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To all my fellow veterans friends and family my we all remember
Subject: VVA Web Weekly - What's New on vva.org: December 13, 2013
From: achaney@vva.org
To: rserge1@outlook.com
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2013 19:51:57 +0000
VVA's Web Weekly - What's New on vva.org
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| In This Issue December 13, 2013 |
VVA National Chaplain Father Salois Named 2014 Veteran of the Year
Remains of Missing U.S. Serviceman Found in Laos
| Special Notice:
If you are a veteran in emotional crisis and need help RIGHT NOW, call this toll-free number 1-800-273-8255, press 1, available 24/7, and tell them you are a veteran. All calls are confidential.
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| Congratulations, Father Phil |
VVA National Chaplain Father Salois Named 2014 Veteran of the Year
Father Philip G. Salois has been named Veteran of the Year for 2014 by the United Veterans Council of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. In addition to serving as VVA's National Chaplain, Father Phil, who is president of VVA Chapter 818, serves as chief chaplain at Veterans' Administration Boston Healthcare System and chaplain at VA New England Healthcare System.
As reported by the Valley Breeze, the Council's selection was based on Father Salois' lifelong work to help Vietnam veterans and their families overcome the trauma that results from combat and loss of life.
To read http://www.valleybreeze.com/2013-12-11/woonsocket-north-smithfield/nadeau-salois-recognized-veterans-council#.UqpbA-IliRN |
| American Forces Press Service |
Remains of Missing U.S. Serviceman Found in Laos
On December 9, the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of U.S. Air Force Col. Francis J. McGouldrick Jr., missing from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
McGouldrick Jr. of New Haven, Conn., will be buried Dec. 13, at Arlington National Cemetery. On Dec. 13, 1968, McGouldrick was on a night strike mission when his B-57E Canberra aircraft collided with another aircraft over Savannakhet Province, Laos. McGouldrick was never seen again and was listed as missing in action.
See Airman Missing From Vietnam War Accounted For |
| From the Veterans Health Council |
Holiday Stress and Heart Disease: Know Your Risk
The holiday season is often accompanied by increased stress. This is particularly important for Vietnam veterans who may be at higher risk for heart disease because of exposure to Agent Orange, but don't know of their risk. How do you learn about your risk? One way is a stress test, which is performed by a physician and/or trained technician to determine the amount of stress that your heart can manage before developing either an abnormal rhythm or evidence of ischemia (not enough blood flow to the heart muscle).
Your physician can then use the stress test to: a) determine if there is adequate blood flow to your heart during increasing levels of activity; b) evaluate the effectiveness of your heart medications to control angina and ischemia; c) determine the likelihood of having coronary heart disease and the need for further evaluation; d) check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve blood flow within the heart vessels in people with coronary heart disease; e) identify abnormal heart rhythms; and f) help you develop a safe exercise program.
There are many different types of stress tests, including:
- Treadmill stress test: As long as you can walk and have a normal ECG, this is normally the first stress test performed. You walk on a treadmill while being monitored to see how far you walk and if you develop chest pain or changes in your ECG that suggest that your heart is not getting enough blood.
- Dobutamine or Adenosine Stress Test: This test is used in people who are unable to exercise. A drug is given to make the heart respond as if the person were exercising. This way the doctor can still determine how the heart responds to stress, but no exercise is required.
- Stress echocardiogram: An echocardiogram (often called "echo") is a graphic outline of the heart's movement. A stress echo can accurately visualize the motion of the heart's walls and pumping action when the heart is stressed; it may reveal a lack of blood flow that isn't always apparent on other heart tests.
- Nuclear stress test: This test helps to determine which parts of the heart are healthy and function normally and which are not. A small amount of radioactive substance is injected into the patient. Then the doctor uses a special camera to identify the rays emitted from the substance within the body; this produces clear pictures of the heart tissue on a monitor. These pictures are done both at rest and after exercise. Using this technique, areas of the heart that have a decreased blood supply can be detected.
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| As Reported in The Burrill Report |
FDA Approves Breakthrough Therapy for Hepatitis C
In a December 9 Burrill Report article by Marie Daghlian, the FDA has approved Gilead Sciences' oral pill Sovaldi to treat chronic hepatitis C infection, or HCV. Sovaldi is the first drug for hepatitis C that can be taken without weekly injections of interferon. Sovaldi will not be cheap. Gilead said that it will begin offering Sovaldi within one week of the approval at a cost of $28,000 for a 28-day supply, $1,000 a day for the once-daily regimen. It will also offer a patient assistance program to make it more affordable for those who need financial assistance.
Read complete article here: http://www.burrillreport.com/article-fda_approves_breakthrough_therapy_for_hepatitis_c.html |
| As Reported in the Washington Examiner |
GAO Finds Slow and Sloppy Review Procedures Endanger Patients at VA Hospitals
In a December 4 article by Mark Flatten published in the Washington Examiner on December 12, patients at VA hospitals are not being adequately protected from doctors who have histories of providing substandard treatment, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). None of the four Veterans Affairs hospitals examined by the GAO complied with all of the requirements for peer review of patient care that results in a bad outcome, which could include patient deaths. Cases that warranted possible disciplinary action also were not always followed up on properly, according to the report.
Read complete report here: http://washingtonexaminer.com/slow-and-sloppy-review-procedures-endanger-patients-at-veterans-affairs-hospitals-gao-finds/article/2540125 |
| HVAC Press Release |
Miller Applauds House Passage of Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act
On December 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed S. 1471, the Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act. The bill would give the Department of Veterans Affairs and Army Secretaries the authority to exhume from national cemeteries the remains of individuals who have committed capital crimes. Sponsored by Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) in the Senate and Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) in the House, the bill comes in response to the case of Michael LeShawn Anderson, who murdered Alicia Dawn Koehl prior to taking his own life. Despite Anderson's horrible crime, he was later buried in VA's Fort Custer National Cemetery. In addition to providing broader disinterment authority should similar cases be discovered, S. 1471 would specifically direct VA to disinter Anderson's remains. S.1471 will now be sent to President Obama for his signature.
To read more: http://veterans.house.gov/press-release/miller-applauds-house-passage-of-alicia-dawn-koehl-respect-for-national-cemeteries-act |
| CFPB Press Release |
CFPB to Oversee Non-bank Student Loan Services
On December 3 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a rule that allows the Bureau to supervise certain nonbank student loan servicers for the first time. The rule brings new oversight to the nation's second largest consumer debt market – student loans – which have seen a rise in borrower delinquency in recent years. "Student loan borrowers should be able to rest assured that when they make a payment toward their loans, the company that takes their money is playing by the rules," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. "This rule brings new oversight to those large student loan servicers that touch tens of millions of borrowers." More than 40 million Americans with student debt depend on student loan servicers to serve as their primary point of contact about their loans. Student loan servicers' duties typically include managing borrowers' accounts, processing monthly payments, and communicating directly with borrowers. When facing unemployment or other financial hardship, borrowers contact student loan servicers in order to enroll in alternative repayment plans, obtain deferments or forbearances, or request a modification of loan terms.
Borrowers that have trouble with their servicers can submit a complaint. For more information, visit: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/students/. |
| News From CDC Health Matters for Women |
Women's Health Curriculum & Toolbox
Through a collaborative effort between the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) and the FDA's Office of Women's Health, a Women's Health Curriculum and toolbox has been developed and made available at the AACP website Women's Health Curriculum and toolbox (American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy & FDA OWH)
This curricular framework outlines core competencies and performance-based learning objectives for use in either dedicated courses on women's health or in conjunction with other pharmacy courses. |
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