OCTOBER 29, 2009

VA "Only Recourse Left" For Vietnam Vets Exposed To Agent Orange.

  The Worcester (MA) Telegram & Gazette (10/29, Nicodemus, 78K) reports, "Ask any Vietnam veteran if he was exposed to Agent Orange, and you'll likely get a shrug and a nod. 'The stuff was everywhere,' said Gary P. Swenson of Oxford, a Worcester native and US Army Vietnam veteran," a sentiment that was echoed by "Vietnam veteran James C. Savage III of Worcester," who said it was "pretty hard...to figure out" where Agent Orange "was not." The US "Department of Veterans Affairs has ruled that some of the health problems Mr. Swenson and Mr. Savage suffer from are attributable to exposure to Agent Orange." The Telegram & Gazette adds, "Applying for disability payments through the VA is the only recourse left for Vietnam veterans, because" while the legal system settled one class-action lawsuit in 1985, subsequent "lawsuits against the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange have been unsuccessful."
Impact: Agent Orange exposure claims

First Lady, Jill Biden Greeted Warmly At VA Hospital.

  The AP (10/29, Noveck) notes that on Wednesday, First Lady Michelle Obama "shook hands with wounded veterans and handed them goody bags stocked with New York Yankee caps and teddy bears in a visit to a Bronx veterans hospital before taking in Game 1 of the World Series." She "was joined...on the New York visit" by "Jill Biden, wife of the vice president, and...officials" with Major League Baseball, which "is dedicating Game 1" of the series "to veterans and their families," for whom the First Lady "has been a vocal advocate...in the nine months since her husband became president. 'I'm happy with every minute that I spend time with our men and women in uniform and our veterans,' Mrs. Obama told a crowd of veterans and...staff" at the VA hospital, "who responded with three standing ovations."
      Appearance Part Of Major League Baseball Campaign For Vets.  The Washington Post (10/29, Sheinin, 684K) reports, "About six hours before the first pitch of the World Series would be thrown at Yankee Stadium," Michelle Obama and Jill Biden "took part in Major League Baseball's new Welcome Back Veterans campaign." The two women "entered the auditorium" at the VA hospital "to a standing ovation from the audience of veterans, patients and hospital staffers." Later, after giving a speech, the First Lady shook hands and posed "for pictures with audience members," and it was then "that her personal magnetism came through. 'It's the spirit she has,' said Johnnie Williams, a 61-year-old Bronx resident and Vietnam War veteran. 'The first time I ever saw her, I guess a year or so ago, I heard her talking about helping out the veterans.' 'I think she really cares about veterans,'" added "Army Sgt. Nelson Garcia, 38, a Bronx resident who served two tours in Iraq, coming home injured both times."
      The AP (10/29, Noveck), meanwhile, says that after the VA hospital visit, the First Lady "received a warm welcome from Yankees fans...before Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night." She "and Jill Biden...escorted Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra to the mound for the pregame ceremony honoring the nation's veterans," then watched as Yankees employee and Iraq veteran Tony Odierno, whose "father is Gen. Ray Odierno," the US commander in Iraq, "threw out the ceremonial first pitch." Afterward, "some of the veterans in the audience said they were exhilarated by the First Lady's visit."
      The website for Major League Baseball (10/28, Newman) also noted the involvement of Michelle Obama and Jill Biden in its Welcome Back Veterans campaign, which, according to the New York Daily News (10/29), is a "charity...aimed at helping returning Iraq and Afghanistan War vets find mental health services and jobs." This story was also covered by the websites for NY1-TV (10/28) and WNBC-TV (10/28, Baquero) in New York City, New York.
Impact: Bronx VA, Michelle Obama, Jill Biden

Doctor Pushing For Widespread Use Of House Calls.

  The AP (10/29) says Dr. Peter Boling, "head of general medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center," is "on a mission" to "convince Congress that the old-fashioned house call could be a fresh answer to the modern-day health care reform dilemma." There "are house-calls programs" in San Diego and Boston. The Veterans Health Administration, meanwhile, "cares for thousands in their own homes, saving money by reducing unnecessary hospitalizations and emergency room visits. But Boling wants to bring house calls to...up to 3 million of the most high-risk, high-cost Medicare patients" in the United States. The "idea is not just cost-savings, but to provide a financial incentive to persuade more doctors to return to this kind of work."
Impact: Home care 

Iconic Rock Band Visits, Praises Charlie Norwood VAMC.

  The Augusta (GA) Chronicle (10/29, Uhles) reports, "Although their long locks were far from military muster, members of the iconic rock act KISS were warmly welcomed" at the Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Wednesday. The "band, best known for its overtly theatrical hard rock shows, invited veterans and service members from the Augusta-based Wounded Warrior Projects CSRA program to its Atlanta concert Monday night, and followed up the show with a...visit" to the VA hospital. The Chronicle notes that Paul Stanley, a founding member of the band, "said that as well as bringing a little joy to the patients, he hopes the KISS visit might bring attention to the Charlie Norwood VA Medial Center as well. 'You have this amazing facility here and it's almost a secret,' he said," adding, "It shouldn't be a secret. It should be a model, the template for facilities like this." The websites for WRDW-TV (10/28), WAGT-TV (10/28, Campbell), and WJBF-TV (10/28, Putzier), all located in Augusta, Georgia, also noted the band's visit.
Impact: OEF/OIF Veterans, KISS Army