker for their grave at any cemetery - national, state veterans, or private. VA will deliver a headstone or marker at no cost, anywhere in the world." Additionally, eligible veterans may get "a government headstone or marker even if the grave is already marked with a private one." Similarly, "headstones and markers previously provided by the government may be replaced at the government's expense if badly deteriorated, illegible, vandalized or stolen."

17.    Citing Opposition, Contractor Withdraws From California VA Housing Project. The San Antonio Express-News (9/8, MacCormack, 165K) reports, "Citing public criticism of the project, the contractor picked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to build an affordable housing complex for veterans in Kerrville has withdrawn its proposal." Plans to allow nonveterans to live at the complex drew opposition from "several elected officials and a veterans group."

18.    Dream Foundation Enables Vet To See USS Missouri Again Before His Death.  NBC Nightly News (9/2, 8.37M) broadcast, "It was 65 years ago, today, that World War II officially came to a close. Japan signed the instrument of surrender aboard the USS Missouri. ... It was witnessed in person by very few men, even fewer are still alive." The segment goes on to profile Frank Burrell, who was present at the signing. NBC (Cowan) added, "At 94, he learned he has terminal cancer. ... The only thing he asked, was the se the Missouri one, last, time, a seemingly impossible wish that suddenly came true." He attended the 65th anniversary ceremonies, thanks to the Dream Foundation.

19.    Mississippi VA Medical Center Employee Profiled. The Federal Times (9/8, Harris, 40K) profiles Bernard Grant, an administrative resident at the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center. "His job at the Veterans Affairs Department medical center was transferred after the floods of Hurricane Katrina" to the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi. "Displaced employees were being given jobs at the Jackson hospital, but Grant's options were limited because he did not qualify for those that required a degree." So Grant earned his bachlor's degree and then a master's in public health. "Grant said working for VA made his classes a fuller experience because he had first-hand, practical insight into topics he was learning about, such as budgets."

20.    Doctor Suing VA, Says Report Is Retaliation For EEOC Complaint. The Fayetteville (NC) Observer (9/9, Brooks, 56K) reports, Dr. Jawal Suleman, a cardiologist who currently works at the VA hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia, "has filed a lawsuit against the VA and others, alleging that officials are filing a malpractice report as retaliation for" an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaint he filed while working at the Fayetteville Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He seeks "to stop Fayetteville VA officials from filing a medical malpractice payment report against him" regarding "the death of 77-year-old veteran who had received treatment at the Fayetteville VA hospital." Suleman argues that he was unaware of the patient or his death until over two years after it happened, "when he was identified as being the doctor overseeing" the patient's care. There have been "a string of similar allegations among Fayetteville VA employees," and at least one other lawsuit against the Fayetteville VA alleges a doctor was fired after filing an EEOC complaint.

21.    Bay Pines VA Medial Center Found Not At Fault For Dialysis Patients' Infections. The St. Petersburg (FL) Times (9/9, Stanley) reports, "Authorities at Bay Pines VA Medical Center say an internal investigation has cleared the facility of any wrongdoing in connection with a rash of infections among dialysis patients" during the summer. The root cause analysis found that "the patients who became infected weren't using the same machine, weren't being cared for by the same nurse and didn't have the same type of bacteria in their blood." Bay Pines spokeswoman Faith Belcher added that "there have been no other infections since July."

22.    Georgia VA Medical Center Nurses Picket Over Staffing Shortage. The Augusta (GA) Chronicle (9/9, Corwin) reports, "Registered nurses and other personnel at Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center staged an informational picket today to protest what they say is a lack of personnel and unreasonable reassignments." The union says 107 RN positions were reassigned or relocated, and many of them are said to have gained additional duties without adequate retraining. Augusta VA Director Rebecca Wiley said in a statement that "the nurses are valued," adding that there is a "process of examining in detail work schedules in an effort to appropriately assess and align nurses in the most effective areas where their services and expertise are required."
      

23.    Pennsylvania VA Medical Center Receives Labor Relations Award.  WGAL-TV Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, (9/8, 6:10 p.m. EDT) broadcast, "The Lebanon VA Medical Center received a top national honor today. The department of Veterans Affairs ranked the center the best in the country in labor relations. It beat out more than 150 other VA hospitals for the award." Robert Callahan, director of the center, was shown saying, "It recognizes our achievement in labor relations. And really, when you have good labor relations, you'll increase productivity and have better quality outcomes in the care we provide."

24.    West Virginia Program Helping Homeless Vets.  WBOY-TV Clarksburg, WV, (9/8, Sullivan) reports, "The VA Community Homelessness Assessment, Local Education and Networking Groups, or CHALENG Program, marked its tenth year of improving services and opportunities for these homeless vets." Homeless Services Administrator Tammy Fumich said, "We have increased employment opportunities, we have a CWT program that's offered now through the VA, and the whole Recovery program has enhanced it through the VA." She added that "the VA is doing an increasingly better job of helping them regain homes and jobs." Meanwhile, "the Lewis A. Johnson Veteran's Hospital and area agencies gathered today for a luncheon to address homeless veterans and to assess the services offered to them."

25.    North Carolina VA Sponsors "Stand Down." The Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times (9/9, Rodriguez, 38K) reports that the Project Connect and Veterans Affairs' Stand Down events, sponsored by the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Initiative and the Department of Veterans Affairs, "will help people at risk of homelessness by providing a one-stop-shop for needed goods and services - and maybe a hot breakfast." Allison Haberfield, homeless program coordinator at the Charles George VA Medical Center, said, "Our numbers pretty much doubled from our years before." She added, "it's an opportunity to knock out talking to a lot of people and getting a lot of things accomplished" for homeless veterans, for whom transportation is often an issue.

26.    VA Said To Be Considering Clinic In Eugene, Oregon. The Eugene (OR) Register-Guard (9/8, Russo, 61K) reports, "The US Department of Veterans Affairs is considering vacant land in northeast Eugene to build a new medical clinic, city officials say." According to northeast Eugene City Councilor George Poling, "the agency is weighing whether to put the clinic, which could cost up to $50 million, on a seven-acre site in the Crescent Village development" or on "a vacant parcel near PeaceHealth's RiverBend campus."

27.    Pennsylvania Counties To Get New VA Care Clinic. The Wayne (PA) Independent (9/9, Compton) reports, "Close to two years after their quest began for a primary care clinic closer to home, veterans are getting the green light." According to Vince Riccardo, public affairs officer, VA Medical Center in Wilkes-Barre, "The medical center has received approval to establish an access point where the VA will be able to provide basic primary care services...some basic labs and x-rays and mental health services." While "the access point's location has yet to be determined, Riccardo says its primary service area will be Wayne and Pike counties." Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Carney said in a press release, "Increasing access to VA facilities has been a top priority for my office."

28.    Continued Coverage Of Protest Over Phony Marine General Volunteering At VA. Coverage continued of David Weber's volunteering at the Veterans Affairs hospital in La Jolla. The "L.A. Now" blog of the Los Angeles Times (9/8, Perry, 681K) reports that American Combat Veterans of War said that having Weber, who plead guilty to wearing a general's uniform and medals that he did not earn, there "is disrespectful to veterans." However, "Weber may prove to be one of the last people charged under the Stolen Valor Act. Two courts, in separate cases, have ruled it an unconstitutional infringement on free speech." The AP (9/9) also covers this story.

29.    New Jersey VA Clinic To Move To Larger Facility. The New Jersey's Shore News Today (9/8, Smith) reports that the Ventnor Veterans' clinic "will be making the move to a larger facility in Northfield next spring." New Jersey Rep. Frank A. LoBiondo said in a release, "I've worked closely with the VA to expand and enhance services at our community-based clinics," adding, "The new location in Northfield will provide more space for the VA while being more accessible for our veterans."

30.    Texas VA Hospital Buries Time Capsule.  KWES-TV Odessa, Texas, (9/8, Ruiz) reported that the Big Spring VA Hospital "buried a time capsule so a future generation can see what it was like in the good old days." Hospital Director Daniel Marsh said, "When they dig this up in 100 years, they cant [sic] remember us by all these mementos." The capsule includes pictures, articles, and letters Marsh said, "We asked officials and employees to help not only commemorate the 60th Anniversary but also historical things that have significance."

31.    New Orleans Moving Historic Homes From VA Hospital Footprint.  WVUE-TV New Orleans (9/8, Brown) reported that about 100 New Orleans historic homes "that were initially slated to be demolished in the VA Hospital footprint are being saved." They will be placed elsewhere in the city. "The mayor's office says it re-programmed more than $3 million in CDBG money to have certain houses physically moved."

32.    VA Should Ensure Benefits Are Deserved. An editorial in the Longmont (CO) Times-Call (9/8, 21K).

33.    Retired General Lobs Bomb At Military Benefits. A blog of the Wall Street Journal (9/8, 2.09M) by Nathan Hodge.

34.    Break The Silence On Suicide, And You Could Help Save A Life. An op-ed in the Sarasota (FL) Herald Tribune (9/9, A10, 92K) by Bruce Grant, director of the Florida Office of Drug Control.