June 9, 2009

To Begin Work On 90 Hospitals In 38 States.

The AP (6/9, Blackledge) reports, "Eager to show action on the ailing economy," President Barack Obama "promised Monday to speed" Federal money "into hundreds of public works projects this summer, vowing that 600,000 jobs will be created or saved. Surrounded by his Cabinet, Obama emphasized what has become a dominant issue of public concern - an economy that keeps bleeding jobs." The AP adds, "Federal agencies will release billions of stimulus dollars to states in the coming months," with the VA starting "work on 90 medical centers in 38 states."
The New York Times (6/9, A15, Stolberg) says in preparing a "report to the president," Vice President Joe Biden "said he had asked cabinet secretaries to give him a list of projects 'that they were absolutely certain...they could get up and running'" in the Administration's "'second hundred days.' The Department of Health and Human Services, the White House said, will either build or expand 1,129 health centers," while the VA "will begin improvements at 90" hospitals "across 38 states." This story was also covered by USA Today (6/9, Jackson), the Los Angeles Times (6/8, Silva), the Washington Post's (6/8, O'Keefe) "Federal Eye" blog, and WUSA-TV Washington, DC (6/8, 5:06 p.m. ET).
Impact: PTSD Compensation Bill

Spokane VAMC Preparing For National Veterans Wheelchair Games.

The Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (6/9, Graman) reports, "The world's largest annual wheelchair sporting event rolls into Spokane next month after strategic planning of military proportions. In fact, it has taken 62 separate committees at Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center to prepare for the 29th National Veterans Wheelchair Games," which run from July 13-18. The "games are sponsored" by the US Department of Veterans Affairs "and the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Organizers at Spokane VA hope to recruit 3,000 volunteers, including 400 VA employees."
Impact: Spokane, Wheelchair Games

Defense Launches Campaign and Web Site to De-stigmatize Traumatic Stress.

By Bob Brewin 05/26/2009

The Defense Department launched a multimedia campaign that includes a new Web site designed to reduce the stigma that combat veterans and their families say they feel when seeking mental health care.  The effort includes the new Real Warriors Web site, which is hosted deliberately outside a military Internet domain because troops have reported that seeking help for mental health problems could harm their military careers.
Impact: DoD, PTSD Campaign