Shinseki Attends White House Healthcare Summit. The Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (3/6, Simon) reports, "During a breakout session" of a White House healthcare summit Thursday, US Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) "said he wanted to inject 'a dose of reality" into the debate by talking about cost. 'A dose of reality is: what can we afford, especially given the economic times that were in?' he said." The lawmaker "participated in one of five sessions at the summit, meant to bring together government officials, members of Congress, and 'stakeholders,' from business to the medical field. Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget; and Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki, a retired Army general; moderated the session in which Cantor took part."
The second story in Chris Cillizza's "The Fix" blog for the Washington Post (3/5) also took note of the summit, describing it as "the first step in what could be a lengthy fight in Congress over an attempt to provide" healthcare coverage "for everyone in America." Cillizza added that the summit featured "a number of administration bigs," including VA Secretary Eric Shinseki.

Impact: VA Updating, New Administration

US Army Reports 18 More Suspected Suicides In February. After taking note of its recent coverage on an "increase in suicides within the US Army, possibly caused by the stress of long, repeat deployments as this country fights two wars," the CBS Evening News (3/5, story 8, 0:30, Couric) broadcast that on Thursday, the Army "said there were 18 suspected suicides last month, seven more than in February of last year." The Army "also said it is taking steps, including adding counselors, to try to bring the number down."
The AP (3/6, Jelinek) reports, "After an alarming spike in soldier suicides in January," the US Army "said Thursday there were another 18 suspected suicides last month. The increase continues a four-year rise in an Army under stress from two wars." The Army "normally releases figures on self-inflicted deaths only once a year. But due to the large number of 24 suspected in January, officials decided to announce monthly figures to focus attention on the problem and on prevention programs available."
Army Hopes Programs Will Result In Lower Suicide Rate. On its website, CNN (3/5, Levine) said recent, "alarming" suicide figures "have sparked service-wide training programs to help identify soldiers at risk of suicide." One such program, which "runs February 15 through March 15, will include training to recognize behaviors that may lead to suicide and instruction on how to intervene. The Army will follow the training with another teaching program, from March 15 to June 15, focused on suicide prevention at all unit levels." The Army also "has a program called Battlemind, intended to prepare soldiers and their families to cope with the stresses of war before, during and after deployment." CNN added that last October, the Army "and the National Institute of Mental Health signed an agreement... to share strategies to lower the suicide rate."

Impact: Mental Health, Suicide

More Vets Seeking Benefits In Tough Economy. The Tooele (UT) Transcript-Bulletin (3/6, Belnap) says 82-year-old veteran Bert Ogden, who went to the "Department of Workforce Services last November to meet with Dino Genco, veteran advocate with the Utah Department of Veteran Affairs Outreach Office," is "just one of an increasing number of vets coming forward decades after retiring from military service searching for extra help - especially as the state of the economy continues to worsen." The "process of obtaining benefits is unquestioningly complicated, however, leaving many vets confused and frustrated." Genco "said he understands that the hoops that vets have to jump through in order to apply for benefits are often difficult. 'The VA is here to take care of taxpayer dollars, not the vets,' Genco said."

Impact: VA Benefits, Poor Economy