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July/August 1998 1 VAnguard Inside: Gulf War Research, 3 Golden Age Vets, 10 Presidential Honors, 11 U . S . DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS JULY/AUGUST 1998 Blind Centers Turn 50 Blind Centers Turn 50 Blind Centers Turn 50 Blind Centers Turn 50 Blind Centers Turn 50 Artist Michael Naranjo helps celebrate — page 8
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Page 1: PDF convers Jul/Aug 98 - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs · 2 VAnguard Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D) ... member of the Santa Clara Pueblo Tribe from Santa Fe,

July/August 1998 1

VAnguard

Inside: Gulf War Research, 3 ✩ Golden Age Vets, 10 ✩ Presidential Honors, 11

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

JULY/AUGUST 1998

Blind Centers Turn 50Blind Centers Turn 50Blind Centers Turn 50Blind Centers Turn 50Blind Centers Turn 50Artist Michael Naranjohelps celebrate — page 8

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2 VAnguard

Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)

Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420

(202) 273-5738/5735E-mail: [email protected]

www.va.gov/pubaff/OPAIndex.htm

INTRODUCINGCCCCCONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS

Kathleen Harvey

VAnguard VA’s Employee Magazine

July/August 1998 Vol. XLIV, No. 5

Printed on 50% recycled paper

Editor: Laurie TranterGraphics: Michael Nacincik

Editorial Assistant: Ben Court

❏ Videoconferencing 4Veterans’ hearings in new settings

❏ Medical Phone Liaison 5Nurses extend patients’ access to care

❏ Longterm Stroke Club 6Topeka, Kan., group succeeds by sharing

❏ VA Van Fleet Grows 7DAV donates 147

❏ Blind Centers at 50 8-9Anniversary celebrated this summer

❏ Golden Age Games 10Leesburg, Va., event largest ever

❏ Presidential Honors 11Executives and Tampa VAMC recognized

❏ Child Care Standards 12Accreditation a must

❏ Hammers 123 more VA teams save time and money

CCCCCOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOn The Cover:

Sculptor Michael Naranjo, amember of the Santa Clara PuebloTribe from Santa Fe, N.M., com-pleted the VA blind rehabilitationprogram in Palo Alto, Calif., in1968 after being blinded by agrenade explosion in Vietnam.

When Kathleen Harvey, the VISN#14 network manager for humanresources and public affairs, foundherself chatting with a new neighborback in 1996, she never imagined thechance encounter would have suchan impact on her life.

She had just moved to Omaha,Neb., having left her position of staffassistant to the director of theLeavenworth, Kan.,VAMC, forher VISN job.One evening,she beganchatting withan oldergentlemanwho lived inthe neighbor-hood.

That’swhen it cameto her. Harveyasked if he wasa veteran. Hesaid he was inthe Army inNorth Africaand Italy inWorld War II.

“I thankedhim for hisservice to ourcountry,” Harveysaid.

She was then surprised when, ashis eyes misted over, he said, “That’sthe first time anyone has everthanked me.”

His reaction, combined with avisit to the Holocaust Museum inWashington, D.C., stuck with herand solidified the thought that everyveteran deserved a thank you.

“The Holocaust Museum was apowerful experience of gratitude tothose who put their lives on the lineso that we can enjoy the freedom wehave,” Harvey said.

Now, she said she wants toinspire VA staff all over the coun-try to say “thank you” to a vet-eran they pass in the hall or talk

to on the phone.“That’s our job, that’s what we do

— thank veterans,” she said.She is also suggesting an orga-

nized “Thanks, Vets 2000” campaigninvolving not just banners andposters, but also orientation pro-grams and curriculum developmentfor students.

“There are lots of ideas outthere,” Harveysaid. “It just takesone or two folksto get this thingstarted.”

And gettingit started isexactly whatshe’s doing. Shehas been work-ing with otherVA employees,veterans serviceorganizationsand teachers toget her projectoff the ground.

“I’m plant-ing the seeds,but lots ofpeople aregoing to needto get in-volved [tomake it a

success],” Harvey said.As a member of the Leadership

VA Class of 1998, she hopes herpresentation to the class will lead toit becoming a class project.

Though Harvey said a sense ofpersonal satisfaction is what’skeeping her optimistic about thepossibilities for this program tothank veterans, it isn’t the onlyreward she has received.

In a recent golf lesson she wasoffered a free bucket of golf ballsfrom a veteran working at the golfcourse.

“He liked my license plate,” shesaid. “It reads, ‘THX VETS.’” ❏

By Benjamin J. Court

13-16

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July/August 1998 3

OutlookTimothy R. Gerrity, Ph.D.,Special Assistant,Chief Researchand Development officer

The UnitedStates deployedapproximately697,000 militarypersonnel to thePersian GulfthroughoutOperationsDesert Shield andDesert Storm.During these

operations, military personnel weresubject to a variety of environmentalexposures, both natural andmanmade, that could have harmfulhealth effects.

To address the health concerns ofGulf War veterans, VA, in collabora-tion with the Departments of De-fense, and Health and HumanServices, and other federal agencies,supports a wide variety of researchprograms and projects. In addition,we have the primary responsibilityfor coordinating the entire federalresearch effort toward clarifyinghealth problems related to Gulf Warservice. Currently, the federalresearch effort consists of some 121research projects, with a cumulativefunding commitment from allparticipating departments approach-ing $115 million.

One major VA study is the

Research Addresses Gulf WarVeterans’ Health Concerns“National Health Survey of Gulf WarEra Veterans and Their Families.”The National Survey is being con-ducted in three phases. Phases I andII, conducted by the VA Environ-mental Epidemiology Service,involved the administration of a mailhealth questionnaire and telephonefollow-ups to randomly selected GulfWar era veterans (15,000 deployedand 15,000 non-deployed). Phase III,which begins in July, is being con-ducted by the VA Office of Researchand Development’s CooperativeStudies Program, with principalinvestigators from the Environmen-tal Epidemiology Service, Environ-mental Agents Service and the St.Louis VAMC.

Phase III involves clinical exami-nations of a sample of 2,000 Gulf Warera veterans (1,000 deployed and1,000 non-deployed), their spousesand their children. This phase willevaluate whether deployed Gulf Warera veterans have a greater preva-lence of certain diagnosable medicaland psychological conditions com-pared to their non-deployed counter-parts. It will also investigate whetherthere is any relationship betweenillnesses in the veterans and amongtheir family members.

Other important VA studies arefocused on treatment of ill Gulf Warveterans. Two multi-site treatmentresearch initiatives are being consid-ered and developed by the Coopera-

tive Studies Program in the Office ofResearch and Development. Oneinitiative will study the effectivenessof non-pharmacologic interventionsin multisymptom illnesses such aschronic fatigue syndrome andfibromyalgia; the other will explorethe value of antibiotic treatments forill Gulf War veterans. Although theevidence of an infectious cause forGulf War veterans’ illnesses is weak,many sick veterans are being treatedthis way without benefit of knowl-edge as to the effectiveness of thisapproach. A multi-site treatmenttrial like this one is the most directway to resolve that question.

The most important role of VAresearch is to ensure that veterans getthe most effective treatments, and weare applying our expertise to thattask. Both of these trials are expectedto begin in early 1999 and each willinvolve approximately 15 testingsites across the country.

In addition, the CooperativeStudies Program recently released aprogram announcement solicitingmulti-site treatment trials for patientsexperiencing persistent illness fol-lowing their service in the Gulf War.

We in VA Research and Develop-ment hope that these new researchinitiatives, especially the treatmenttrials, may provide hope for GulfWar veterans who continue to sufferfrom diverse symptoms and ill-nesses. ❏

C hief of Staff Harold F. Gracey,Jr. has been appointed toserve as the acting head of thenewly established Office of

the Assistant Secretary for Informa-tion and Technology by Secretary ofVeterans Affairs Togo D. West, Jr.

Secretary West established thenew information technology office tostrengthen management of theinfrastructure handling sensitiveinformation on more than 25 millionveterans and to ensure continuedimprovement in service to eligibleveterans, dependents and survivors.

Gracey Takes On New Information Technology JobThe information and technology

office will manage a vast array ofcomputer systems and telecommuni-cation networks that store and sharemedical information; process com-pensation, pension and other veteranbenefit payments; manage sixveterans life insurance programs;and help maintain VA financialmanagement systems.

Secretary West named Gracey thePrincipal Deputy Assistant Secretaryfor Information and Technology.Gracey will serve as Acting AssistantSecretary and direct the operations of

the new office until an AssistantSecretary is in place.

Gracey joined VA in 1983 as aprogram analyst with the Office ofInformation Resources Management.In 1985, Gracey became director ofthe Plans and Contracts Service.

He was named Executive Assis-tant to VA’s Chief Benefits Directorin 1988 and served as Chief of Staffto VA’s Under Secretary for Benefitsfrom 1990 until January 1994. ❏

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4 VAnguard

T he veteran is in theDenver RegionalOffice as he makeshis appeal for VA

benefits before a memberof the Board of Veterans’Appeals sitting in Wash-ington, D.C.

They are more than2,000 miles apart but theveteran is showing hisscars to the board memberas if they were in the sameroom.

Modern electronicsallows it to happen.Specifically, the use ofcomputers and televisioncameras linked by tele-phone lines brings theveteran and the boardmember into the sameroom.

The board member issitting at a desk, talking toa video image of theveteran and any represen-tatives he may have withhim.

Similarly, the veteranis sitting behind a deskand talking to a videoimage of the boardmember.

The experience is asmuch about two people inthe same room as moderntechnology can make it.

So realistic is it, in fact,that in the three-and-a-half years theboard has been usingvideoconferencing, there has notbeen a single complaint by a veteran.

In fact, videoconferencing hasimproved the hearing process bycutting travel time for board mem-bers and veterans, and makinghearings a monthly event at video-equipped regional offices.

Importantly, the veteran has lostnothing. A claimant still has thechoice of traveling to Washington,D.C., for a hearing, or can wait forthe board member to travel to theregional office. A regional officereceives a visit from one to fourtimes a year, depending upon thesize of the caseload.

But the videoconference networknow allows veterans to schedulevideo hearings and thereby cut thewaiting time by months and savethousands of dollars in travel ex-penses.

There would be even morevideoconferencing if all regionaloffices were equipped for videohearings.

The 20 regional offices that hadthem as of May 1998 are heavilyscheduled. Each holds six to eighthearings two or three days eachmonth. The board’s threevideoconference rooms in Washing-ton are hard pressed to keep up withthe schedule.

When hearings of veteran claims

BVA Videoconferencing Reduces Veterans’Travel and Waiting Time for Hearings

are not being heard, thespecially equipped roomsare used for seminars sothat claims officers in theregional offices canexchange informationwith board members. These educationalseminars are expected toreduce the number ofappeals that are returnedto the regional offices forfurther work. The technology isunobtrusive. A camerasits on top of each videoscreen and focuses on theperson seated at the desk.Microphones pick upvoices in the room. A number of peoplework behind the camerasto keep the system operat-ing smoothly. Schedulesmust be coordinated withregional offices, appellantsand board members. Theequipment must becontinually maintained sothat it is in good workingorder. The videoconferencingeffort has been recognizedby the General ServicesAdministration, whichrecently presentedachievement awards tofour board employees:Ronald R. Aument,

director of management and admin-istration, Paul Mocko, special assis-tant for management, Gene Miller,special assistant to the vice chairman,and Curtis Hanson, computerspecialist.

But no one is more pleased withthe program than the board. SaysActing Chairman Richard B.Standefer: “Videoconferencingprovides a genuine service to veter-ans and is improving communica-tions between the board and regionaloffices. We hope the networkcontinues to grow, because this is areal winner.” ❏

By Bonner Day

In the screen, Charles E. Hogeboom, deputy vice chairman of the Boardof Veterans’ Appeals, converses with Joy J. Ilen, a veterans servicecounselor, and Tyvon Edmonds, a clerk at the Board of Veterans’Appeals. Note the video camera sitting on top of the screen to allowHogeboom to view and hear the two as they speak.

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July/August 1998 5

M edical help is just a phonecall away for more andmore VA patients. Backedby guidelines developed by

physicians, the Physicians DeskReference and computerized refer-ence material, registered nurses areadvising patients by phone on howto take their medications and whatmedical progress to expect afterdischarge from the hospital. Thenurses explain the results of diagnos-tic tests performed on outpatients,proper dietary regimes and how toavoid transmitting communicableconditions.

VHA required telephone liaisoncare programs (TLCP) at every VAmedical center to extend patients’access to care, reduce unnecessaryclinic visits and, in general, makebetter use of health-care resources.

VHA disseminated guidelines inMarch 1997 that assist TLCP clini-cians in assessing patients’ condi-tions and determining whether tosuggest emergency care or clinicalappointments. Telephone advice is acore component of “demand man-agement,” a shared patient-providerdecision-making strategy thatfocuses on providing the right levelof health care in the right place at theright time. It reduces both actual andperceived need for hospitalization,unscheduled visits to clinics andclinic waiting times.

Perhaps even better, according toDr. Ron Gebhart, VHA’s chiefconsultant for primary and ambula-tory care, while it reduces health-carecosts, it maintains quality andimproves customer satisfaction. “It’spart of a demand-side, rather thansupply-side, health-care manage-ment strategy,” says Gebhart.

SuccessesHe points to notable successes. In

VISN 10, based in Cincinnati, the 24-hour call center serving four hospi-tals and one outpatient clinic tookcalls in its first year of operationfrom more than 250 veterans whohad never been seen before. Enroll-ment of many callers helped coveroperational costs of $233,000 andcontributed to the call center’s firstyear return on investment of $2.73for every dollar spent.

In Knoxville, Iowa, the phoneprogram has had an increase of 900calls per month. At the same time,the hospital saw a decrease in walk-in and emergency visits from anaverage of 200 per month to less than50 and made, on average, 45 appoint-ments from calls.

VISN 3 facilities in New York andNew Jersey saved more than$1 million by consolidating thetelephone care program for allnetwork facilities.To provide nursecoverage for hours outside of thenormal work day, each facilityneeded 4.2 full- time positions(FTEE). Multiplied by the sevenfacilities, 24-hour coverage wouldrequire 30 FTEE.

A task force from all facilitiesdiscussed how each facility wantedits patients’ calls to be handled. Anintranet web site was created, withinformation on each of the hospitals.Hot links to VA web sites providefurther support for nurses.

Several CD-based softwareprograms and reference books werepurchased to assist the nursesreceiving calls and making clinicaldecisions.

Immediate accessA third component of VISN 3’s

program gives nurses immediateaccess to the records of all patientsfrom the seven facilities through theDecentralized Hospital ComputerProgram (DHCP). Those recordsinclude health summaries, progressnotes, pharmacy profiles, lab reportsand clinic appointments. The nursewrites an electronic progress notethat is immediately available to thepatient’s primary provider as well asan E-mail note to inform the providerwhat action she or he took.

Administrative records are alsocreated — encounter forms thatcount workload for the patient’s basefacility.

Five nurses who staff the pro-gram not only receive calls but alsocall recently discharged patients toask how they are managing at home,answer their questions and reinforcehealth instructions. If a patient asksto speak with his or her primary carephysician, that physician is contactedand calls the patient back. If labora-

tory results arrive in the eveningshowing a patient might experienceproblems, a nurse calls the patient todetermine if emergency care isneeded.

Terry Gottlieb, R.N., director ofthe Medical-Surgical Patient CareCenter and head of telephone triageat the Bronx VAMC, thinks the 24-hour access to registered nurses withenhanced skills makes her programone of the best in the VA system. Theround-the-clock availability of nurseconsultation began in January 1998.The clinicians are bachelor of science-degreed critical care nurses, nursepractitioners and a certified commu-nity health nurse. Said Gottlieb, “Assoon as patients dial us, they aretalking to a registered nurse.” (Insome programs, clerks receive theinitial call and determine how todirect the patient’s request.)

Satisfied customersVISN 3 patients have been using

the program more frequently, andtheir approval ratings have remainedhigh. In the first year after theprogram began in September 1996,workload increased 250 percent. Asatisfaction survey sent to a sampleof patient users found 95 percentrated the service excellent.

The Washington, D.C., VAMCfound 30 percent of patients werefailing to keep appointments inprimary care clinics or to call tocancel. A telephone triage nurse thenbegan calling them to ask how theywere feeling and why the appoint-ment was not kept. Some patientsrespond that they are feeling better;others say they forgot or were toosick to come in. The nurse evaluatesthe need for new appointments andpossible transportation assistance.The no-show rate has been reducedby one-third.

One patient was overheard tellinganother: “You know, these peoplereally care. They called me at homewhen I missed my appointment.” ❏

By Jo Schuda

Phone Liaison Connects Nurses, Veterans

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6 VAnguard

S crapbooks tell just partof the story. Filled withchildhood and weddingphotos, newspaper clippings,

postcards from club members andpictures of staff trainees, they’rereminders of key events and helppeople share those memories.

And sharing is what the Topeka,Kan., VAMC Stoke Club is all aboutfor 20 or so active members.

For 14 years, one of the oldest,continuous support groups forsurvivors of stroke has been meetingweekly. Another group, “significantothers,” meets at the same time andcompletes the network of mutualassistance by sharing their caregivingissues.

Speech pathologist Diane Hallstarted the group in 1984 with fourveterans. She started scrapbooksbecause some members had troubleremembering things about formermembers and staff. “This is a family, and it hasaffected a great many people’s lives,”she said.

The club’s telephone tree commu-nicates that a group member ishospitalized, and the club’s bankaccount makes it possible to sendflowers. Some couples go to lunchtogether after the meetings. Membersuse the phone tree to arrange groupmeals at restaurants once a month.

They go fishing and hold wheelchairdances. They send postcards to eachother when traveling.

More than 80 members andspouses of deceased membersattended a Christmas party last yearat the medical center. Hall and clubmembers made 92 elf angels as partyfavors. One member took pictures infront of a decorated tree, and thephotos became the focal point of

somepatients’holidaygreetingcards.ForValentine’sDay, theVAMC’shorticul-turaltherapisthelpedstrokepatientsmakecorsagesfor theirwives.

Mostclubmembersare

current patients, invited to partici-pate immediately after the acutestage of treatment and duringrehabilitation. A buddy system helpsimmerse new members in thesupport group. Some participantsreturn to the medical center forrehabilitation and attend meetingsthe same day. Many of them drive anhour to the hospital.

Service-connected veteranRichard Angle has been attendingregularly since his three strokes in1987, right after he retired. Thestrokes did not stop him from takingup a new hobby that required use ofhis hands, even though he had torelearn to use his left hand. Woodworking has become his favoritepastime and his yard is decoratedwith carved figures. He uses theVAMC pool every week to doexercises after his meetings withwhat he calls “the old man’s club.”

Angle’s wife Nellie warmly

describes the benefits of belonging tothe spouses group. “Sometimes youget frustrated. You can go there andtell about it and know that it won’tgo any further. Sometimes you justwant someone to listen to a problem;they don’t have to say anything.

“We’ve made good friends. It’ssuch a close-knit group that ifsomeone loses a mate you can besure at least 12 couples will be at thefuneral.”

If the veterans had not suffered astroke, they might be gathering withfriends at a local cafe. The clubparticipants are their friends, whosesupport allows them to live at home.

Club meetings are attended bythe VAMC’s health-care profession-als who talk about how to livehealthfully and happily after astroke. Most meetings begin with around-robin discussion. A fewparticipants have speech impair-ments. Hall initiates the stroke-related subjects. She, a psychologistor a chaplain facilitates discussion.

Physical and occupationaltherapists (PTs and OTs) prepare thepatients for one-handed living.Dietitians lecture on nutritionalneeds and preparation of hard-to-swallow foods. A pharmacist coversdrug interactions. Every week apsychologist meets with the spouses,discussing grief, anger and how totake care of themselves as well astheir mates. Meetings enable spousesto discuss their care-provider roles.

Hall says all of her patients knowthe warning signs of stroke. For oneof the younger patients, that knowl-edge was vital when hand numbnesssignaled a second stroke.

Following a stroke, anotherformer member wrote a book anddedicated it to the club. (Hall hopesto enter it in VA’s Veterans CreativeArts Festival.)

Veterans’ families affected bystroke can benefit from the medicalcenter’s respite care. The strokepatient can be cared for up to 30 daysa year in the hospital to give a breakto the caregiver. “Ladies day” occursevery few months when the spousescan ask for all the men to be at thehospital while they have an outing.

Nellie Angle said the womenknow that the men need to get out

Stroke Club Successful Through Sharing

William Ange shows his friend and fellow stroke patient Joe Gerstner somecreative pieces he might produce with instruction offered in the VAMC’soccupational therapy.

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July/August 1998 7

and that’s why they arrange therestaurant gatherings. She addedthat after a stroke leaves the menwith a disability, some are treateddifferently by their former friends. In

thesupportgroup,they findaccep-tance. TheAngleshaveglowingpraise forthe caregiven attheTopekaVAMC.Mrs.Angle saysDirectorEdgar L.Tucker hashis dooropen and

responds to suggestions from clubmembers. He has come to clubmeetings to answer questions andreassure the veterans that changes inVA will not take away the services

they receive.The stroke club might not be

active after 14 years were it not forthe commitment of its leader, Hall,according to her boss, WilliamGeorge, supervisor of Audiology andSpeech. “Diane has put in a greatdeal of personal time and effort,” hesays. I’ve never seen a group that isso strong, participant-driven andself-regulated.”

Hall, who has received theSecretary’s Hearts and HandsAward, maintains a full speechpathology caseload. With the Ameri-can Heart Association, she hashelped plan two annual strokeconferences in northeastern Kansas,targeting older people who havesuffered a stroke or may be at risk forone. She arranges meetings for twoother support groups meetingmonthly at the medical center —veterans with ALS (Lou Gehrig’sDisease) and those who have hadlaryngectomy surgery. ❏

By Jo Schuda

Hall’s devotion has not gone unappreciated by stroke club members. Whenshe got married eight years ago, they gave her a quilt. Every square wassewn by a family member of a veteran she had helped. At the center is animage of the front of the VAMC main building. Stroke patients filled thechurch on the day of the wedding.

A fleet of147 red,white andblue vans

designed totransport sick anddisabled veteransto VA hospitalsthroughout thenation weredonated to VAJune 17 by theDisabled Ameri-can Veterans(DAV).

Secretary ofVeterans AffairsTogo D. West, Jr.,accepted the vanson behalf of thedepartment fromDAV NationalCommanderHarry McDonaldat a noontime ceremony in front ofVA Central Office.

“For more than a decade, dis-abled veterans and their familieshave benefited tremendously fromthis program. VA is grateful to DAV

for its generosity,” said SecretaryWest.

The DAV-sponsored ceremonywas part of a four-day national send-off and celebration of the contribu-tions of America’s disabled veterans.

Disabled American Veterans Donate VansThe vans weredriven to VAmedical centersin 41 states,where they willbe used byvolunteerdrivers as partof DAV’sTransportationNetwork forveteransneeding VAcare.

At theceremony, JoeRuiz of Deming,N.M., andJames B. Taylorof BrokenArrow, Okla.,two volunteerdrivers whohave driven

more than 300,000 miles on behalf oftheir fellow veterans, were presentedwith specially designed racingjackets by famed race car driver DaleJarrett. ❏

From left, volunteer drivers Joe Ruiz (New Mexico) and James Taylor (Oklahoma) withSecretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West, Jr.

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8 VAnguard

T he 50th anniversary of VABlind Rehabilitation Servicewill be celebrated this sum-mer. In those 50 years, VA has

grown to become a world leader inthe development of training for theblind. It also has been a leader indeveloping technology to assist thethem.

Two observances will celebratethe anniversary: one in mid-July atVA Central Office and the other inAugust at the Hines, Ill., VA Hospi-tal, the program’s birthplace.

Tipper Gore, wife of VicePresident Al Gore introducedfeatured artist Michael Naranjo atthe Central Office observance. Amember of the Santa Clara PuebloTribe from Santa Fe, N.M., Naranjocompleted the rehabilitation pro-gram in Palo Alto, Calif., in 1968after being blinded by a grenadeexplosion in Vietnam.

The Hines, Ill., VA Hospital’sobservance is scheduled during thesecond week of August, in conjunc-tion with the annual convention ofthe Blinded Veterans Association.

It was on the Fourth of July in1948 that VA took over the rehabili-tation of blinded military veterans

from the Army. Initially, the VA’sblind rehabilitation program con-sisted of nine beds at the Hineshospital.

Today VA has nine Blind Reha-bilitation Centers across the countryled by staffs offering the world’smost advanced training.

More than 300 specialists andsupport staff at the nine centers train1,600 blinded veterans a year,teaching them to move and workwith greater confidence. During its50-year history, the blind centernetwork has trained more than 23,000veterans.

“VA is the world’s leader in blindrehabilitation today,” says DonGarner, director of Blind Rehabilita-tion Service.

As head of the VA program,Garner is an informed, but notimpartial, source. His opinion isshared, however, by others knowl-edgeable in the field.

“VA is truly the pioneer andinternationally acknowledged leaderin the field of comprehensive resi-dential blind rehabilitation,” saysThomas H. Miller, executive directorof the Blinded Veterans Association.

International RecognitionForeign countries send a steady

stream of visitors to VA centers tokeep abreast of the latest in rehabili-tation techniques. And VA teams areregularly invited to foreign countriesto advise nations on their programsfor the blind.

After the first center opened inHines, VA developed centers at PaloAlto, Calif., in 1967; West Haven,Conn., in 1969; American Lake,Wash., in 1971; Waco, Texas, in 1974;Birmingham, Ala., in 1982; San Juan,P.R., in 1990; Tucson, Ariz., in 1994;and Augusta, Ga., in 1996.

The three smaller centers atAmerican Lake, Waco and Augustaoperate 15 beds each; the largercenters have 32 to 34 beds. WestHaven has 45 beds and San Juan has10.

Also, in 1995 VA established 15sites where blind rehabilitationoutpatient specialists providesassessments of blinded patientsbefore and after they receive centertraining. These specialists work withas many as 900 veterans a year.

Team CoordinatorsA network of full- and part-time

coordinators on more than 100Visual Impairment Services Teamsrefer blinded veterans to the reha-bilitation centers.

At every VA medical center thesecoordinators direct and addressyearly health exams, reviewingbenefits and addressing the needs ofblinded veterans.

But even with the presentnetwork of rehabilitation centers,outpatient specialists and visualimpairment services coordinators,there are more than 1,800 blindveterans on the waiting list forrehabilitation.

Even in peacetime the VA BlindRehabilitation Network operates atfull capacity. The incidence ofblindness increases as the veteranpopulation ages. The skills of veter-ans become rusty and requirerefresher training. As new equip-ment is developed, additionaltraining is necessary. And evenduring peacetime, accidents anddisease result in casualties.

VA Blind Rehabilitation Program Celebrates 50From nine beds at the Hines, Ill., VAMC in 1948 when VA tookover the rehabilitation of blinded military veterans from the Army, theBlind Rehabilitation Service has grown to nine Blind RehabilitationCenters across the country with the world’s most advanced training.

Manual Skills class at Hines VA Hospital includes home mechanics. DieterWerner (left) assists Joe Hagerty on a wiring project.

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July/August 1998 9

Computer TrainingThe latest addition to the blind

curriculum is computer accesstraining, which acquaints the veteranwith computers designed to assistthe blinded. Other recent technicaldevelopments include:• Optical character recognitiontechnology, which has resulted in avariety of machines that read printout loud.• Head-worn devices that emitsonar waves which can be inter-preted by the sound they emit toguide walking veterans.• Chest-worn devices that emitsignals to guide patients in wheel-chairs.• Laser canes equipped withsensors to warn veterans of obstacles.

When the VA blind programbegan in 1948, the focus was onteaching all veterans as if they weretotally blind. The average stay at acenter was 16 to 18 weeks.

That changed in the 1960s, whenthe program began to treat differentlevels of vision. By the mid-70s,teaching skills to low-vision veteranswas a growing part of the program,and the average length of stay was

reduced to 10to 12 weeks.

Thataveragecontinued todecrease asprograms weredesigned forveterans withvaryingdegrees ofblindness.Today theaverage stay ata center is sixto eight weeks.

InnovativeAssistance

DirectorGarner’s career is reflected in thechanges in blind rehabilitation at VAover the past 22 years.

In 1976, he was named the firstchief of the West Haven center.While at West Haven, he developedthe first VA optometry residencywith the New England College ofOptometry. Then, in 1979 he wasselected national director andbrought to Washington.

The more signifi-cant advances madeduring his tenureinclude:• The establishment offull-time coordinatorpositions.• The opening of fourblind rehabilitationcenters, which allowedfor the training of anadditional 600 blindedveterans each year.• The development ofcomputer accesstraining at the fivelarger centers, whichhave the capacity oftraining more than 200veterans a year.• Creating the posi-tion of blind rehabilita-tion outpatient special-ist to reduce theresidential centerswaiting lists, shortenlength of stay and serveveterans who might notbe served for health or

VA developed and researched the laser cane, with built-inelectronics, that helps veteran Greg Cuellar in Waco, Texas,to avoid obstacles.

other extenuating reasons.Garner also promoted the concept

of retraining veterans who hadalready been through the program.

Since 1979, Garner has led VA tocooperate with a number of universi-ties to train rehabilitation specialistsin blind rehabilitation at the master’sdegree level.

During this period, more than1,100 university instructors havereceived clinical intern training at aVA blind rehabilitation center.

There is no question about thecritical nature of the blind programat VA. The Veterans EligibilityReform Act of 1996 named four VAspecial disability programs that mustbe maintained for the treatment ofveterans.

In addition to blind rehabilitation,essentials listed in the law are spinalcord injury, mental health andprosthetics.

“Our goal,” says Garner, “is toguide each veteran through a train-ing program that leads to maximumadjustment to blindness and makesevery veteran a contributing indi-vidual in the family and community.

“Though VA blind rehabilitationis celebrating 50 years of service, ourjob has really only just begun.” ❏

By Bonner Day

VA leads the world in developing and testing technology for the blind.Jim Swisher, a veteran at Hines VA Hospital, uses a monocular as partof Visual Skills class.

Years of Service — 1948 to 1998

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Golden Age Vets Compete, Reminisce

M ore than 400 veterans fromalmost every state in thecountry gathered at theXerox Document University

in Leesburg, Va., over the MemorialDay weekend to compete in the 12thNational Veterans Golden AgeGames. Hosted by the VA CapitolNetwork, this year’s event was thelargest ever, and the participants

quickly demonstrated why thisMemorial Day would be more thanjust another holiday.

Open to any veteran patient age55 or older, the games providecompetition in a wide array ofevents, including shuffleboard,horseshoes, dominoes, bicycling,billiards, pentathlon, checkers,bowling, croquet, golf and swim-ming. Age is no barrier here asproven by one of this year’s first-timecompetitors — a novice at the age of91! The competitors are alwaysexcited about the Games, but as

Memorial Day approached, the air ofexcitement changed to a mood ofthoughtful remembrance.

“It’s definitely not just anotherholiday,” insisted Jack Withers ofRiverside, Ill. “It’s a solemn day.”

Withers found special meaning insharing Memorial Day 1998 withmany other veterans at the GoldenAge Games; veterans like GordonGleason of Loma Linda, Calif. Thetwo former Marines discovered theyhad both served in the jungles of theSouth Pacific during World War II.

“We didn’t have time to thinkabout Memorial Day then; we didn’teven know what day it was most ofthe time,” said Gleason. “But oncewe got home, that changed. We cannever forget those who gave theirlives to keep us free.”

Korean War veteran Sid Leonnever thought he would meet theman who saved his life, but when heattended his first Golden Age Gameslast year at Leavenworth, Kan., hedid just that. He ran into IsaacSerrano, who was one of the Marineswho answered the calls forhelp from Leon’s ambushedMarine Company near the 38th

Parallel 45 years ago.“He was sitting next to me

and I kept looking at him,”said Leon of his first meetingwith Serrano since Korea. “Ifinally asked him if he wasfrom the 5th Marines BakerBandits, and he said he was!”

Serrano and Leon partici-pated in the same Golden AgeGames events this year. Leonbeat Serrano at horse shoes,but both won medals in thepentathlon; Leon the gold,Serrano the bronze.

One of the highlights ofthis year’s Golden Age Gamesfor the athletes was its prox-imity to the nation’s capital.The veterans made heavy useof alternate activities, includ-ing trips to Baltimore’s InnerHarbor, the Civil War battle-fields of Manassas, Va., andthe memorials, monumentsand museums of Washington,D.C.

“It was fun all the way upand down,” said athlete Art

King of San Diego, Calif. “The trip tothe memorials was a must for me. Ihad to get in everything while I washere.”

“It was the first time I ever sawanything like that,” said World WarII combat veteran Philip Bane ofKnoxville, Iowa. “What better way tohonor the memory of the men andwomen who paid the ultimatesacrifice in defending this greatnation that through these beautifulmonuments that will stand as areminder of freedom for generationsto come.”

Agnes Lyke, from the Washing-ton, D.C., VA Medical Centersummed up the feelings of manyfellow athletes: “Many of us thoughtit a blessing to come so far and bepart of the history of the capitalarea.”

If you want to sample this kind ofmagic yourself, plan on being inGeneva, New York, August 7-12,1999, for the 13th National VeteransGolden Age Games. And remember,you’re never too old to compete! ❏

Donald Mullett (above and left) from New Haven,Conn., 1998’s “George Gangi Most InspirationalAthlete” Award winner

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July/August 1998 11

D. Mark Catlett

Kenneth J. Clark

Ken H. Mizrach

James A. Goff

Larry R. Deal

F ifteen VA Senior ExecutiveService (SES) employees areamong those recog-nized by President

Clinton as recipients of the1997 Presidential RankAwards.

Five VA executives wereselected for the “Distin-guished Award” and 10 forthe “Meritorious Award.”They were among 287 SESwinners government-wide.

Theawards are pre-sented annuallyfor career achieve-mentsthat arerecog-nizedthrough-out anagency

or are acknowledged on anational or internationallevel. Specific achievementsmeasured include costreduction or cost avoid-ance; high workforce productivity;improvements in quality of work,

efficiency and/or timeliness; unusuallevels of cooperative effort with

other federal agencies,governmental jurisdictionsand/or the private sector;and especially successfulefforts in affirmativeaction. The Distin-guished Awardrecipients are D.Mark Catlett,Acting AssistantSecretary for

Management/DeputyAssistant Secretary forBudget; Kenneth J. Clark,

VHA ChiefNetwork Officer;Larry R. Deal,VISN 7 Network Director;James A. Goff, Director,VA Palo Alto Health CareSystem; and Kennth H.Mizrach, Director, VA NewJersey Health Care System. The Meritorious Awardwinners include MaureenS. Baltay, Director, VHA

Policy and Planning Office; Roger K.Bauer, former Vice Chairman, Board

Presidential Rank Awards Honor Careeristsof Veterans’ Appeals (retired); BarryL. Bell, former Network Director,VISN 20 (retired); W. Todd Grams,VHA Chief Financial Officer; RobertJ. Epley, Director, VBA Compensa-tion and Pension Service (formerDirector, St. Louis VARO); Gary J.Krump, Deputy Assistant Secretary

for Acquisition and Mate-riel Management, Office ofManagement; Ronald K.Pedigo, Jr., Director, VBALoan Guaranty Service;Charles E. Roberson,Associate Deputy AssistantSecretary for ProgramManage-mentandOpera-

tions, Office ofManagement;Frank W.Sullivan, DeputyAssistant Secre-tary for FinancialManagement,Office of Manage-ment; and Timothy B. Williams,Director, VA Puget Sound HealthCare System. ❏

F or the third straight year, a VAfacility has been the recipientof a President’s QualityAward. The Tampa, Fla.,

VAMC was honored as a PresidentialQuality Award Program meritwinner in Washington, D.C., in June.Previous recipients are the Togus,Maine, VAM&ROC in 1997 and theMuskogee, Ala., VARO in 1996.

The Tampa facility, a 507-bedtertiary teaching hospital thatincludes a 180-bed nursing home,won the award for improvingcustomer service and saving taxdollars through implementation ofthe continuous quality improvementprocess (CQI).

Service and quality enhancementsinclude the creation of model pri-mary care programs, reductions inoutpatient waiting times and a de-crease in unscheduled visits from 68percent to 30 percent of total visits.

Team efforts also saved $187,000in the Office of Workers Compensa-tion program charge-back costs andcreated a modified duty program forinjured employees.

Another improvement was in thearea of reporting X-ray findings: adecrease from eight days to only oneday.

Other improvements include:• Hospital staff redeployed from

closed inpatient wards to primarycare teams and specialized clinics,including a new Geriatric Clinic.

• Adding staff from medicine,nursing, social work, psychology,nutrition and administration to theambulatory care team.

• More efficient administration ofNutrition and Food Service, due toredesigned work processes andemployee re-scheduling.

Tampa Earns President’s Quality Award• Intensive training and support

for staff nurses, which made itpossible to eliminate evening andnight supervisors.

• Joint initiatives with localservice offices for cost savings inadministrative and clinical programs,including consolidating warehouses,designing telemedicine programs,and matching computerized tem-plates.

Employee teams of the TampaVAMC, one of the busiest VAhospitals with more than 500,000outpatient visits last year, alsoreceived a Hammer Award and threeScissors Awards.

In 1997, they won the Robert F.Carey Quality Award trophy, VA’stop award for organizational excel-lence. ❏

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I n response to a Presidentialdirective in March, VA childcare centers have requestedaccreditation materials from the

National Association for the Educa-tion of Young Children (NAEYC).One of the President’s objectives is tohave all federal child care facilitiesNAEYC- accredited by the year 2000.

VA officials support the accredi-tation concept and are confident thePresident’s requirement will be met,according to Renee Bruce, VA na-tional child care program manager.

Of the 61 VA child care centers,seven are already NAEYC-accred-ited. Only about 5 percent of all earlychildhood programs nationwide cur-rently are recognized by the NAEYC.

Fifty VA facilities are eligible foraccreditation, and four are notbecause they have not yet been inoperation for one year. The accred-ited facilities are in Tuscaloosa, Ala.;

Palo Alto, Calif.; North Chicago, Ill.;Brockton, Mass.; Montrose, N.Y.;Minneapolis and Milwaukee.

Bruce said the process takesapproximately one year and involvesa self-assessment, a self-study and anevaluation by NAEYC officials.There is also a substantial fee re-quired to pay for the administrativecosts associated with the accredita-tion process.

All VA child care centers meet avariety of other stipulations tooperate. All are licensed by theirrespective states and/or localgovernments, and each must complywith both national and VA safety,occupational health, and fire protec-tion standards, (including life safetycodes), Occupational Safety andHealth (OSHA) standards, andAmericans with Disabilities Act(ADA), infection control and clean-ing standards. All child care provid-

President Sets Federal Child Care Standardsers are required to undergo criminalhistory background checks.

In addition to the proper licens-ing, the child care centers located onVA property provide age-appropri-ate curricula, including computeraccess. Such curricula provides forall areas of a child’s development:physical, emotional, social, languageand cognitive in an integratedapproach.

VA child care centers also offer avariety of health programs, such asspeech evaluations, therapy andreferrals, vision and hearing tests,and developmental standard tests.

NAEYC is the nation’s largestorganization of early childhoodeducators. It administers a national,voluntary, professionally sponsoredaccreditation system for all types ofpreschool, kindergartens, child carecenters and school-age child careprograms. ❏

Three more employee teamshave received Vice PresidentGore’s Hammer Award.

The Contract Service Center(CSC) at the Great LakesHealthcare System in Milwaukeereceived a Hammer Award forreinventing the office suppliesordering process. The team wrotea Blanket Purchase Agreementwith an office supply vendor on aGSA contract. Using a memoran-dum of understanding, the CSCadded the Headquarters of theUnited States Courts and morethan 400 Federal Court facilitiesnationwide to choose the vendorwho provides the highest qualityitems at the lowest cost.

This cooperative increases thecontract user base and enablesemployees to take advantage oflarge discounts up front, reducethe need for warehouse space, andachieve a 24-hour delivery onproducts. Other benefits includeuse of the government-wide creditcard, electronic catalogs and usagereports, and reduction of duplica-

tive paperwork across agencies.The Veterans Benefits Adminis-

tration’s Reader-Focused Writing(RFW) Team received a HammerAward for reinventing the way VBAwrites to its customers. The teamfound that by using clear, under-standable writing, veterans cansupply required information to VBAthe first time it’s requested. Thisreduces overpayments by veteransand prevents delay in deliveringbenefits.

During two and one-half years,the team, assisted by outside consult-ants, led the effort in rewriting morethan 200 frequently sent veteranletters. Members also developed awriting training model and long-distance learning course, trained 800employees to write using the newstandards, and tested with customerdocuments redesigned throughRFW.

The Great Lakes Health CareAcquisition Center in Milwaukeeand the contracting officers technicalrepresentatives of the Prosthetic &Sensory Aids Services in the Chi-

cago area received a HammerAward for using best valuecontracting. They consolidatedfour VAMC’s requirements fordurable medical equipment andhome oxygen into one standard-ized contract, saving $777,800annually.

Previously, two of the fourfacilities had consolidated theircontracts and two had not. Thismeant more contract overhead,and also required two or morecontractors entering a patient’shome to deliver the equipment.Now, veterans will benefit fromhaving the same contractor eachtime, fostering a stronger relation-ship. Over the life of the 5-yearcontract, as much as $3.8 millionwill be saved, generated fromlower prices on hospital beds,patient lifts, oxygen equipmentand oxygen concentrator rentals.

This centralization of thecontracts proved to be the “bestvalue” for employees, patients,taxpayers and the government asa whole. ❏

VA Hammers Home Savings in Costs, Time

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July/August 1998 13

MEDICALadvances

Gene May Offer New TargetAgainst Alzheimer’s Disease

VA researchers have identified a gene that causes a form ofdementia and may provide a new target for treating Alzheimer’sdisease. Reporting in the June issue of the Annals of Neurol-ogy, scientists at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System inSeattle said mutations of the gene produced tangles of longstring-like filaments similar to those found on the brains ofAlzheimer’s patients.

The research team included Drs. Gerard Schellenberg,Parvoneh Poorkaj, Thomas Bird and Murray Raskind, andcolleagues at the VA medical center and the University ofWashington. In studying two families with “chromosome 17frontotemporal dementia,” the scientists found that nerve celldeath was caused by a mutation in a gene called tau. Theirdiscovery suggests that the tangles in neurofibers are part ofthe development of Alzheimer’s rather than a consequence ofthe disease.

“We showed that if you alter tau, you get neurons dying,”Schellenberg said. “That’s what Alzheimer’s disease is allabout.”

Over the last 15 years, the investigators have studied afamily whose members frequently develop what appears to beAlzheimer’s disease. When family members died, brainautopsies showed many neurofibrillary tangles but none of thestarch-like amyloid plaques that mark Alzheimer’s. After tracingthe abnormality to a mutation in the tau gene on chromosome17, the researchers identified a second family affected by thedisorder and found the same tau mutation in afflicted members.They believe their findings may help scientists understand andtreat other neurological diseases.

“In addition to suggesting tau as a rational drug target inboth frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, ourfindings may help us learn more about a variety of braindisorders,” Bird said.

Fat in Western Diet MayHasten Clogging of Arteries

An especially harmful form of fat known common in Westerndiets, could hasten the clogging of arteries and increase the riskof heart disease, scientists found in research at the SanFrancisco VA Medical Center.

The study, led by Ilona Staprans found that rabbits fed adiet high in oxidized cholesterol had increased fatty deposits intheir blood vessel walls.

The results of the study, published in the June issue of

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology: Journal ofthe American Heart Association, included two groups ofgenetically similar rabbits. Both groups were fed a low choles-terol diet, but one received 25 milligrams of oxidized cholesteroleach day — the equivalent of the amount found in the averageAmerican diet. After 12 weeks, the rabbits that received theoxidized cholesterol showed a 100 percent increase in fatdeposits in their aortas, the major artery that carries blood fromthe heart. It is unclear that the results would apply to humans,but the scientists said the findings present a clear cause forconcern about the Western diet.

“With the popularity of fried foods and the widespread fastfood industry, oxidized fats are common in the Western diet andcould contribute to heart disease,” Staprans said.When consumed, oxidized cholesterol combines in the bloodwith fat particles called lipoproteins. As the lipoproteins travelthrough the blood stream, they stick to artery walls and formfatty deposits that can block blood flow. Reduced blood flowcan lessen the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart andlead to heart disease.

Other investigators on the study were Drs. Joseph H. Rapp,Xian-Mang Pan, and Kenneth R. Feingold. Rapp and Feingoldare also professors in residence at the University of California,San Francisco.

Researchers Test NewTherapy for Prostate Cancer

Researchers at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center havefound promise in an experimental treatment combining thestrategy of a vaccine and drugs to treat prostate cancer. Dr.Akhouri Sinha, and colleagues used the two-part compound totarget prostate tumors in mice, and they hope the approach willwork in humans as well.

Sinha and his fellow investigators infected the mice withhuman prostate cancer cells before administering the new drug.One part of the compound is a strong anti-tumor drug. Theother targets the tumor cells that produce prostate specificantigen (PSA), the molecule produced only by prostate cellsand which is prevalent in prostate cancer cells.

By targeting PSA, they avoided negative effects of mostcancer drugs, which kill any growing cell. Similar to a vaccine,the drug is attracted by the antigen, which identifies unwantedcells like cancer so that the immune system can destroy them.

Sinah reported in March at the annual meeting of theAmerican Association for Cancer Research in New Orleans thatthe therapy killed tumor cells and did no harm to other parts ofthe body. He said clinical trials will be needed to determine ifsimilar results will occur in humans.

“We believe this treatment will greatly decrease the damag-ing effects of the therapy to unrelated organs while also de-creasing morbidity and mortality in cancer patients,” he said. ❏

By Dan Bruneau & Pat ForsythVA Research Communications Service

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HONORSand awards

Richard A. Silver,director of the Tampa, Fla.,VA Medical Center, hasreceived the AMVETS SilverHelmet Civil Servant of theYear Award “in recognition ofhis unswerving commitment tothe health and welfare ofhospitalized veterans inFlorida.” He has more than 50years of federal service anddirects one of VA’s busiestmedical centers. TheAMVETS Silver HelmetAward, a replica of the WWIIGI helmet, has been pre-sented annually for more than40 years.

Dr. Karla Kerlikowske ofSan Francisco VA MedicalCenter was selected as amember to California’s new14-person Cancer ResearchCouncil for her work at VA’sWomens Clinic and herresearch on fertility andovarian cancer.

Associate Director forClinical Operations Karen R.Robinson, R.N., Fargo, N.D.,VA Medical and RegionalOffice Center, received the1998 North Dakota NursesAssociation Nurse of the YearAward. The award recognizesher contributions to nursingpractice through leadershipand expertise in research.She has maintained anongoing program titled“You+Research=NursingPractice” that was recognizedin the Western Journal ofNursing Practice last year.

The House of RefugeWomen’s Shelter, CopperasGrove, Texas, recognized twogroups of Waco, Texas, VARegional Office employees

for their support of the shelterfor women veterans and theirfamilies. Shelter DirectorJoseph Solomon presentedawards to the regional officeloan guaranty employeesinstrumental in arranging thelease and eventual sale of theVA-acquired property which isthe shelter’s home, and to theregional office’s WomenVeterans Group whichprovides continuing assis-tance to shelter residents.

Lisa Allara, ambulatorycare specialist for the Hines,Ill., Medical Center, wasnamed the RecognizedYoung Dietitian of the Year bythe Illinois Dietetics Associa-tion for her commitment toresearch, education andcommunity outreach.

Evelyn Haberl, clinicalnurse in cardiology at theWestern New York HealthCare System in Buffalo, N.Y.,has been recognized as 1998Nurse of Distinction forWestern New York by theNew York State ProfessionalNurse Association for herservice in teaching, researchand patient care.

The Public EmployesRoundtable 1998 PublicService Excellence Award inthe federal category went tothe New York/New JerseyVISN 3 Consortium onHomeless Veterans.Representatives of some ofthe VA medical centerscomprising the consortiumaccepted the award in May inWashington for their successin bringing services toveterans in New York Citywhere they live — in shelters

and in the streets. Through acollaborative effort with state,city and private agencies,multi-media outreach,transportation to VA daytreatment and a mobilemedical clinic, the consortiumreached more than 3,000homeless veterans last yearand placed more than 1,000in some kind of housing.

Michael McMaines fromthe Fargo, N.D., MedicalCenter was presented TheDisabled American VeteransOutstanding VA EmployeeAward for 1998 for his effortsand administrative skills usedto establish new community-based outpatient clinics inGrafton, Bismarck and Minot.

Myrna Larson, seniorrating specialist, Fargo, N.D.,Veterans Service Center,received The DisabledAmerican Veterans Outstand-ing VA Employee Award for1998 for her 30 years ofservice.

Dr. Dilip Jeste of the SanDiego VA Medical Center anddirector of the GeriatricPsychiatry Clinical ResearchCenter at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego, wasnamed president of theAmerican Association forGeriatric Psychiatry.

Dr. John R. Feussner,Chief Research and Develop-ment Officer, received theCecil G. Sheps DistinguishedInvestigator Award forscholarly achievement inhealth services research. Hewas honored at the 30thAnniversary Symposium ofthe Cecil G. Sheps Center forHealth Services Research atthe University of NorthCarolina (UNC) in ChapelHill. The center presents theaward, named for its foundingdirector, every five years tohonor accomplished investi-gators who serve on its

faculty. Feussner is a profes-sor of medicine at DukeUniversity Medical Center,adjunct professor of healthpolicy and administration atthe UNC School of PublicHealth, and a senior fellow atthe Sheps Center.

Patty Roller, recreationaltherapy assistant, Fargo,N.D., Medical Center, wasgiven the YWCA Woman ofthe Year Award in PublicService for providing recre-ational programs for theSubstance Abuse Treatmentand Inpatient Psychiatryprograms.

VA Undersecretary forHealth Dr. Kenneth W. Kizerwas awarded the BenjaminFranklin Society Citation bythe College of Optometry atthe State University of NewYork for his strong leadershipin VA.

The Tuscaloosa, Ala.;Phoenix, Ariz.; Bay Pines,Fla.; Syracuse, N.Y.; Tampa/Orlando, Fla.; San Juan,Puerto Rico; Oklahoma City/Muskogee, Okla.; Nashville,Tenn.; and San Diego VAMedical Center Canteenswere chosen as the VeteransCanteen Service OutstandingCanteens for 1997 for theirquality customer service andbusiness performance.

Dennis W. Mullins,education coordinator at theBay Pines, Fla., MedicalCenter, was selected for the1997 Exemplary ServiceAward in the GS-9 throughGS-12 category by theLeadership VA AlumniAssociation.

Dr. Julie Freichlag, WestLos Angeles VA MedicalCenter, was named presidentelect of the VA surgeons,meaning she will becomepresident of this nationalorganization in 1999. ❏

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July/August 1998 15

you heardHAVE

Ft. McKenzie, the site ofthe Sheridan, Wyo., VAMedical Center, is 100 yearsold in 1998. In recognition ofthis milestone, the medicalcenter and community areplanning a four-day celebra-tion in August. If you are aformer Sheridan employee orknow a retiree and want to bepart of this historic occasion,please e-mail Jerry Ford, callhim at (307) 672-1678, orsend him mail in care of theSheridan VAMC.

VBA successfully com-pleted the first phase of theEducation Service Toll-FreeProject. On that day, theMuskogee RPO beganhandling calls from veteransusing the education toll-freetelephone number,888 GI BILL 1. Veterans fromOklahoma, New Mexico, andWashington can now contactan Education Counselor at theMuskogee RPO by calling theeducation toll-free number. Inaddition to the Muskogee site,the other Education RPOsthat service calls from specificstates are Atlanta (Florida andGeorgia), Buffalo (New York),and St. Louis (Illinois, Indiana,Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan,and Missouri).Phase II of theproject will make the Educa-tion portion of the NationalAutomated Response System(NARS) available to all callersto 888 GI BILL 1. The currentwork plan calls for Phase II ofthe project to be completed bySeptember 1998.

VA’s Financial ServicesCenter (formerly the AustinFinance Center) moved onMay 25 to an addition to theAustin, Texas, Automation

Center building. Along withhaving a new physicallocation, the FSC has atelephone number change.The 389 prefix changed to460 for all FSC telephonenumbers. The area code(512) and the last fournumbers of the extensionremain the same. The PostOffice Box address previouslyused for the FSC remains thesame: Financial ServicesCenter, P.O. Box 149975,Austin, TX 78714.

Because 12-15 percent ofhospital workers have allergicreactions to latex, a materialfound in most medicalsupplies, Carol Lutz, R.N.,and Mabel Irwin, R.N., at theMountain Home, Tenn.,Medical Center, assembleda cart with latex-free gloves,catheters, IV tubing, syringes,and oxygen supplies to meetthe need of their coworkers.They also prepared a hospitalmemorandum and brochure toeducate people of theproblem and of their solution.

Ladies ProfessionalBowlers hall of famer HelenDuval hosted a bowling clinicfor hospitalized veterans atthe North Chicago VAMedical Center . Duval, 82,has won many bowlingawards and showed the vetshow to pick up the dreaded7 - 10 split.

The Fargo, N.D., VAMedical and Regional OfficeCenter recently held a“Diabetes Day” to educateveterans and their families onhow to manage and live withthe disease. Topics includedpodiatry for proper footcare,

healthy food choices, and apanel discussion on questionsaudience members had aboutdiabetes.

On the road again is justwhere staff members of theNorth Chicago VA MedicalCenter are these days sincestarting their weekly roadvisits to veterans in theircommunities. Each week, ateam of health-care providersvisits local neighborhoodchurches, veterans’ organiza-tion halls, or other communitysites to provide services suchas eye care, oral cancerscreening, foot care, choles-terol screening, bloodpressure checks, as well asinformation on veterans’benefits.

The Bowlers to VeteransLink (BVL) contributed$50,000 to VA Vet Centers tohelp coordinate recreationalprograms such as camping,canoeing, bowling andbasketball. The money wasraised by league bowlers fromsome 1,500 local bowlingassociations around thenation. Since 1942, BVL hascontributed more than $23million to care for hospitalizedor outpatient veterans.

The Richmond, Va., VAMedical Center celebratedthe grand opening of aCardiology ElectrophysiologyLab. Staff members there willstudy all issues relating to theelectrical system of the heart,including what causesabnormal heart rates, faintingand dizzy spells.

Four volunteers from theOmaha, Neb., VA MedicalCenter were part of a groupof health-care professionalswho visited a small village incentral India to providemedical and dental care topeople who otherwise couldnot afford it. Dr. David M.Chacko is an eye specialist at

the Omaha VAMC and on thestaff of the University ofNebraska Medical Center.Joining him were husbandand wife, Larry and BeckyRohe, and Denise Cuevas.The team did 188 cataractsurgeries, 134 dental proce-dures, 66 plastic surgeries,and dispensed over 800 pairsof eyeglasses.

Drs. Ron Holgado, ShawnWard and Deb Latta of thepodiatry section at theColumbus, Ohio, VAOutpatient Clinic offered ahand during their community’s1998 AIDS WALK by offeringa foot aid station to theevent’s walkers, many ofwhich were veterans. The1,000 volunteer walkersraised more than $165,000 forthe cause, and VA staffprovided on-site care to wearywalkers.

The hills are alive with thesound of home construction inthe Appalachian region ofTennessee thanks in part tothe nursing staff at theMountain Home, Tenn., VAMedical Center . That’sbecause they are contributingtheir time to build 12 homesfor low income families in theirarea. This is a joint effortbetween Habitat for Humanityand the Federation ofAppalachian Enterprises ofBerea, Ky.

Vacation in Croatia wasn’texactly restful for Dr. DariusGhazi, an orthopedic surgeonat the Louisville, Ky., VAMedical Center . During his10-day stay he performed fivemajor hip and knee surgeries,lectured at a hospital inBiograd, and participated in ahealth fair. Ghazi was one ofseven health care profession-als who visited with theAmerican International HealthAlliance and volunteered hisservices to Croats devastatedby Serbian attacks. ❏

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16 VAnguard

HEROES✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Earlier this year, FortLyon, Colo., VA MedicalCenter business officesecretary James Gallegoswas driving home from workwhen he came upon what hefirst thought was a “dummy”hanging from a tree. Hedrove back to double checkand found a young man whohad hung himself. He got thebody down and woke neigh-bors to call 911. He returnedto attend to the young manuntil emergency responseteams arrived. The mansurvived the ordeal.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

On a busy Mondaymorning at the Murfreesboro,Tenn., VA Medical Center, aveteran suffering cardiacarrest ran his car into a VApolice car just before enteringa traffic intersection. VASecurity Sgt. Ken Dewittrushed to the veteran’s carand found him slumped overthe steering wheel. Becausethe car was still in gear andthe doors locked, Dewitt usedhis police baton to break out arear window so he could turnoff the engine. He thenhelped carry the veteran intothe medical center where anemergency team revived him.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

St. Louis VA MedicalCenter registered nurse PaulaPaul went into action when a63-year-old man collapsedwhile working in his yard. Hewas turning gray when Paulfound him. She determinedhe had stopped breathing andhad no pulse and immediatelybegan performing one-person

CPR. She worked on theman for 15 minutes beforehelp arrived and he was takento a hospital. The neighbor isdoing well after being fittedwith an internal defibrillator.Paul was honored as anAmerican Red Cross Life-saver of the Month for her rolein saving her neighbor’s life.

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Barbara Stutson,operating room staff nurse atthe Loma Linda, Calif., VAMedical Center, was at thescene of a bicycle-carcollision and the only personable to assist the injured cyc-list. She established an air-way and provided first aid fora head wound. She contin-ued to provide care until pa-ramedics arrived. Thanks toher immediate care, the vic-tim’s recovery time wasminimal.

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Dawn Gritton, R.N., onher way to work the midnightshift at Lexington, Ky., VAMedical Center, responded toa situation at a railroadintersection. While stopped tolet a train pass, she saw whatlooked like two people fightingahead near the tracks. Apolice officer in the waitingline of cars also saw them,and started walking towardthem. Hearing from someoneelse that there was a personbleeding badly. Grittonidentified herself as a nurseand went to the victim with thepoliceman. They found twoyoung men, one carrying theother who was bleedingheavily. The officer told the

man to put his friend down,but he would not. Grittonconvinced the man to let herassist. She determined thevictim had been shot in theface with a small caliber gun.The bullet had clipped anartery, so she quickly posi-tioned the victim to minimizeblood loss. She used her labcoat to apply pressure to thewound and held the victimuntil an ambulance arrived 20minutes later. Though he losta lot of blood, the 21-year-oldcollege student remainedconscious and is making a fullrecovery. Gritton returnedhome to change and clean up,then headed back to work.

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Kristine Dixson, R.N.,and social worker Rich Martelwere in a meeting at the DesMoines, Iowa, Division of theVA Central Iowa Health CareSystem when they heard aloud pop outside their officewindow. They looked out tothe street and saw sparksfrom power lines downed by acar which had hit an electricalpole. They rushed to thescene and flagged down VApolice officer Gary Knight,who radioed for assistanceand assisted those in the car.Safety and OccupationalHealth Specialist Bill Rohlfescorted children at a nearbybus stop to school, while VApolice directed traffic aroundthe scene. The people in thecar were treated and releasedby the VA emergency room.A true VA team effort!

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Columbia, Mo., VAMedical Center accountingtechnician Mark Moore wasserving with his Army Reserveunit in Little Rock when afellow reservist collapsed witha heart attack. Moore, amedic instructor in theReserve, administered CPRfor 20 minutes until an

ambulance arrived. Hecontinued resuscitation effortsin the ambulance on the wayto the hospital. The strickenreservist subsequentlyunderwent successfulangioplasty and left thehospital four days later.

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Three Oklahoma City VAMedical Center nurses —Belinda Johnson, AliviaAdawi, and BeverlyScoggins — were travelingtogether with their families ona weekend camping trip whenthey saw a Chevy Blazer plowinto the rear end of a dumptruck. Scoggins removed twosmall children from the rearwindow of the Blazer, whileAdawi crawled through therear window to assist theinjured mother and 10-year-old son in the front seat. Shestayed with them 40 minutes,tending to the son’s fracturedarm and hip injury until the firedepartment arrived and cutaway the top of the car toextract them. After the am-bulances departed, the threeheroines stopped at a servicestation where Johnson andScoggins helped Adawi clearthe broken glass from her hairand wash away the blood.Then they proceeded withtheir trip.

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Northampton, Mass., VAMedical Center nurse Gail A.Sylvester, licensed practicalnurse, was first on the sceneof an accident in which twoyoung women had beenthrown into the windshield oftheir car. She took quickaction to stop the bleedingand shared her assessment ofthe injuries with police whenthey arrived so properambulance services could bedispatched to the scene. ❏