VAnguard · The Michigan Department of Disabled American Veterans named ... his love for skiing into a volunteer opportunity with Community Integration Recreation, a non-profit ...

VAnguard

Inside: Oral History Project, 3 ✩ Workplace Violence, 10 ✩ Heightened Security, 12

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

OCTOBER 2001

New ‘Day of Infamy’—page 4

2 VAnguard

INTRODUCINGTim Trittschuh

CCCCCONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS

CCCCCOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNS 13-16

VAnguardVA’s Employee Magazine

October 2001Vol. XLVII, No. 8

Printed on 50% recycled paper

Editor: Lisa RespessEditorial Assistant: Matt Bristol

Photo Editor: Robert Turtil

Published by theOffice of Public Affairs (80D)

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

(202) 273-5746E-mail: [email protected]/pubaff/vanguard/

index.htm

❏ Terrorist Attacks 4-9VA assists in disaster relief efforts

❏ Workplace Violence 10-11Task force reviewing policies

❏ Heightened Security 12Police step up security in wake of attacks

❏ Child Care Assistance 12Tuition assistance program extended

On the cover: The scene from the windowsof VA Central Office after hi-jacked American Airlines flight77, originally bound for LosAngeles from Dulles Interna-tional Airport, crashed into thePentagon shortly before 10:00a.m. on Sept. 11. The jetliner wasthe third of four hijacked planesto crash that morning. VA Central Office was orderedevacuated a short time later,sending headquarters workersinto the streets, where they joinedthe mass exodus out of down-town D.C. on clogged roads andpacked subway cars. The deathtoll from the crash stands at 189,including passengers, crew andPentagon workers.

The Michigan Department ofDisabled American Veterans namedTim Trittschuh Outstanding Dis-abled Veteran of the Year for 2001,and for good reason. Aside from hiscontributions at the Fort CusterNational Cemetery, the former 82nd

Airborne Division paratrooper hasspent more than a decade helpingchildren overcome some of life’stoughest obstacles.

An above-the-knee amputee,Trittschuh knows just how difficult itcan be to overcome life’s setbacks.His military career was cut shortwhen doctors at Walter Reed ArmyMedical Centeramputated hisleft leg. Whatbegan as amysteriouspain in hisknee evolvedinto a debilitat-ing conditionthat perplexedArmy doctors.“They said theydidn’t knowwhat was hap-pening with myleg,” he said,describing how doctors were unableto pinpoint the cause of his pain. Hewas eventually diagnosed withcancer and doctors amputated his legto prevent the cancer from spread-ing.

In early 1990, Trittschuh beganvolunteering to help children atCamp Catch a Rainbow, a summercamp for kids with cancer sponsoredby the American Cancer Society. Oneof his most memorable experiencesoccurred during a group meeting inwhich the kids had a chance to talkabout their fears. “One kid had beendiagnosed with non-Hodgkin’slymphoma and had lost all his hairthrough chemotherapy,” he said.“He was so scared that all the otherkids were going to make fun of him… it just brought us all to tears.”

After six years of volunteering atthe summer camp, he decided to turn

his love for skiing into a volunteeropportunity with CommunityIntegration Recreation, a non-profitgroup that teaches kids with disabili-ties, learning disorders or behavioralproblems how to ski. “Many of thekids come from low-income familiesand otherwise would never get achance to go skiing,” Trittschuh said.“I try to be a role model for them andshow them that if I can do it, then socan they.” He’s returned every yearsince 1995 to spend time with thekids and introduce them to the thrillof downhill skiing.

He waschosen to join theteam at the FortCuster NationalCemetery in1984, a fewmonths beforethe cemetery’sofficial dedica-tion. Over theyears, he’scome up witha number ofideas toimproveefficiency and

save money. “We used to pay tohave our waste oil removed, but Ithought, why not buy an oil-burningheater and use the oil to heat ourshop in the winter?” Managementagreed, and the oil-burning heaterhas saved the cemetery thousands ofdollars. He also developed a timingsystem for the diesel block heatersthat reduces electricity usage.

“Tim has had an influence on allaspects of our operation,” notedForeman Kenneth Haines, who hasworked with Trittschuh for the past14 years. “Everyone respects him forhis innovative ideas.” He explainedthat some of those ideas helped thecemetery earn an AchievementAward in the 2001 Carey Awardsprogram. The 770-acre site isMichigan’s only VA national cem-etery. ❏

By Matt Bristol

October 2001 3

OutlookAnthony J. Principi,Secretary ofVeterans Affairs

Make This Veterans Day‘Veterans History Day’

This year’s Veterans Dayposter was designed by AndrewE. Scheller, Jr., visual informationspecialist at the Philadelphia VAMedical Center. As models,Scheller used employees of themedical center who are veteransof the services depicted. Hetraveled as far away as the U.S.Coast Guard station in CapeMay, N.J., to obtain authenticactive duty uniforms.

A limited number of postersare available on a first come, firstserve basis from the Office ofPublic Affairs (80D). Posters mayalso be downloaded from VA’sVeterans Day Web page,www.va.gov/pubaff/vetsday.

Veterans Day 2001

Some callthem “warstories,” but tothe Library ofCongress thefirsthandaccounts ofveterans whoserved duringtimes of war are

the stuff of history. That is why I waspleased to accept the invitation ofLibrarian of Congress James H.Billington to serve on the VeteransHistory Project Five Star Council ofAdvisors.

The Veterans History Project,authorized by Congress last year,calls upon the Library of CongressAmerican Folklife Center to developa program to collect and preserveaudio- and videotaped oral historiesof America’s war veterans.

The Library of Congress willpublicly launch the project Novem-ber 7, just before Veterans Day. VA isa natural partner for this project. Ourability to reach the nation’s veteransis essential to its success.

Of our 25 million living veterans,nearly 19 million have served duringtimes of war. There are 19 millionstories to tell, 19 million histories topreserve. VA’s national force of morethan 90,000 volunteers will assist VAstaff in veterans hospitals andbenefits offices across the country inrecording veterans’ histories andbringing local groups and organiza-tions into the project.

Time is of the essence. There areonly a few thousand World War Iveterans left and they are all morethan 100 years old. The average ageof our World War II veterans is morethan 77 and we are losing 1,500 ofthem a day. We have to reach themand preserve their great legacy rightnow, and this project is the way to doit.

The project encompasses veteransof World Wars I and II, and theKorean, Vietnam and Persian Gulfwars; men and women of all ranks inall branches of military service. TheVeterans History Project offers “howto” guidelines for taping oral histo-ries on its Web site at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets. Start-up information isalso available by writing: VeteransHistory Project, American FolklifeCenter, Library of Congress, 101Independence Ave., S.E., Washing-ton, D.C. 20540-4615.

All recordings, personal historiesand documents submitted to theVeterans History Project will be partof the Library of Congress/AmericanFolklife Center National VeteransHistory Collection. They will behoused at the Library and partnerinstitutions such as military muse-ums, history centers or local librariesand archives. The Library of Con-gress will create a comprehensive,searchable catalog of all materials sothat researchers and the public willhave access to them.

There is a role for all of us to play.We can contact the veterans we serveto let them know about the project.We can encourage veterans organiza-tions and other groups in our com-munities to join the project andcollect veterans’ histories. We canidentify World War I veterans servedby VA and assess their interest andability to participate. We can encour-age schools to interest students in theprogram and help them contactveterans.

I’m particularly interested ininvolving students and youth groupsin this project. I can’t think of a better

way for a school class to observeVeterans Day and to learn Americanhistory than by recording veterans’histories.

I encourage you to learn moreabout the Veterans Oral HistoryProject by checking the Library ofCongress Web site. Project pam-phlets are being sent to all VAfacilities and VA Voluntary Service isincorporating it into the volunteerprogram. For more information,check with your facility public affairsofficer or voluntary service chief. ❏

More information on theVeterans Oral HistoryProject, including a “howto” guide to tapinghistories, is available onthe Library of CongressWeb site at www.loc.gov/folklife/vets.

4 VAnguard

Terrorist Attacks on Ame

Thousands of employeeswere affected by the tragicevents of Sept. 11, but few to theextent of Abraham Scott, abudget analyst with the NationalCemetery Administration (NCA)in VA Central Office. He got aphone call from his wife Janicethat morning, just minutes afterhijackers piloted a commercialairliner into the first of the WorldTrade Center’s twin towers. Theytalked for several minutes andshe told him about the attack. Itwas to be the last time he wouldhear her voice.

Janice worked at the Penta-gon as a budget analyst for theArmy and is among those listedby the Department of Defense asunaccounted for. As the nation’sshock of the attacks gave way togrief and anger, Abe Scott isholding out hope that rescuerswill find some clue as to hiswife’s fate. “It’s devastating,” hesaid. “I’m leaning on the Lord’sshoulders to help me get throughthis.”

His church held a prayerservice the week after theattacks and several of his NCAcolleagues attended. GladysPatree, a program specialist whoworks with Scott, was one ofthose. “I can’t explain the hurt Ifelt for him and his family,” shesaid. “It was deep.” She de-scribed Abe as a “family man”and said she felt helpless toease his pain at the prayerservice. “Hopefully our presencehelped.” Abe and Janice havetwo daughters, Crystal Marie andAngel Marie.

Leaning on Faith

Plumes of thick, black smoke rise from the Pentagon after a hijacked airliner crashed into thebuilding on the fateful morning of Sept. 11.

A s the whole world now knows,just before 9:00 a.m. on Sept.11, terrorists hijacked fourcommercial airliners, crashing

two into the twin towers of NewYork City’s World Trade Center(WTC) and another into the Penta-gon. The fourth crashed near Pitts-burgh, missing its intended targetthanks to an apparent heroic attemptby passengers to stop the hijackersfrom carrying out their deadlymission. It’s been called anotherPearl Harbor, but the casualties fromthis new “Day of Infamy” far exceedthat sneak attack of 60 years ago.

With the nation reeling from theshock of the terrorist attacks, VAemployees at medical centers,regional offices, national cemeteriesand vet centers quickly mobilized tohelp victims, their families, andothers affected by this nationaltragedy. Veterans Health Adminis-tration (VHA) facilities nearest thecrash sites were the first to getinvolved, activating disaster plansand preparing to receive casualties.

The VA New York HarborHealthcare System (HCS), withdivisions in Manhattan, Brooklynand the Bronx, immediately orderedextra supplies and placed all medicalpersonnel on standby. Non-essential

surgery was postponed, and inpa-tient beds were freed up so maxi-mum resources would be available ata moment’s notice.

In the first few hours after theattacks, all available staff and VApolice at the Manhattan campus, theclosest to Ground Zero, stoodoutside the emergency room en-trance to flag down approachingambulances carrying the injured.

Staff also took to the streetsoutside the medical center lookingfor wounded among the crowdsfleeing the cloud of dust and debrissettling on lower Manhattan. Bridgeand subway closings had left hun-dreds of thousands with few otheroptions for getting out of the areathan to flee on foot. Many of thoseheading toward Queens walked pastthe facility.

It wasn’t hard to pick out victimswho needed immediate care, accord-ing to VA staff who scanned thecrowds. Covered in concrete dustand with pained expressions on theirfaces, they’d already walked nearlyfour miles from the World TradeCenter area.

Medical staff at the Manhattancampus gathered the supplies theyneeded to stabilize incoming victimsand set up a triage area outside the

emergency room. Mental healthcounselors stood by to tend thevictims’ emotional needs. Althoughmost of the victims VA staff ap-proached outside the facility saidthey were okay and wanted to keepgoing, several accepted their offers of

October 2001 5

rican Soil: VA Responds

Arlene Howard’s selfless action moved a Presidentand a nation. The Navy veteran of World War II andwidow of a World War II veteran is a volunteer at theNorthport, N.Y., VA Medical Center.

Her son, a Port Authority police officer, was off dutyon the morning of Sept. 11 when terrorists piloted ahijacked airliner into the World Trade Center. Likemany off-duty police officers and firefighters, he wascalled in after the attack. He rushed to the scene toassist his fellow officers and was later caught in theWorld Trade Center’s collapse.

When President George W. Bush visited New YorkCity following the attack, Arlene Howard gave him herson’s police badge. The President spoke movingly oftheir encounter during his address to a joint session ofCongress on Sept. 20.

Holding up the badge, he told the world it was “thepolice shield of a man named George Howard, whodied at the World Trade Center trying to save others. Itwas given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud

‘Proud Memorial’ to a Fallen Sonmemorial to her son. This is my reminder of lives thatended, and a task that does not end.”

From her home on Long Island, Howard explainedthat she gave her son’s police shield to the Presidentto honor not only her son’s memory, but all the policeofficers and firefighters who died in the attack. “He saidhe was honored to have it and that he would carry itwith him at all times,” she said.

Howard has been a volunteer in the Women’sWellness Program at the Northport VAMC since 1994.She’s on the VA Voluntary Service Executive Commit-tee, the Northport VAMC’s External Board of Directors,and is the VA representative for the Honor Society ofWomen Legionnaires.

“Arlene is a survivor,” said Mary O’Sullivan, chief ofVoluntary Service at the Northport VAMC and a closefriend of Howard. “When I lost my husband, she toldme what to expect during the grieving process. That’sjust the kind of person she is, and we are honored tohave her as part of our VA family.”

Staff from the Washington, D.C., VA Medical Center’s EmergencyOperations Center, set up shortly after the Pentagon attack, meet atnoon on Sept. 11.

help for everything from having theireyes washed out to getting treatmentfor chest pains.

More than 30 patients were seenin the first hours after the attack. Bythe end of the first week, a total of 55civilians, firefighters and NationalGuardsmen had been cared for byVA’s three New York City medical

centers. By Sept.26, that totalhad risen to 98.

Hourlyupdates onmanpower andsupplies weremaintainedthrough con-tinuous commu-nication amongNew YorkHarbor’s threemain campuses,and among theother medicalcenters in theVA New York/New JerseyVeteransHealthcareNetwork (VISN

3), headquartered in the Bronx.Communication links were immedi-ately established with New YorkCity’s emergency management team.Information on donating blood andsigning up volunteers was quicklyshared with employees across thenetwork. Dozens of people stopped outside

the Manhattan campus emergencyroom offering to donate blood.Others with medical training offeredto help care for the injured. Sadly,many of the people who stoppedwere looking for missing loved ones.Soon families and friends of themissing began taping homemadeposters with pictures of their lovedones and pleas for information ontheir whereabouts to a brick walloutside the medical center.

VA New York Harbor HCSDirector John Donnellan met con-tinuously with his senior staff tomonitor their response to the crisis.“Once we treated the casualties, wehad to quickly address the specialneeds of our regular patients,” hesaid. “We had dialysis, radiation andchemotherapy patients who neededcare. With most of the city’s bridgesand tunnels closed, it was a realchallenge getting these patients tothe medical center.”

Since the police were restrictingaccess to Manhattan to emergencyvehicles only, “getting meals, laun-dry and other supplies distributed toall our campuses took extraordinaryeffort,” he added.

6 VAnguard

Voices...“Great harm has been done to

us. We have suffered great loss.And in our grief and anger wehave found our mission and ourmoment. Freedom and fear are atwar. The advance of humanfreedom—the great achievementof our time, and the great hope ofevery time—now depends on us.Our nation—this generation—willlift a dark threat of violence fromour people and our future. We willrally the world to this cause byour efforts, by our courage. Wewill not tire, we will not falter, andwe will not fail.”—President George W. Bush, inan address to a joint session ofCongress and the Americanpeople on Sept. 20

“As I look out my officewindow this morning at the still-rising plume of smoke at thePentagon, I’m reminded in themost jarring possible way justhow precarious peace andsecurity can be. I felt compelledto share with you the pride I havein our country, our values and theuniquely American mettle andresolve that will carry us throughthis tragedy. This resolve, and thecharacter and moral fiber of ournation, are defined largely by ourheritage, the American experi-ence of the last two and a quartercenturies. And this experiencewas written in great part by thevenerable constituency we havebeen given the privilege to serve.”—Dr. Thomas L. Garthwaite, VAUnder Secretary for Health, in ane-mail message to VHA employ-ees on Sept. 12

“I am so proud of the thou-sands of VA employees here inWashington, in New York, andeverywhere they are needed inthis time of crisis. You always riseto the challenge, and you alwaysemerge victorious. You representthe very spirit of patriotic duty. Iam reminded that one of thereasons the eagle was chosen tobe our national symbol is that it isthe only bird that will fly through a

Secretary Principi looks at the “wall of the missing” outside the VA Medical Center inManhattan during his Oct. 1 visit to New York City. Behind him is VISN 3 Director James J.Farsetta.

When the New York NationalGuard activated 4,500 troops to helpwith the recovery and clean-upeffort, Guard commanders asked VAto serve as the primary source ofmedical care for sick or injuredmembers. “The risk of injury [toGuardsmen] was significant,”Donnellan said, “not to mention thethreat of respiratory problems fromthe concrete dust, and smoke fromfires that were still burning morethan a week later.”

Extra counseling teams werestanding by to help the Guardsmendeal with the emotional impact ofuncovering victims’ remains. TheBronx VAMC also furnished gloves,masks, bandages and assortedsupplies to National Guard unitsheading south to the disaster scene.

Just when things seemed to besettling down at the Manhattancampus, air quality became a prob-lem when shifting winds begancarrying smoke north from the firesdowntown, drawing it into thefacility’s ventilation system. Engi-neering staff had to use the airconditioning system judiciously,keeping the building as cool aspossible while trying to minimizesmoke intake.

VISN 3 Director James J. Farsettasaid he continues to be inspired bythe many ways in which network

employees have overcome obstaclesand rallied to continue normaloperations and support the needs ofthe community. “They have faced,and continue to face, the fear fortheir own personal safety and battledunimaginable inconveniences—allthe while ensuring that the care oftheir patients remains the numberone priority,” he said.

“Their reaction to the attack andthe aftermath is a testament to thededication of all our staff and thespirit of public service that theyembody. All of our medical centersare helping one another, as theyalways do. It is very rewarding towatch them in action.”

VA medical centers near the othertwo crash sites were also prepared toaccept casualties. Though twoprivate hospitals near the Pentagontook in most of the injured from thatattack, the Washington and Balti-more VA medical centers stoodready to help. So did the Altoona,Pa., VA Medical Center, located 70miles from the Pennsylvania crashsite. Tragically, the lack of survivorsmade extra medical support unnec-essary. A Pentagon worker sufferingfrom stress was treated at the Wash-ington, D.C., VAMC later in theweek.

As the initial shock of the incidentgave way to grief, VA mental health

October 2001 7

storm. On the wings of the eagle,America will fly through thisstorm.”—Anthony J. Principi, Secretaryof Veterans Affairs, in a videobroadcast to all VA employees onSept. 13

“As the men and women whohave fought America’s wars,you—more than all others—understand what the September11th attack on freedom anddemocracy means for the daysahead. More than simple acts ofterrorism by radical or unbal-anced individuals, this was anattack on our way of life, ourcountry, our home. And so, as weask God’s tender mercies on allthose who have fallen, we askalso for His guidance and protec-tion for all of us who remain tofinish the task now before us. Ithank the same God forAmerica’s veterans—those of youwho made us free and kept usfree. I thank God for all you havedone, and for all I know you willdo again, to support peace andfinal victory.”—Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secre-tary of Defense, in a message toveterans on Sept. 16

“I have been incredibly proudof the way each of you has drawntogether in this time of greatsorrow and anger. Years ago,when I came face-to-face withterrorism, I felt very alone.Unfortunately, that black tapestryhas now spread farther and hastouched each of us and allAmericans in a very real way.While I pray that our country’sleaders will have the strength todo what needs to be done, I amcomforted knowing that ourfamily—the National CemeteryAdministration—will surely dowhat we need to do. In the nextfew weeks, we will be called uponto bury many veterans and theirfamily members whose time wasnot supposed to have come sosoon. We will do it with grace,honor, and dignity.”—Robin L. Higgins, UnderSecretary for Memorial Affairs, ina message to NCA employees onSept. 14

Sue Malley (center) from VBA’s Compensation and Pension Service, and Lamont Saxon(right) from the Washington, D.C., VA Regional Office, help a Navy casualty affairs officer filea claim on behalf of a survivor at the Joint Services Survivors Assistance Center.

counselors skilled in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),many of them from vet centers,responded to requests to help thoseaffected by the disaster. The VA NewJersey Health Care System, forinstance, sent grief counseling teamsto Newark Airport and the Meadow-lands Sports Complex, wherefamilies of the plane crash victimsgathered to get information abouttheir loved ones.

Horrific images of the secondjetliner slicing through the WorldTrade Center, combined with thecomparisons to the Japanese attackon Pearl Harbor, rekindled difficultmemories for many World War IIveterans who sought counseling atVA medical centers nationwide. Theday after the attacks, Glenn Smith, apsychologist at the James A. HaleyVeterans Hospital in Tampa, Fla.,said there were “a lot of vets comingin, a lot calling.”

The Veterans Benefits Adminis-tration (VBA)’s response to theterrorist attacks has focused prima-rily on the variety of benefit pro-grams available to survivors ofmilitary personnel who were killed.VBA staff immediately beganworking to identify survivors whomight be eligible for benefits includ-ing Servicemembers’ Group LifeInsurance (SGLI), dependency andindemnity compensation (DIC),dependents’ educational assistance,home loan guarantees or a burial

allowance.Shortly after the attacks, the

Philadelphia VA Regional Office &Insurance Center took action tospeed SGLI payments to victims’survivors. The Insurance Centercontacted military casualty affairsofficers to encourage swift submis-sion of casualty claims forms, andthen pledged to process insurancepayments for the beneficiaries ofthose killed in the terrorist attackswithin 48 hours of receiving thecasualty report from the DefenseDepartment and the claim from thebeneficiary.

In the days following the terroristattacks, Department of Defenseofficials established a Joint ServicesSurvivors Assistance Center at ahotel just blocks from the Pentagonin Arlington, Va. It is a place wherefamilies of those missing or killed inthe attacks seek solace and comfortwhile gathering for twice-dailyupdates on the recovery operation.

The center houses representativesfrom a variety of emergency reliefagencies, including a team of special-ists from VBA headquarters and theWashington, D.C., VA RegionalOffice. They came prepared to awardon-site decisions for VA claims filedby survivors of active duty militarypersonnel killed in the attack. Theteam will aid survivors and theirloved ones seven days a week, 10hours a day, “until we’re no longerneeded,” according to Diane Fuller,

8 VAnguard

Flowers, photos and other items left as memorials to those killed ormissing in the Pentagon attack decorate a long table at the JointServices Survivors Assistance Center in Arlington, Va.

Families of the Pentagon attack victimsgather twice each day at the family assistancecenter to get updates on the recoveryoperation.

assistant director of VBA’s DemandManagement section.

Outreach specialist Ron Weaverhelped set up the station and assistedseveral families during his first weekthere. In one case, a woman veteranwhose husband was listed as missingtold him she was planning to moveto Arizona to be closer to her family.Weaver told her about the VA loanguaranty benefit and issued a LoanGuaranty Certificate of Eligibility onthe spot.

In addition to working withvictims’ families and friends, the

team is alsohelping militarycasualty assis-tance officers fileclaims on behalfof survivors ofactive dutymilitary killed inthe attack. SueMalley, a formerclaims examinerfrom the Win-ston-Salem, N.C.,VA RegionalOffice who nowworks in VBA’sCompensationand Pension(C&P) Service,volunteered to

staff the VA booth. As she finishedprocessing her second DIC claim theweek after the attacks, she said shewas glad to be there. “To be able tocome here and process benefits forthese families in their time of need …anything I can do to help.”

Rounding out the team are DavidLeonard and Jacqueline Bobo, fromC&P Service, along with Linda Pyneand Lamont Saxon, from the Wash-ington, D.C., VA Regional Office.

Benefits counselors from the NewYork VA Regional Office, which wasevacuated shortly after the terroristattacks and didn’t reopen for busi-ness until the following Monday,Sept. 17, also are staffing a VA boothat the Pier 94 Family AssistanceCenter in Manhattan. They areverifying the veteran status ofvictims of the WTC attack, andproviding information to theirfamilies about survivor and burialbenefits. Rotating crews of VARO employ-ees are working in teams of three tostaff the booth seven days a week.Hours vary according to need, butthe booth is usually staffed about 10to 12 hours a day. They’re joined there by rotatingteams from New York VA medicalcenters. The VHA teams includemedical benefits/eligibility special-ists, and mental health counselorsfrom both VAMCs and vet centers.“We are seeing veterans who havelost family members and friends, aswell as family and friends of veter-ans who are dead or missing,” saidHenrietta Fishman, VISN 3’s coordi-nator for WTC veteran and familyoutreach. She said many of the dead

or missing veterans had been mem-bers of the New York City police andfire departments.

Recruiting volunteers to work atPier 94 hasn’t been difficult, accord-ing to Fishman. In fact, she said,employees who volunteered foundthe experience so meaningful thatthey all asked to return.

VA is one of many city, state andfederal agencies with a presence inthe bustling family assistance centeron the Hudson River, set up by theoffice of New York City Mayor RudyGiuliani in the days after the WTCattack. VA employees also areworking at two other assistancecenters in the area—one coordinatedby the Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency in Manhattan, and theother in New Jersey.

Also on the VBA front, VA hasasked holders of home mortgagesthat it guarantees not to start foreclo-sures on loans affected by the attacksfor 90 days from Sept. 11, and loanservicers have been encouraged toextend the dates for imposing latecharges on mortgage payments.Lenders have been informed thatNational Guard and Reserve mem-bers who may be called to activeduty could be entitled to loanrepayment relief under the Soldiers’and Sailors’ Civil Relief Act of 1940.

In the wake of the terroristattacks, VA national cemeteriesclosest to the disaster sites, includingCalverton, N.Y., and Quantico, Va.,began planning for burial requestsfor veterans and active duty military.Less than a week after the attacks,the first victim to be buried in a VAnational cemetery was laid to rest inCalverton National Cemetery.

VA Under Secretary for MemorialAffairs Robin Higgins drove to LongIsland to attend the Sept. 17 funeralof New York City firefighter andNavy veteran Glenn E. Wilkinson. “Iwas proud to see our employees atthe national cemetery at Calvertondoing what they do best—providingdignified burial services to veterans,”Higgins said. “Naturally, thisparticular one was especially poi-gnant. They wanted to do it right,and they did.”

That same week, the NationalCemetery Administration (NCA)received its first request for a markerto memorialize a veteran’s wifewhose body has not been recovered.Rhonda Sue Rasmussen, wife of

October 2001 9

A Memorial is BornFort Albany’s battery of

12 heavy guns onceguarded the approach toWashington, D.C. Thoughthe Civil War structure islong gone, hundredstrekked up the ridge to thesite where it once stood inthe days after the Sept. 11terrorist attack on thePentagon.

They made the journeyto glimpse the charredcrater in the Pentagon andpay their respects to themen and women who diedthere.

Some lit candles andspent quiet moments inreflection. Others wavedU.S. flags and sangpatriotic songs. Manycarried flowers and lettersaddressed to the victimsand their families. Theydraped flags over thefence and wrapped red,white and blue streamersaround streetlights to markthe site. They gathered there at 7:00 p.m., on Sept. 14, a day PresidentBush called a national day of remembrance.

As they left, they propped small flags against the base of a knottypine tree at the center of the ridge—its long branches reaching towardthe sky. Some laid flowers to commemorate the site. Others tackedphotos, letters and other memorabilia to the tree’s trunk.

Within a week, the collection of items left at the tree had transformedthe once lonely hilltop into a makeshift memorial honoring not only thosewho lost their lives at the Pentagon, but all affected by this nationaltragedy.

Army Capt. Floyd A. Rasmussen,was a civilian employee of the Armyat the Pentagon. Capt. Rasmussenrequested the bronze marker to beplaced at the Riverside, Calif.,National Cemetery so his family willhave a special place to come inremembrance of his wife. NCAmailed the first group of nine Presi-dential Memorial Certificates onSept. 19 to next of kin of victims whowere veterans or active duty mili-tary.

By the end of September, 12victims of the terror attacks had beenscheduled for burial in VA nationalcemeteries, with more expected, andPresidential Memorial Certificateshad been requested for 40 veteranswho died in either the WTC orPentagon attacks. So far, about halfof the deceased slated for burial wereactive duty military, and the otherhalf veterans. One was the son of aveteran, another the spouse of aveteran.

VA Secretary Anthony Principigot a firsthand look at the WTCdestruction on Oct. 1 during a visit toNew York City that included a stopat Ground Zero. “Television andnewspaper pictures cannot fullycapture the devastation and horror ofthe terrorist acts,” he said afterreturning to Washington. “Standing

In a scene repeated at public and privatebuildings throughout Washington, D.C., agiant American flag hangs outside VAheadquarters.

The makeshift memorial on the ridge overlookingthe damaged side of the Pentagon.

on the rubble of the World TradeCenter brought home to me themagnitude of this barbaric act andthe importance of extinguishingterrorism from our world.”

Accompanied by Rep. ChrisSmith (R-N.J.), chairman of theHouse Veterans’ Affairs Committee,Principi began the day at Pier 94visiting VA employees working atthe family assistance center. He andSmith also visited the New York VARegional Office and the VA MedicalCenter in Manhattan, where theypresented awards to employees whocoordinated and participated in theresponse efforts.

“My grief for the families of thevictims was softened by the outpour-ing of caring by the thousands ofrelief workers, police, firefighters,military personnel and volunteerswho are helping the families copewith this tragedy,” Principi said. “Iam very proud of the VA employeeswho are on the front lines of this warcaring for the injured and assistingthe families of the victims, frombenefits counseling to PTSD.” ❏

Editor’s Note: Look for more coverage ofVA’s response to the terrorist attacks inthe next issue of VAnguard.

10 VAnguard

Prevention TipsWorkplace violence includes incidents of homicide, assault, intimida-

tion, verbal abuse, extortion and other forms of harmful behavior. Toreduce your likelihood of becoming a victim, follow these tips fromRichard Reed, program manager for the Prevention and Management ofDisruptive Behavior at the Employee Education Resource Center inBirmingham, Ala.

� Conduct assessments of self, potential perpetrator and envi-ronment. Ask yourself, “Am I contributing to the escalating tension?Does this patient have a history of violence, or appear anxious, angry orstressed? Are there any potential weapons in my work area?”

� Know the signs of escalation and avoid power struggles. Bewary of loud, boisterous behavior, pacing, cursing, intrusive gestures, orthreats of bodily injury. If you suspect the situation is getting out ofcontrol, respect personal space, convey willingness to help, demonstratesupportive body language, and call VA police.

� Seek workplace violence training. Each VA medical centershould have a designated workplace violence officer and an activetraining program. Ask your facility’s workplace violence officer how youshould respond if you feel threatened or suspect violent potential.

Workplace Violence Task Force AddressesEnvironmental Security, Incident Reporting

Audrey Johnson, a clerk in Nursing Service at theWashington, D.C., VA Medical Center, walks to hervehicle in a well-lit parking lot.

V iolence erupted at the Buffalo,N.Y., VA Medical Center inAugust when a 39-year-oldpsychiatric outpatient pulled

into the parking lot armed with a .22-caliber rifle, a bag of bullets and aknife, and went on a rampage thatleft three people wounded. Theincident was the first of its kind inthe medical center’s 51-year history,and came a year after an emergencyroom physician was shot by an 83-year-old patient in the Salisbury,N.C., VA Medical Center.

VA Deputy Secretary Leo S.Mackay Jr., Ph.D., flew to Buffalofollowing the attack to lend supportto the victims and their families, andto reassure employees and patients.“We will move quickly to makeimprovements where warranted toensure the safety of all who workand heal here,” he told reporters at anews conference the day after theshooting.

Attacks like those inBuffalo and Salisbury drawnational attention to work-place violence in its extreme.Yet, some 2,000 assaults arereported to VA police eachyear. And experts believemany more go unreported. According to the Occupa-tional Safety & HealthAdministration, approxi-mately 1.5 million Americansare assaulted in the work-place each year. By thenature of their professions,taxi drivers, police officers,and health care and socialworkers are among those atan increased risk for work-place violence. In response, last year Dr.Frances M. Murphy, VADeputy Under Secretary forHealth, appointed a taskforce composed of occupa-tional health specialists,psychiatrists, nurses, policeofficers and other experts toreview current VHA work-place violence policies. In theMay 2001 VHANOW news-letter, Murphy noted that“nurses are twice as likely

and mental health professionals arefive times as likely to be assaulted [inthe workplace] as are averagecitizens.” Among the areas the taskforce is reviewing are environmentalsecurity, employee training andviolent incident reporting.

Marilyn Lewis Lanza, Ph.D., R.N.,associate chief of Nursing Researchat the Edith Nourse Rogers MemorialVeterans Hospital in Bedford, Mass.,estimates as many as 80 percent ofviolent incidents are never reported.She is on the VHA task force and hasresearched workplace violence sincethe late 1970s.

She credits a background innursing with providing insight intothe difficulties nurses face in han-dling disruptive or violent patients,as well as their reluctance to reportpatient assaults. “Many accept this asbeing part of the workplace—theyfeel nothing can be done,” she said.“Others are afraid of being blamed… and then there’s the paperwork.”She hopes to develop a reportingsystem modeled after the one beingimplemented by Dr. James Bagian,director of the National Center forPatient Safety, in which the emphasisis on fact-finding and preventioninstead of the blame game.

October 2001 11

All three victims of the violence at the Buffalo VA Medical Center arerecovering well from the gunshot and stab wounds they suffered whenthey encountered the armed assailant at the busy Ambulatory Careentrance on Aug. 17.

Gary Muck, a parking lot attendant, was shot in the neck when heapproached the suspect’s vehicle in a driving lane in front of the outpa-tient clinic area. Mann Pollock Jr., a county van driver, spotted theassailant as he headed toward the entrance. When Pollock tried towrestle the gun away from him, the suspect shot him in the hand andstabbed him in the buttocks.

John Skyler, a medical records file clerk, was the most seriouslywounded. The assailant stabbed him in the chest inside the outpatientclinic. The wound nicked his liver and intestine, and his gallbladder had tobe removed. After he was stabbed, Skyler managed to grab the suspect’srifle as it went flying down a corridor.

Though they were not wounded in the attack, nurse practitionersKaren Dudenhoefer and Kathleen Burns played key roles in the inci-dent. The two, who both work in the cardiology unit, happened to bewalking out of the building when the violence began. They heard the shotthat hit Muck, and saw him fall to the ground.

Dudenhoefer ran to help Muck, applying pressure to his neck woundwhile Burns ran in another door to warn those inside about the approach-ing assailant. When Dudenhoefer and Muck saw the suspect returning tohis car after the attack, Muck urged her to write down his license platenumber. She wrote it on the sleeve of her lab coat. Their quick thinkinghelped police track down and arrest the suspect a short time later at hisapartment.

Violence in Buffalo

Sgt. James Matthews, a police officer at the Washington, D.C., VAMC since 1993, monitorssecurity cameras in the control room.

As program manager for thePrevention and Management ofDisruptive Behavior at the EmployeeEducation Resource Center inBirmingham, Ala., and a member ofthe VHA task force, Richard Reedhas trained thousands of VA andDepartment of Defense employees inviolence prevention techniques. Thismonth, he’s conducting trainingworkshops at a number of VA sites,including the White River Junction,Vt., VA Medical and Regional OfficeCenter, and the Detroit, West Haven,Conn., Indianapolis, and Tuscaloosa,Ala., VA Medical Centers.

Reed said workplace violencestems from a dynamic relationshipbetween organizational, environ-mental and individual factors, andall three must be addressed in orderto resolve the issue. “These factors allimpact one another, and we arelooking at this in a comprehensivemanner.” He said the best predictorof whether a patient has the potentialto become violent is whether they’vedone it in the past. ”Pay attention topatient behaviors,” he said. “Thosewith a history of violence, who haveunrealistic demands, are activelyintoxicated or not following medica-tion protocols, all have the potentialfor violent incidents.”

Environmental security is anotheraspect of workplace violence. Thisincludes environmental elementsthat reduce the risk of violence, suchas adequate lighting in parking lotsand strategically placed cameras, and

those that increase the risk, such aswaiting room chairs not securelybolted to the floor that could bethrown by an angry patient. “We areconstantly learning about environ-mental hazards,” said Frank Denny,an occupational health specialist in

VA Central Office and task forcemember. “Experts like Dr. Paul Kim[area emergency manager, Emer-gency Management StrategicHealthcare Group at the Stratton VAMedical Center, Albany, N.Y.], andDr. Lanza travel to various facilitiesto conduct environmental assess-ments and identify potential haz-ards.”

For the third year in a row, areport by the Pinkerton security firmtitled “Top Security Threats,” listsworkplace violence as the leadingconcern among security managers atsome of America’s largest corpora-tions. Experts in VA are working toreduce the risk for such incidents.“Our patients, employees andvisitors deserve to know that we aredoing everything we can to makecertain that our facilities are safe,”reported Murphy. For more informa-tion, visit the workplace violenceWeb site on the VA Intranet atvaww.va.gov/vasafety, or contactRichard Reed via Outlook e-mail orcall (205) 731-1812 ext. 302. ❏

By Matt Bristol

12 VAnguard

“All medical facilities are open.All VA employees are safe,” VASecretary Anthony Principi an-nounced on Sept. 11, hours afterterrorists attacked New York City’stwin towers and the Pentagon.Keeping VAfacilities safe andsecure is a respon-sibility shoulderedby the VA police, aforce composed ofabout 2,200officers stationedacross the country.

As Americastruggled with thehorror of blackTuesday’s attacks,VA police officersat medical facili-ties and outpatientclinics stepped upsecurity as part ofthe Department’semergency

response plan. “I wasstanding in the DeputySecretary’s office whenwe saw this plume ofsmoke coming from thePentagon … I knew wewere in trouble,” saidJohn H. Baffa, a formerSecret Service agent andcurrent Deputy AssistantSecretary for Security andLaw Enforcement. “Weimmediately sent an e-mail to all police chiefstelling them to elevatetheir security until furthernotice.” At the Washington,D.C., VA Medical Center,one of four VA healthcare sites that braced forthe possibility of receiv-ing victims of the attacks,an officer stood guard inthe driveway checkingemployee identificationbadges and driver’slicenses of visitors andveterans entering themedical center grounds.Patrol Captain PhyllisThomidis said officerswere working 16-houroverlapping shifts to“make patients and

employees feel more secure” afterthe attacks.

In VA Central Office, locatedacross from the White House,security officers were on high alert asemployees reported to work in the

wake of the terrorist attacks. Linesformed outside the building asofficers inspected briefcases, dayplanners, umbrellas and any otheritems carried into the building. Theyalso took a closer look at the expira-tion dates on employee identificationbadges.

Title 38, the law creating andorganizing VA, gives the Secretary ofVeterans Affairs the responsibilityfor prescribing rules and regulations“for the maintenance of law andorder and protection of persons andproperty on Department property”and designating Department policeofficers to enforce them. Within thissystem of law enforcement, VA’spolice remain dedicated to a philoso-phy that permeates VA training andpolicing: first, aim to prevent crime;second, work to defuse the threat;and finally, take physical action. Formore information, check the Office ofSecurity and Law Enforcement Website at www.va.gov/osle. ❏

VA employees who qualify willhave another year to participate inthe VA Child Care Tuition Assis-tance Program. Congress voted toextend the program, which is de-signed to help employees who meetthe eligibility criteria reduce theirchild care costs, for another 12months.

Since the program began lastJanuary, more than 980 VA employ-ees (with nearly 1,280 children) haveenrolled. Full- and part-time employ-ees can apply for child care tuitionassistance if they:

� have a total family income ofless than $52,000; and

� use a child care provider(center-based care, home care and/orbefore/after care) that is licensedand/or regulated by the state and/orlocal regulating authorities.

Questions about the VA ChildCare Tuition Assistance Programshould be directed to your HumanResource Office, or you can visit theChild Care Tuition Assistance Website at vaww.va.gov/vachildcare. ❏

VA Police Step Up Security in Wake of Attacks

VA police officer Denise Gentry guards the emergencyroom entrance at the Washington, D.C., VA MedicalCenter.

Lt. Raul DeVelasco, police officer at the D.C. VA Medical Center,stands guard outside the emergency entrance.

Child Care TuitionAssistance ProgramExtended One Year

October 2001 13

MEDICALadvances

San Diego VAMC Researchers DevelopBlood Test to Diagnose Heart Attack

Using a simple, inexpensive blood test, VA research-ers have developed a faster method for diagnosing heartattacks in hospital emergency rooms. Each year, about 5million Americans present symptoms of heart attacks atemergency rooms, although only 10 to 15 percent areactually suffering a cardiac episode. Ruling out a heartattack has usually taken 6 to 24 hours and can be quiteexpensive.

Without quick and accurate ways of ruling out a heartattack, emergency room patients often receive unneces-sary testing and hospitalization, with nationwide costsreaching hundreds of millions of dollars each year. TheFood and Drug Administration has approved the tests.

The new blood tests, which can reliably rule out anattack within 90 minutes, look for three cardiac enzymes,or markers, that are released by distressed heart tissueduring a heart attack. The keys to the tests, known as theTriage Cardiac System, are the rapid determination oftest results and repetition of the tests.

Over a period of nine months, Dr. Alan S. Maisel,director of the Coronary Care Unit, and his colleagues atthe San Diego VA Medical Center tested 1,285 patientsthree or four times within 90 minutes of their arrival at theemergency room, in combination with an electrocardio-gram and a patient history. The research team reports inthe Sept. 15 American Journal of Cardiology that the newtests were 100 percent accurate in ruling out heartattacks. As a result of the tests, critical-care admissionsdropped 40 percent and overall hospital admissionsdropped 20 percent.

In related research, Maisel reported earlier this yearon the effectiveness of a blood test that measures acardiac marker to identify congestive heart failure.Congestive heart failure symptoms are very different fromheart attack symptoms.

Collaborating on the study were Siu Ming Ng; PadmaKrishnaswamy, M.D.; Robin Morissey, R.N.; PaulClopton; and Robert Fitzgerald, Ph.D., all with the SanDiego VA Healthcare System.

VA Study Finds Shortcomings in PopularColon Cancer Screening Procedures

Colonoscopy proved far superior to two other com-mon tests for colon cancer in a VA study published inThe New England Journal of Medicine and reported byThe Associated Press and The New York Times. The twomost widely used tests for colon cancer, sigmoidoscopyand the fecal blood test, together missed one-quarter ofthe tumors and precancerous growths detected bycolonoscopy.

“Colonoscopy currently is the best available test thatwe have,” reported Dr. David Lieberman, who led the

study as chief of gastroenterology at the Portland VAMedical Center. He said the study “makes a case for atleast considering colonoscopy as a screening testbeginning at age 60.”

For average-risk people age 50 and older, the U.S.Preventive Services Task Force calls for a yearly fecaloccult-blood test and sigmoidoscopy every five years forcolon cancer screening.

“But what happens in real life is that patients often getonly one test and no follow-up,” noted Lieberman. “Thisstudy tells us physicians can’t use that single negativetest to reassure our patients and that people need toreturn for repeat testing in order for screening programsto be effective.”

Lieberman and colleagues studied 3,121 apparentlyhealthy volunteers aged 50-75 at 13 VA medical centersaround the country. All study participants underwentcolonoscopy to compare the procedure’s effectivenesswith the fecal occult-blood test and sigmoidoscopy. Thestudy results show colonoscopy detected colon cancer in24 patients and serious growths in 282 others. The bloodtest, on the other hand, detected only 24 percent ofthose, while sigmoidoscopy caught 70 percent.

Costing at least $1,000, colonoscopy is consideredabout 95 percent accurate. It uses a flexible, lightedviewing tube that permits the physician to view thesedated patient’s entire colon and immediately removeany growths. Sigmoidoscopy, which costs $100 to $200,uses a less-advanced viewing tube and cannot probe thecolon’s top two-thirds, where growths become morecommon, dangerous and hard to detect with age. Thestudy findings could put pressure on more insurancecompanies that had previously been reluctant to coverthe cost of colonoscopy examinations.

VA Surgeons Perform First Transplant ToRepair Multiple Sclerosis Cells

The first central nervous system transplantation torepair the myelin-forming cells in a patient with multiplesclerosis (MS) was recently performed by a neurosurgeryteam from the VA Connecticut Health Care System(VACHCS) and the Yale School of Medicine.

The cell transplantation is part of a clinical trial that istesting whether cells found in peripheral nerves can beused to safely repair damaged cells in the brain andspinal cord that result in disorders such as MS. In MS,the immune system strips away myelin, the protectivesheath around nerve fibers, making it difficult for theaffected nerves to transmit messages.

The surgery team used a MRI machine to veryaccurately guide a needle through the frontal lobe and toinject peripheral nerve cells, which had previously beentaken from the same patient, into a previously identifiedMS lesion. In six months, a small biopsy will determinewhether the cells survived and whether they were able tomake and wrap myelin around or restore the nerve fibersin the brain, restoring normal function.

The experiment holds promise for the estimated 1.4million people worldwide with MS, as well as for a groupof other demyelinating hereditary diseases that primarilyattack the nervous systems of infants. Timothy Vollmer,M.D., of the VACHCS and associate professor of neurol-ogy at Yale, is the study’s principal investigator. ❏

14 VAnguard

HONORSand awards

The VA New JerseyHealth Care System took firstplace in the 2001 VHA UnderSecretary’s Diversity Awardsfor advancing diversity in theworkplace. The health caresystem was cited for usingmentoring programs—Expanding Horizons, which isopen to employees GS-8 andabove, and New Frontiers,open to all employees—topromote diversity and provideself-improvement opportuni-ties for all employees. TheAtlanta VA Medical Centerreceived an honorablemention for developing andimplementing a leadershipprogram which embraces theprinciples of diversity. VISN 8(Bay Pines, Fla.) and theChief Information Office inVA Central Office receivedspecial recognition awards.

The Eastern ParalyzedVeterans Association pre-sented its Zelma MareaCanning Annual Award inSpinal Cord Injury NursingPractice to John Yeomans, aregistered nurse with theCastle Point campus of theVA Hudson Valley HealthCare System. Yeomans has30 years of nursing experi-ence and was selected for hisexceptional clinical nursingskills, knowledge of spinalcord injury care, problem-solving abilities, teamworkand leadership skills. Theaward is named in honor of aWorld War II Navy nurse whoserved at the Bronx VAMedical Center until herretirement.

The Air Force Associationselected Jack Zimmerman,team leader at the Hunting-ton, W.Va., Vet Center, to

receive its VA Employee ofthe Year Award. Zimmermanwas chosen for the personalinterest he shows in serving acaseload of more than 400veterans, and for the longhours he contributes toensure the Huntington VetCenter remains a model forexcellence in assistingveterans. The 150,000-member Air Force Associationwas formed following WorldWar II.

VISN 3, headquartered inthe Bronx, N.Y., has beennamed one of the nation’sMost Wired Hospitals andHealth Care Systems byHospitals and Health Net-works, a journal of theAmerican Hospital Associa-tion. The award is based on apoll of the nation’s health caresystems about their use ofInternet technologies toconnect with patients,physicians and nurses,payers, health plans andemployees.

For the second year in arow, the VA National Centerfor Patient Safety wasselected as a finalist in theInnovations in AmericanGovernment Awards program,one of the most prestigiousawards dedicated to publicservice. Finalists receive a$20,000 grant and are eligiblefor one of five $100,000awards. Created in 1998, theNational Center for PatientSafety encourages healthcare professionals to reporterrors and close calls so thatmedical centers can examinethe causes and subsequentlylearn from these mistakes. Asa result, system-wide prob-lems are now being ad-

dressed and health careworkers are no longer afraidto report medical mistakes.The Innovations in AmericanGovernment Awards programis administered by HarvardUniversity’s John F. KennedySchool of Government inpartnership with the Councilfor Excellence in Government.

Joseph McQuaid, avolunteer at the San Fran-

cisco VAMedicalCenter,receiveda $5,000DisabledAmeri-canVeteransNational

Commander’s Youth Volun-teer Scholarship Award. He isthe son of Kenneth McQuaid,M.D., chief of Gastroenterol-ogy at the medical center, andhas volunteered for two yearsin the Neurology Researchsection, working on factorsthat control the re-growth ofnerves in stroke victims. Asidefrom his hard-working effortsas a VA volunteer, Joseph isin the top three percent of hishigh school class and hasmaintained a 4.0 grade pointaverage for four years. He isalso a member of his school’svarsity rowing and cross-country running teams.

Government Executivemagazine selected WilliamBardwell, traffic manager inthe Office of Acquisition andMateriel Management in VACentral Office, to receive itsTravel Manager of the YearAward. He was selected forhis work developing andimplementing the VA Central-ized Household GoodsProgram. “In the past, VA hadno centralized householdgoods program,” explainedBardwell, referring to aprogram to oversee autho-rized employee moving andrelocation expenses. “This

program allows experts intravel policy and acquisitionsto use their skills to helpemployees make efficientmoves.”

Two employees from theOklahoma City VA MedicalCenter were honoredrecently. Pam McKinney, anequal employment opportunityspecialist, was named theStatewide FederalEmployee’s Cultural DiversityPerson of the Year, andMichael Kuns, who is pastpresident of the OklahomaAcademy of PhysicianAssistants, received theStatewide FederalEmployee’s OutstandingCustomer Service award.

Belen Austria, R.N., aclinical applications coordina-tor in the VA NorthernCalifornia Health CareSystem, was honored byCalifornia NurseWeekMagazine during their 3rd

Annual California NursingExcellence Awards Ceremonyin Los Angeles. She wasselected as a finalist in the“Innovation” category for herrole in implementing theComputerized Patient RecordSystem throughout the VANorthern California HealthCare System.

Four employees from theColumbia, S.C., VA MedicalCenter were honored duringthe facility’s second annualFederal Man of the YearProgram. Mark Anderson,director of Diagnostic andAncillary Care Service Line;Alberto Saenz, M.D.,cardiologist; RaymondHodge, electrician; andStephen Perlstein, D.D.S., adentist, were recognized forcontributions ranging frommentoring 6th grade studentsand coaching Little Leagueball clubs to chairing profes-sional civic organizations andbuilding homes for missionar-ies in the Philippines. ❏

McQuaid

October 2001 15

you heardHAVE

William L. Livingston,director of the Los AngelesNational Cemetery, landed arole in the DreamWorksmotion picture “The LastCastle,” starring RobertRedford, James Gandolfiniand Robin Wright Penn. Heplays a full-bird colonelattending a military funeral ina scene filmed at the cem-etery. It’s not the first timeHollywood producers havefilmed scenes at the cem-etery, but it is the first time thecemetery director has beenasked to serve as a technicaladvisor and appear in the film.The cemetery received agenerous donation forallowing the scene to befilmed. The movie opens thismonth.

Two surgeons from theVA Chicago Health CareSystem’s Lakeside Divisionwere profiled on nationaltelevision as part of theLifetime cable network’s newdocumentary series “WomenDocs.” The program originallyaired Sept. 22. To shoot thedocumentary, a Lifetime filmcrew followed surgeonKatherine Yao, M.D., andsurgery resident AledaJacobs, M.D., for severalweeks as they made theirrounds in the operating room.The program provided a casestudy of the pre-operative,surgical and post-operativecare given to several of Dr.Yao’s and Dr. Jacobs’ veteranpatients. The documentarywas initially going to be filmedat Lakeside’s affiliate,Northwestern MemorialHospital. However, the twosurgeons told producers thatthe patients they treat at VAare “more interesting and

appreciative” and suggestedthat the filming take place atLakeside. After viewing thefootage, the producerdescribed the lifesavingmeasures taken by the twosurgeons as “heroic.” TheLifetime channel has moreviewers than any other cablenetwork. This highly ac-claimed new documentaryseries is being heavilypromoted and provides yetanother example of the highlevel of quality health careveterans receive in VA.

A West Haven, Conn., VAcommunity center specializingin the treatment of veteranswith chronic mental illnesses,substance abuse problems orhomelessness, has beenrenamed in honor of Dr. PaulErrera, who recently retiredas chief of Psychiatry from theWest Haven, Conn., VAMedical Center. The ErreraCommunity Care Centerprovides treatment, vocationaltraining, housing assistanceand other programs to helpveterans get back on their feetand on the road to recovery.Errera retired after a distin-guished 48-year VA career.He was appointed chief ofPsychiatry at the West HavenVAMC in 1970. From 1985 to1994, he directed the MentalHealth and BehavioralSciences Service in VACentral Office. While inWashington, D.C., he led VAefforts to bring mental healthservices out of the large,institutionalized hospitalenvironment and into asmaller, more intimatecommunity setting. TheCommunity Care Center wasbuilt in 1995 and became anational model for the delivery

of mental health services. In1998, the center was named aVA Center of Excellence forthe Care of the ChronicallyMentally Ill. Errera credits thecenter’s success to thededicated efforts of centerdirector Dr. Laurie Harkness.

Members of the FederalWomen’s Program at the SanFrancisco VA MedicalCenter knew there were morethan thirty children living at LaCasa de las Madres, a shelterfor women victims of domesticabuse. They also knew theshelter didn’t have enoughresources to buy schoolsupplies for all the children.So they decided to dosomething about it bysponsoring a “Back-to-School”drive at the medical center.They displayed large colorfulposters of a little red school-house and encouraged staffto bring backpacks, paper,pens, and all sorts of schoolsupplies for these needychildren. “The response wasoverwhelming,” said AndiIbarra, treasurer for theFederal Women’s Program.On Aug. 17, they delivered avanload of school supplies tothe shelter, including morethan 30 new backpacks of allsizes and colors. “Nora Webb,the shelter director, said thatshe was impressed and verytouched by the generosity,”added Ibarra.

Military servicemembersget a great deal in the lifeinsurance program offeredby VA, a new study found.The study shows VA lifeinsurance for military person-nel is 58 percent less than thecost of comparable private-sector plans. In 1998,Congress directed VA tocontract for a study toevaluate the adequacy of fiveprograms: the Dependencyand Indemnity Compensationprogram, Servicemembers’Group Life Insurance,Veterans’ Group Life Insur-

ance, Service-DisabledVeterans Insurance, andVeterans Mortgage LifeInsurance. The study’sfindings were compiled into areport which will be sent toveterans service organiza-tions, members of Congressand VA’s top officials.Download a copy of thereport’s executive summary atwww.va.gov/vetdata/execreportmay2001.doc.

When the Las Vegas VARegional Office moved to itsnew location, veterans had ahard time finding the new site.So Director Eileen Straubpartnered with the City of LasVegas Traffic EngineeringDivision to have street signsinstalled providing directionsto the new location. As aresult of her efforts, the city’straffic division manufacturedand installed eight signsleading veterans to the newoffice, at no cost to VA.

Hundreds of veteranslearned about VA benefitsduring the annual Erie County(N.Y.) Fair, one of the oldestcounty fairs in the nation,dating back to 1820. Employ-ees from the Buffalo VARegional Office, Buffalo VAMedical Center, New YorkState Department of VeteransAffairs, and representativesfrom veterans serviceorganizations set up shop atthe 12-day fair to answerquestions from veterans andtheir families and help thoseeligible for benefits file thenecessary paperwork. Onehighlight of the fair was aspecial day honoring veter-ans. On that day, all veteranswere admitted to the fair freeof charge. Although the daywas dedicated to honoringVietnam veterans, membersof the regional office’s KoreanWar Commemorative Commit-tee attended to distributebuttons, pins and medalapplications to veterans of theKorean War. ❏

16 VAnguard

HEROES✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

A veteran nearly drownedoff the beaches of Hawaiiwhen he was hit by a waveand knocked unconscious.The man was one of severalveterans and employees fromthe Honolulu VA Medicaland Regional Office Centercamping at the beach as partof a program run by the DayTreatment Center. Sara Ho, avocational rehabilitationspecialist, saw the wave comecrashing down and quicklypulled the man ashore.Reaching the shore, MakaRego, a mental heathassociate, and RolandCampos, a social scienceprogram specialist, took theveteran’s vital signs andpositioned his body to allowthe water he swallowed to runout of his mouth and nose.Other employees had alreadycalled 911 and an ambulancequickly arrived. The veteranwas transported to a nearbyhospital and has fully recov-ered from the incident.

While driving fromMontgomery to Dothan, Ala.,employees from the CentralAlabama Veterans HealthCare System came upon anaccident in which a 17-year-old had been thrown from histruck and another vehicle hadslid down a deep ravine.Linda Watson, health caresystem director, LeaSwafford, associate directorfor resources, LevertaPeeples, health administra-tion manager, Paul Johnson,logistics manager, MarquentaBoykin, administrativeassistant, and Phyllis Alston,voluntary service manager,immediately called 911 when

they saw the accident. Theyused a sheet to shade theinjured young man from thehot sun, and let drivers of theother vehicle use their cellphones to call loved ones.The VA team assisted theaccident victims until emer-gency personnel arrived.

Mary M. Stitak, a staffassistant in DiagnosticService at VA Central Office,was driving home from apicnic with her husband, John,when she heard a loudexplosion from a nearbybuilding. “I looked over andsaw flames coming from theair conditioning unit,” shesaid. “Then I saw the sign outfront and realized it was anursing home.” They immedi-ately pulled to the side of theroad and jumped out of theirvehicle. “As I approached thebuilding, nurses startedwheeling out patients inwheelchairs,” said Stitak. Sheran to the front door to helpevacuate patients, and alongwith staff and other volun-teers, moved 60 patients fromthe building to a back parkinglot. Her husband, meanwhile,helped police divert traffic sothe fire department couldaccess the site and extinguishthe blaze. After the incident,the nursing home sent athank-you letter to the couple.

Jeff Atkerson saved athree-year-old child fromdrowning in a hotel swimmingpool over the Labor Dayweekend. He was travelingwith his wife Mary, bothemployees of the New

Mexico VA Health CareSystem, when the incidentoccurred. They saw a groupof unattended toddlers pushthe boy into the deep end ofthe swimming pool. Jeffimmediately dove into thepool to rescue the child, whoappeared to be gasping for airand panic-stricken. Hisactions may have saved thechild’s life, as there was nolifeguard on duty at the time.

Sonya Ramsey, aregistered nurse in the VAGulf Coast Veterans HealthCare System, was drivinghome with her husband whenshe saw a vehicle swerve outof control and run off the road.It rolled six times down ahighway embankment,slamming to a stop against atree. They immediately pulledover to see if they could help.Smoke was rising from thevehicle and it looked as if itmight burst into flames, so theRamseys pulled the victims—four children and two adults—from the wreckage. SonyaRamsey crawled throughbroken glass and over seatsto rescue the children, one ofwhom was an infant who hadbeen thrown into the backseat. With the passengersevacuated from the vehicle,they called 911 for medicalassistance. Paramedics soonarrived and the victims weretaken to a local hospital.

When an older passengeron the express bus intodowntown Phoenix appearedto be having a medicalemergency, SharonNewman-Matt sprang intoaction. The registeredrespiratory therapist from theCarl T. Hayden VA MedicalCenter lifted his head off hischest to open his airway whileanother passenger called 911.When a fire truck arrived, the

lone paramedic asked if shecould assist in attempting tosave the victim. She assistedwith the intubation, orinserting a tube into thevictim’s airway, and performedchest compressions untiladditional rescuers arrived.They fought to save the man,but sadly, he passed away asthe ambulance rushed him tothe hospital.

Fred Thessing wasdriving home from the NorthLittle Rock campus of theCentral Arkansas VeteransHealthcare System oneevening when he witnessedan accident. A staff nurse,Thessing immediatelystopped to assist the victims.He noticed a young girl lyingsome distance away from thewrecked vehicle. She ap-peared unresponsive and inrespiratory distress. By thistime, other motorists hadstopped as well, including anursing instructor from a localuniversity and a physician.Together, they performedCPR on the girl until paramed-ics and emergency crewsarrived. Thessing alsoassisted paramedics as theycared for a young man hurt inthe accident who was waitingto be airlifted to the hospital.

Valerie Lytton, R.N.,clinical practice guidelinescoordinator at the Beckley,W.Va., VA Medical Center,was enjoying a day at theswimming pool with her familywhen an emergency unfolded.An elderly woman startedyelling for someone to helpher husband, who appearedto be suffering from a strokewhile in the swimming pool.Lytton checked his conditionand helped him get out of thepool. She calmed the man’swife and attended to him untilparamedics arrived. ❏

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩