WASHINGTON, July 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The American Legion expressed outrage today over revelations that a VA medical center may have exposed veterans to serious infections through improperly cleaned dental equipment.

Because cleaning protocols were not followed by workers at the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, more than 1,800 veterans may have been exposed to HIV and hepatitis viruses. Those veterans recently received letters from the VA center, warning them of possible exposure to the diseases and offering screening and support.

“This is an extremely serious problem that has happened before and will happen again unless VA ensures strict adherence to proper sanitation and sterilization protocol,” said Clarence Hill, The American Legion’s national commander.

“We’re talking about people who have risked their lives, who have lost arms and legs and who are suffering mentally and emotionally – because they served their country honorably.

“They should have no misgivings about getting treatment at VA facilities, and they wouldn’t if VA ensured that its staff were following the medical protocols already in place. It’s management’s responsibility to make sure the protocols are followed. This is a failing on the part of management that should not be excused,” Hill said. Read More »

Senators Leave for Vacation, Allowing Medicare Meltdown to Begin June 1

WASHINGTON, May 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following statement is attributable to J. James Rohack, M.D., President, American Medical Association:

“The Senate has turned its back on seniors, and America’s physicians are outraged that Congress has deserted patients by failing to address this year’s Medicare cut before the June 1 deadline.  Senators are more interested in heading home for the holiday than in preventing a Medicare meltdown for seniors.  The 21 percent Medicare physician payment cut has been looming all year, and yet all Congress has managed to do is repeated short-term delays.  This is complete mismanagement of a health care program that America’s seniors and the disabled rely on.  Already, about one in four Medicare patients looking for a new primary care physician have trouble finding one, and congressional inaction will make it much worse.

“It is sad and ironic as we enter the Memorial Day holiday that Congress’ inaction on the 21 percent cut puts health care for America’s military heroes and their families at risk. TRICARE, the health care program for military families ties its payment rates to Medicare.

“Enough is enough: nine times in eight years Congress has delayed the cut and not fixed the problem.  Congress needs to buckle down, stop growing the problem and fix it once and for all to save the Medicare and TRICARE programs for America’s seniors and military families.”

SOURCE American Medical Association

Abilities Expo is this weekend on May 21-23, 2010 at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison, NJ

EDISON, N.J., May 19 /PRNewswire/ — Thousands of people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, seniors, veterans and healthcare professionals are expected to attend Abilities Expo on Friday, May 21, through Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center. Admission is free and show hours will be Friday 11 am to 5 pm, Saturday 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday 11 am to 4 pm.

Abilities Expo has put together an impressive line-up of exhibits, celebrities, workshops, events and activities to appeal to the full spectrum of people with disabilities, from children to seniors and everyone in between.

“Abilities Expo’s distinguished 31-year track record of enhancing the lives of people with disabilities through technology, education and networking will continue in the New York Metro area,” said David Korse, president and CEO of Abilities Expo. “Between the adaptive sports demonstrations, the interactive assistive technology pavilion, the dynamic workshops and the thousands of products and services on display…this is a must-attend for everyone in the Community.”

The Latest Products and Services

Attendees expecting cutting-edge products and services for people with all types of disabilities will not be disappointed. They will find mobility products, medical equipment, home accessories, essential services, low-cost daily living aids, products for people with visual impairments and much more. The new Assistive Technology Pavilion will feature 1,400 square feet of the latest AT products for people with wide ranges of physical, sensory and developmental disabilities. This pavilion is anchored by the New Jersey Assistive Technology Center, who is sponsoring an Interactive Demo Lab. This lab will not only feature an array of breakthrough assistive technologies, it will allow Expo visitors to experience them hands-on. Read More »

Statewide Celebrity tour urges Black community to get tested for HIV

CINCINNATI, April 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — This week, the Buckeye state will become Black Hollywood East, as movie and TV stars flock to participate in the Test 1 Million Ohio Celebrity Tour.

From April 21 to April 24, 2010, celebrities Danny Glover (“Death at a Funeral”), Rockmond Dunbar (“The Family that Preys”), Lamman Rucker (“Why Did I Get Married Too?”), and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Tony Award nominee) will visit Dayton, Oxford, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus to fight AIDS stigma, raise awareness about the magnitude of HIV/AIDS in Black communities, and encourage people to get tested for HIV.

“There has never been an effort to mobilize the Black community in Ohio like this,” says Mamie Harris, CEO and founder of IV Charis (www.4charis.com), a Cincinnati- and Northern Kentucky-based AIDS-service organization and the event co-sponsor. Other tour supporters include the Ohio Minority Health Commission, Orasure Technologies and a statewide coalition of 27 organizations. “We hope that combining the efforts of local organizations, including colleges and universities, churches, elected officials and health departments, with a mobile ‘billboard’ featuring Hollywood celebrities will get people’s attention,” says Harris.

“We are fortunate to have all these talented performers participating,” Read More »

Temporary Closures Significantly Cut Post-9/11 GI Bill Pending Inventory

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that the Education Call Center, closed on Thursdays and Fridays over the past two months, is again operating five days a week.

“I am pleased by the progress these call center employees made in significantly cutting our pending inventory of education claims,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “As a result of their efforts, 30,000 additional student Veterans received their checks, bought books, paid the rent, and stayed in school.”

By temporarily reassigning call center employees on Thursdays and Fridays to process Post-9/11 GI Bill claims, VA was able to complete a significant number of education claims from mid-December through mid-February. VA’s goal was always to return call center employees to their permanent duties.

The decision to supplement claims processing staff by the call center employees was a key factor in meeting VA’s aggressive processing goal of Post-9/11 GI Bill claims. As of mid-February 2010, VA’s capacity to process Post-9/11 GI bill claims jumped from an average of 2,000 a day in August 2009 to 7,000 a day.

Since inception of this historic new program, VA has issued nearly $1.9 billion in Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit payments and opened the door to higher education to 209,490 people.

As of Feb. 12, VA received spring semester Post-9/11 GI Bill enrollments from approximately 180,000 student Veterans and already paid nearly 90 percent of them. All Post-9/11 GI Bill participants whose spring enrollments were received by Jan. 18 have been paid.

Because VA is now processing spring enrollments timely, advance payments are no longer available at VA regional offices or through the online advance payment Web site.

In December when the decision was made to redirect phone agents to claims processing, the number of pending claims was almost 80,000 and timeliness measures were extremely high. The inventory of education claims was driving call volume at the call center to an all time high of 1.26 million call attempts during November.

That is why in mid-December 2009 VA temporarily reassigned employees at the VA Education Call Center on Thursdays and Fridays, the lowest call volume days, to help process education benefit claims.

Since that time, the call center demand dropped by 42 percent as student Veterans received their payments. The call center received 769,637 call attempts on Monday thru Wednesday during the first two weeks in December 2009. By comparison, the call center received 446,328 call attempts on Monday thru Wednesday through the first two weeks in February 2010.

Information about the Post-9/11 GI Bill, as well as VA’s other educational benefit programs, is available at VA’s Web site, www.gibill.va.gov, or by calling 1-888-GIBILL-1 (or 1-888-442-4551).

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In the midst of the great recession, a depressed job market is hitting veterans particularly hard. Unemployment numbers for all veterans continues to hover near 12 percent, but for service members who left the military in the past three years unemployment is 18 percent, nearly twice the national average.

“The way we treat our veterans when they return home is an indication of our national character,” said J. David Cox, AFGE national secretary-treasurer, who was a registered nurse in the VA for over 20 years prior to being elected to the union’s executive leadership. “These brave men and women volunteered, served valiantly, and have to come home to stand in the unemployment line. There is something very wrong with that.”

The high unemployment rate of returning service members has not escaped the attention of the White House. On Nov. 9, President Obama issued an executive order aimed at enhancing the recruitment and promotion of employment opportunities for veterans. The order established a multi-agency “Council on Veterans Employment” and is supposed to develop a strategic plan on how to recruit and employ veterans for federal civilian service. According to the union, however, any plan developed by the Council should address the systemic risk to federal civilian employment of veterans posed by the expanded use of for-profit contractors. Ironically, the VA – the agency that strives to be the model employer of veterans — has contracted out more jobs held by veterans than most other agencies. Read More »

National Poll on Infant Feeding Shows Mothers Need Support and Want Choice and Education

RED BANK, NJ – (December 1, 2009) A new national survey reveals the majority of mothers in the United States know breastfeeding is ideal for their babies and themselves but at the same time want the right to decide what works best for them and their families. The nationally representative survey, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQRR) in partnership with Public Opinion Strategies, sampled opinions from 876 mothers of children aged 12 months and younger throughout the country.

“The findings speak volumes,” says Elizabeth Battaglino Cahill, a registered nurse and executive director of HealthyWomen. “It’s clear mothers recognize breastfeeding as the gold standard; however, they also were clear that they want a choice when it comes to feeding their infants.”

The survey found that most mothers (83%) made their infant feeding decision prior to going to the hospital to give birth. The vast majority (82%) breastfed at some point during the first year; however, over half of the moms changed their baby’s diet during the first year. Read More »

By Josh Truman
PHILADELPHIA, PA / November 12, 2009 / DIVERSE NEWS / — Never before in the history of murder in the U.S., has there been such a buttering over to the minds of Americans by the media.

The only major network that seems to be concerned about the reporting is Fox News. Fair and balanced.

Not calling Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan a terrorist was nothing more than political correctness run amok. So, what do we call him?
Answer: We must call him a psychiatrist.
Now that we have found out, via English News, that he was communicating with al Qaeda, the media is still not giving it the ‘feel’ of true terrorism. It’s like the media has been using psychiatry on us.
This is what political correctness does: takes away the true meaning of something in order to not put select groups in a negative light.
al Qaeda certainly does not give out membership cards or photo ID’s identifying their members. Since Maj. Hasan is suspected of perpetrating mass carnage, which is aligned with the group whom he had communicated with atleast one member, it would be proper for the mainstream media to call him an ‘al Qaeda-aligned’ operative, without the membership card.

Now that Maj. Nadal had been charged with 13 murders, (see NYDN video below)

I am wondering what his defense is going to be? Don’t forget, he is a licensed psychiatrist and represents that profession. Will they go all out to make him look incompetent or insane, with a ton of expert witnesses to back that defense to protect the profession?
-JT

Permanent repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula is essential to comprehensive health system reform

Statement attributable to: J. James Rohack, M.D. President, American Medical Association:

“The AMA is deeply disappointed that the Senate today blocked consideration of S. 1776, legislation to preserve access to health care for America’s seniors, baby boomers and military families. Senator Stabenow is a long-time champion for patients and physicians, and the AMA, AARP and MOAA strongly supported her bill that would have laid the foundation to permanently fix the Medicare physician payment formula and keep Medicare strong as millions of baby boomers enter the program in just two years.

“As we work to improve the health system, permanent repeal of the payment formula is essential to ensuring the security and stability of Medicare. On January first, Medicare physician payments are scheduled to be cut by 21 percent, with more cuts in years to come. Nearly 90 percent of people age 50 and older are concerned that the current Medicare physician payment formula threatens their access to care.

“While short-term fixes have temporarily averted widespread access problems, they have also grown the size of the problem – and the cost of reform. The AMA is committed to fixing the Medicare payment problem once and for all for seniors, baby boomers and the physicians who care for them.

“There is widespread agreement among Republicans and Democrats that the formula is broken and needs to be repealed. Congress created the Medicare physician payment system, and Congress needs to fix this problem once and for all to fulfill its obligation to seniors, baby boomers and military families. Permanent repeal of the Medicare physician payment formula is essential to comprehensive health system reform.”

Donation completes $60 million fundraising goal for TBI Center in Bethesda

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ — The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) announced today that with the help of American TV icon Bob Barker, it has reached its goal of $60 million to complete its current project, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE), an advanced facility dedicated to research, diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injury (TBI) suffered by U.S. military personnel.

The announcement comes after Mr. Barker, the long-time host of TV’s “The Price is Right” and a Naval aviator who served during World War II, pledged to personally contribute the final $3 million needed for the construction aspect of the project. Additional funds will be raised for research and other related items.

“I am very happy to do whatever I can to support the brave men and women who have given so much in service to our nation,” said Barker. “They have given so much for us; all Americans owe them a debt of gratitude for their tremendous service and sacrifice.”

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has been fundraising for this project since late 2007, and in recent months, the Fund has pulled to within $3 million of the goal. While it has reached the $60 million goal, the Fund is still working to raise additional funds for research and other related efforts for wounded troops.

“This amazing gift puts us over the top,” said Bill White, President of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. “Thousands of Americans have given to this important effort, and Bob Barker has today stepped up to the task. We are immensely grateful for his wonderful generosity and his support for our nation’s servicemen and women.” Read More »