VA Urged To Update VistA. In his Lincoln (MA) Journal (2/20) column, Rob Stuart-Vail says new Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki "has President Obama's mandate to 'build a 21st-century VA.'" At the VA, "the 'IT' (Information Technology) you hear so much about these days, drives" VistA, "a system that is more than 20 years old. It's inefficient, doesn't meet current day standards in a lot of ways, and the 2009 VA budget has moved toward replacing it." But Stuart-Vail says a better option is to put "some money into...tweaking VistA...and do it in open source code." Of "course, this doesn't sit well with all those designers and programmers who would love to get the highly lucrative contracts for writing a whole new system for the VA. I think we're talking billions of dollars here. I can't afford it - can you?"
Impact: Professional Reputation, CPRS, Software Legacy

VA Hospitals Reaching Out To Veterans From Iraq, Afghanistan. The Meadeville (PA) Tribune (2/20, Bywater) reports, "The message from the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center is simple, but its impact on veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, their families and their communities will be far reaching. 'When you come here we have a program set up for you with people who understand where you've been,' explains Jim Miller, manager of the Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom Program. In recognition of the fact that each conflict leaves behind a distinct set of physical and mental wounds, and that help is often most easily accepted from people who have served in those conflicts," VA hospitals "like Erie have established OEF/OIF programs and are working to staff them with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."
Impact: OEF/OIF Outreach

US Army Base, Hospital Recommit To Wounded Soldiers. McClatchy (2/20, Hill) reports leaders at Fort Lewis Army base and the Madigan Army Medical Center "signed a covenant Wednesday reaffirming their commitment to deliver the best possible care to wounded soldiers." The "signing occurred on the second anniversary of The Washington Post's publication of the first in a series of stories exposing the shoddy living conditions and bureaucracy facing soldiers receiving outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center" in Washington, DC. The "fallout from the stories prompted a transformation in how the Army cares for its wounded, including at Madigan," which has "activated its Warrior Transition Unit," one "of about 40" such units that have been "activated throughout the Army" since the Post stories were published.
Impact: Local Partnerships