Winter Sports ClinicWinter Sports ClinicWinter Sports ClinicWinter Sports ClinicWinter Sports ClinicTipper Gore joins participants inCrested Butte — page 8

VAnguard

Inside: Whistle-blower Protections, 4 ✩ Arming VA Police, 6 ✩ Research Advances, 7

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

APRIL 1999

2 VAnguard

Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)

Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420

(202) 273-5746E-mail: vanguard@mail.va.gov

www.va.gov/pubaff/OPAIndex.htm

CCCCCONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTSONTENTS

Editor: Lisa Respess

❏ Whistle-blowers 4Employees entitled to protections

❏ Arming VA Police 6Pilot program expanded nationwide

❏ VA Research 7Investigators continue pioneering work

❏ Winter Sports Clinic 8Tipper Gore joins participants

❏ New BVA Chairman 9Clark to focus on timeliness

❏ Former POWs 10Pittsburgh program offers specialized care

CCCCCOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNS

11111On The Cover:Tipper Gore, wife of the vice

president, talks with TimLindgren, a participant in theNational Disabled VeteransWinter Sports Clinic last month inCrested Butte, Colo. Mrs. Goredelivered the keynote address atthe event’s closing ceremony,after spending the day visitingwith participants. At age 19,Lindgren, from Tinley Park, Ill.,was the youngest of the morethan 300 disabled veterans whoparticipated this year.

13-16

Jim Coy

VAnguard VA’s Employee Magazine

April 1999 Vol. XLV, No. 4

Printed on 50% recycled paper

INTRODUCINGJim Coy wasn’t planning to write

a book in 1996 when he sent inquiriesto more than 30 military leadersseeking their advice on leadership.He had been asked to deliver thecommissioning address to ROTCstudents at the University of Mis-souri, and thought they might benefitfrom hearing the wisdom of thosewho had success-fully gone beforethem.

But the responseto the address fromstudents and theirparents was sopositive that Coy, aradiologist at theColumbia, Mo., VAMedical Center,began to formulatethe idea for a bookoffering practicaladvice on leader-ship from American military,political and religious figures.

He sent inquiries to 400leaders, asking them to respondto two questions: “What is yourcreed or code of conduct forlife?” and “How do you movefrom success to significance?”

Coy explained that the meaningof the second question is that successcannot be measured merely by thesize of one’s bank account. Thosewho are truly successful, Coybelieves, use their monetary, occupa-tional or educational success topositively influence the lives ofothers. “We are all interested inbeing successful in what we do, butwith time, most people want to affectothers in a positive way,” he said.

More than half of the leadersresponded, and Coy spent two and ahalf years compiling their advice intoa book called “A Gathering ofEagles.” The title is a tribute to hislifelong affinity for the nationalsymbol. Included are many of thenation’s best-known figures, such asGeneral Colin Powell, former Presi-dent George Bush, former Senator

and Astronaut John Glenn, SenatorJohn McCain and Evangelist BillyGraham.

All of the leaders featured in thebook are men, which Coy said ispartly a reflection of his 23 years inthe Army Reserves, where he at-tained the rank of colonel, and wheremost of the leaders he encountered

and was inspired by weremale. But he said he alsobelieved it was an appro-priate time for a book thatwould make a statementabout positive maleleadership. Coy said hebelieves there are manystrong and dedicatedwomen in leadership roles

in America, and he isconsidering doing asecond book focusingon them.

Although the bookfeatures advice from animpressive collection ofluminaries, Coy said hewas most affected bythe sections focusing onCongressional Medal ofHonor recipients andformer POWs.

“The former POWs, who experi-enced profound physical and emo-tional torture, had a lot of time whilethey were imprisoned to think aboutwhat’s really important in life,” Coysaid. “I respect all of the advice theyand the Medal of Honor recipients,many of whom sustained significantinjury in sacrifice to their country,have to give.”

He was particularly inspired by aquote included in the entry fromGary Beikirch, who was awarded theMedal of Honor for his service inVietnam: “To really live you mustalmost die. To those who fight forit…life has a meaning…the protectedwill never know.”

Coy said the book has been wellreceived, especially from veteranswho have picked it up in the Colum-bia VAMC canteen. ❑

April 1999 3

OutlookHarold F. Gracey, Jr.Acting Assistant Secretaryfor Information andTechnology

VA Replacing High-SpeedData Communications Network

Ninety-nine-year-old Homer Fisher celebrates in the Yountville, Calif., VeteransHome with relatives and government officials after receiving the Legion of Honor, theFrench government’s highest award, from a French diplomat. The Frenchgovernment continues to say “merci beaucoup” to World War I veterans who foughton French soil by awarding them this honor. VA is assisting France in locatingeligible veterans. Nearly 300 applications for the medal have been approved, andabout half of the medals have been presented to the veterans by French officials.

Informationhas become thelifeblood of VA,and the Office ofInformation andTechnology isworking toensure that theDepartment’srapidly increas-ing need for

advanced communications will bemet in the next century.

At the end of next month, thecontract for VA’s primary nation-wide data communications system,the Integrated Data CommunicationsUtility (IDCU), will expire. TheIDCU network provides high-speeddata communications service to 450VA locations and nearly 600 cus-tomer service points throughout the50 states, the District of Columbia,the Philippines and Puerto Rico.

Currently averaging more than 5trillion bytes of data per month, thenetwork enables VA customersaround the country to access numer-ous critical applications and systems.

The IDCU also allows customersto establish full communicationswith other VA network locations,and provides important links toFinance customers since the HRLINK$, Financial ManagementSystem (FMS), and IFCAP system areintegrated.

The IDCU has served networkcustomers during some of thetelecommunications industry’s mostexciting and competitive marketgrowth. Initially, the IDCU providedVA with nationwide packet networkservices which supported all VAapplications with what was state-of-the-art network technology at thetime.

However, in the mid-1990s, thetelecommunications industry radi-cally expanded opportunity forcustomers with services like framerelay, asynchronous transfer mode(ATM) and SONET technology.Through IDCU, VA was able to take

advantage of these high-speedbandwidth offerings, digital services,and industry technology upgrades tocomplement VA interests in costcontainment, operational consolida-tions, and efficiency in the work-place.

The IDCU helped us keep pacewith changes in the telecommunica-tions industry and achieve servicedelivery improvements for thenation’s veterans. But like all goodthings, the IDCU contract is comingto an end.

To plan our next step, I estab-lished an IDCU Replacement Teamlast year, consisting of representa-tives from the major VA organiza-tional elements, to develop a replace-ment wide area network (WAN) toaccommodate Department-wide datacommunications needs in the nextcentury.

Under the General ServicesAdministration (GSA)’s FederalTechnology Services 2001 (FTS2001)contract, the team recently identifiedSprint as the vendor of choice toprovide data and voice communica-tions services for the Department.

The FTS2001 contract offers VAexcellent pricing, the opportunity tobetter manage telecommunicationsservices, and the ability to work witha company with an establishedreputation in the telecommunicationscommunity.

By adopting the Sprint solutionfor both data and voice communica-tions services, VA has the opportu-nity to optimize its use of telecom-munications resources while ensur-ing continuity of services across theDepartment. We are looking for-ward to our new partnership withSprint. ❑

4 VAnguard

Whistle-blowers Entitled to ProtectionsFear of retaliation is often cited as the main reason VA employees donot report fraud or mismanagement. Lack of awareness about the rightsprotecting them against reprisals for whistle-blowing may be part ofthe problem.

W hen employees blow thewhistle on fraud or mis-management in VA, arethey subject to retaliation?

A group of VA employees testifiedlast month in a hearing before theHouse Oversight and InvestigationsSubcommittee of the Veterans AffairsCommittee that they believe retalia-tory actions were taken against themfor whistle-blowing.

In a recent all-employee memo-randum, Secretary Togo D. West, Jr.,reminded VA workers of the lawsthat protect them against reprisals forwhistle-blowing, and outlined waysin which they can seek redress if theybelieve retaliation has been takenagainst them.

The Whistle-blowers ProtectionAct was enacted in 1989 to strengthenprotections for federal employeeswho believe they have been subjectedto unjustified personnel actions inreprisal for whistle-blowing. Theseprotections were extended in 1994 toVA’s health-care professionalsappointed under Title 38.

Employees are protected if theydisclose information about wrongdo-ing, waste, fraud or abuse to theSpecial Counsel or the InspectorGeneral. They also are protected if

they make such disclosures toany other individual or organi-zation, such as a congressionalcommittee or the media, unlessthe disclosures are specificallyprohibited by law.

But even with those protec-tions, fear of reprisal is fre-quently cited by employees asthe number one reason for notreporting evidence of lawviolations, gross mismanage-ment, gross waste of funds,abuse of authority or a signifi-cant danger to the public healthor safety.

In the all-employee memo,Secretary West made hisposition on this issue clear.“Neither I nor any member ofthe leadership of this Depart-ment will tolerate whistle-blower reprisal in the Depart-

ment of Veterans Affairs,” he said.“Each of us has an important role toplay in promoting an environment inwhich employees feel free to comeforward with their legitimate con-cerns without fear of reprisal.”

What are the avenues available toVA employees who want to chal-lenge personnel actions they believeto be based on whistle-blowing?

• If the personnel action can beappealed to the Merit SystemsProtection Board (MSPB), the em-ployee can raise the whistle-blowerconcerns in the MSPB appeal.Examples of personnel actions thatfall into this category include suspen-sion for more than 14 days, reductionin grade or pay, or termination.

• If the personnel action can beappealed under a VA appeal proce-dure, such as title 38 disciplinaryactions, the employee can raisewhistle-blower concerns in the VAappeal.

• If the personnel action isgrievable under a negotiated griev-ance procedure contained in a labor-management agreement, the em-ployee can raise the whistle-blowerconcerns in the grievance.

• In some cases, the matter mightalso be appealable under VA’s

administrative grievance procedure.An example of this is a non-bargain-ing unit employee’s dissatisfactionwith a reassignment.

• Whether or not the matter canbe appealed to the MSPB, the em-ployee can raise the issue with theindependent Office of SpecialCounsel (OSC). Examples of actionsthat would fall into this categoryinclude reassignment, not beingselected for a job, or title 38 disciplin-ary actions. The OSC’s hotlinenumber is 1-800-872-9855.

• Employees also can raise awhistle-blower retaliation claim withVA’s Office of Inspector General(OIG). The OIG’s hotline number is1-800-488-8244.

In 1993, VA began requiring thatall investigative reports on reprisalcomplaints, including reprisal forwhistle-blowing, be reviewed bysenior managers. Reports involvingVA field facilities are reviewed bythe network or area directors, or byassociate deputy under secretariesfor operations. Reviews for VACOare conducted by administrationheads, assistant secretaries and otherkey officials.

The procedure was implementedto determine whether personalintervention by VA’s senior manag-ers is needed, and to ensure thatappropriate action is taken whenindividuals are found guilty ofreprisal.

This requirement does not applyto allegations of reprisal involvingequal employment opportunity(EEO) discrimination complaints,however. Instead, those complaintsshould be brought to the attention ofa VA Office of Resolution Manage-ment counselor by calling 1-888-737-3361.

In his testimony before the Housesubcommittee, VA Assistant Secre-tary for Human Resources andAdministration Eugene Brickhouseoutlined several initiatives VA isundertaking to ensure that employ-ees are aware of the whistle-blowerprotections they have, as well as theavenues of recourse available tothem if they believe they havesuffered reprisals.

The first step VA took,Brickhouse said in his testimony, wasissuing the memos from Secretary

April 1999 5

“ When someone files an EEOcomplaint against you, it’spersonal. It suggests, ‘You area racist or a sexist.’ It’s not a

happy experience, and it’s a long,arduous process.” Not only for theindividuals involved, but for VA,says Ventris Gibson, who heads theOffice of Resolution Management(ORM) as Deputy Assistant Secre-tary.

“Drive ORM out of business,” shechallenged personnelists at theHuman Resources ManagementConference last fall.

Gibson went on to note that asignificant number of equal employ-ment opportunity complaints shereceives result in a finding of nodiscrimination. Most often, thecomplaints involve common work-place disputes that could be resolvedthrough better communication andtechniques such as alternativedispute resolution (ADR), whichuses a variety of methods to resolvethe complaint at the informal level.

Five months after the conference,that situation has not changed, andORM has put in place proceduresand technology for complainthandling designed to make allparties view them as customer-friendly.

Since employees and managersare struggling with change, Gibsonadvised human resources employeesto work toward buy-in and not tostring employees along for the longroad of an EEO complaint if theyknow the problem does not relate tothe EEO-covered areas of race, sex,national origin, age, disability,religion or reprisal.

The leading causes of EEO

complaints are allegations involvinghuman resources and non-sexualharassment issues. These includenon-selection for promotion, condi-tions of employment, performanceappraisal, assignment of duty,reassignment, appointments, timeand attendance, disciplinary andadverse actions. Those involvingnon-selection, assignment of duty,reassignments and working condi-tions appear to focus on facilityconsolidations or changes in workprocesses.

ORM has implemented itscomplete field structure since theoffice was formed in late 1997.Twelve field offices and 11 satellites

including mediation and videoconferencing, capability to entercases and work to completion online,a toll-free number to begin a com-plaint along with an identificationnumber to learn its status later, andsatellite broadcasts for employeesand managers on the new EEOcomplaint procedures.

Employees who believe they arethe victims of unlawful discrimina-tion may begin an EEO complaint bycalling toll-free 1-888-RES-EEO1.They may also contact their unionrepresentative or EEO manager whowill explore other options besidesfiling an EEO complaint.

If they wish to pursue an EEOcomplaint, they must contact anORM counselor. The counseloroffers an employee another opportu-nity to choose the local ADR pro-gram (if one is available) to resolvethe problem and, if ADR is selected,they agree to extend the informalcounseling period for up to 90 dayswhile working on the issue.

The ORM field office determinesif a formal complaint meets the EEOprocessing requirements. If it doesnot, ORM prepares a Final AgencyDecision dismissing all or portions ofthe complaint, which can be ap-pealed to the Equal EmploymentOpportunity Commission (EEOC). Ifthe complaint is accepted, the ORMfield manager assigns an investiga-tor; the investigation will be com-pleted within 180 days of filing andthe report given to the complainantalong with a statement advising theemployee of appeal rights. ❑

By Jo Schuda

Office of Resolution Management Workingto Improve EEO Complaint Handling Process

West to both managers and employ-ees on whistle-blower rights andavenues of redress. All senioremployees will receive annualreminders about the rights ofwhistle-blowers and the prohibitionsagainst retaliation, he added, andinformation about these protectionswill be included in all new employeeorientation programs and supervi-sory training.

Brickhouse said the Office ofHuman Resources Management also

is creating a website on whistle-blowing that will be linked to VA’sIntranet home page. The website iscurrently accessible athttp:vaww.va.gov/ohrm andincludes information about whistle-blowing protections available toemployees and links to helpfulresources.

Secretary West also has askedBrickhouse and VA General CounselLeigh Bradley to examine whistle-blowing and related retaliation issues

in the Department and find ways tomake additional improvements.

“We are at the beginning of thisprocess,” Brickhouse said in histestimony, “and have more to do.We will be effective only when wehave a system which encouragesemployees to come forward toexpress their concerns and assuresthat when and if they do, thoseconcerns will be addressed withoutreprisal.” ❑

Employees who believe theyhave been the victim ofunlawful discrimination maybegin an EEO complaint bycalling 1-888-RES-EEO1. Theymay also contact their unionrepresentative or EEO managerto explore other options.

opened by last September, twomonths ahead of schedule. A total of241 employees have been trained asintake specialists, investigators andcounselors.

The process for handling an EEOcomplaint has been streamlined totry to reduce completion time from452 to 180 days. A complaint cur-rently takes an average of 322 daysfrom the time an employee files aformal complaint of discrimination.

New services are being added,

6 VAnguard

S ecretary Togo D. West, Jr.,has approved a plan toexpand the current pilotprogram of arming police

officers at VA medical centers to theremaining VAMCs across the nation.

VA armed police at five test sitesin 1996 (Chicago Westside, NorthChicago, West Los Angeles, Bronxand Richmond) and added anotherseven in 1997 and 1998.

The pilot program was successful,according to Deputy AssistantSecretary for Security and LawEnforcement John Baffa, in partbecause officers acted appropriatelyduring incidents in which they drewtheir weapons, and no officer at anyof the test sites fired a gun, eitherintentionally or accidentally.Baffa, who drafted the expansionplan at the request of Secretary West,said this step is being taken to helpensure the safety of VA’s patients,employees and police officers.

The plan calls for VA police to bearmed gradually, with appropriatetraining and monitoring. The Officeof Security and Law Enforcement(OS&LE) is working with VHA’sChief Network Officer to identifypotential sites to add to the firearmsprogram, with 16 sites expected to beadded during the first year ofexpansion.

The order in which sites areadded will be based on severalfactors, including the results of aninspection of a candidate facility bythe OS&LE, appropriate supervisionof a facility’s police unit, and anevaluation of crime statistics at thefacility and surrounding areas. Onceselected to participate in the firearmsprogram, facilities will work with theOS&LE to develop implementationplans.

The standard firearm will be a9mm semi-automatic pistol equippedwith several safety features, includ-ing a disconnecting device thatrenders the weapon totally inoper-able when the magazine is removed.VA officers are required to removethe magazine in certain areas of ahospital, such as a psychiatric ward.This safety feature, along with aspecial holster, reduces the likeli-hood of the weapon being taken andused by an unauthorized person.

Before being armed, each police

officer will be required to complete aminimum of 40 hours of classroomand firing range training, and musthave passed physical and psycho-logical exams within a year prior tobeginning the training.

VA police officers and unionsrepresenting them had long soughtthe authority for officers to carryfirearms. Noting that four officershave been shot and killed in the lineof duty, the unions argued officershad no way to defend themselves inencounters with armed individualson facility property.

But because concerns about safetyand the appropriateness of guns inhospitals had been raised over theyears, Baffa and his staff proceededslowly in developing the expansionplan to allow time to take thoseconcerns into consideration. Forexample, he and his staff surveyedpolice officers, employees andpatients at the five original test sitesto gather feedback on how well thepilot tests were working.

The selection of a double action-only handgun with special modifica-tions also resulted from concernsabout safety, as did the plan’s

emphasis on training and monitor-ing.

“The first thing we’re going towrite on the blackboard at ourtraining sessions is ‘nothing’schanged,’” Baffa said. “We will stillkeep our focus on defusing or de-escalating situations before theybecome violent, and protectingpatients and employees. The firearmwill be used as a tool of last resort.”

VA police officers will continue tobe equipped with non-lethal weap-ons that they will be expected to usewhen the situation does not requirethe use of a firearm, he added.

The firearms expansion planurges management at facilitiesselected to participate to openlydiscuss the program with employees,patients and other stakeholders.And Baffa said he and his staff willbe available to conduct on-sitedemonstrations or offer otherassistance to alleviate local concernsabout arming VA’s police force.

“We have found that in caseswhere people are willing to take thetime to see the demonstration andlearn about the training and be open-minded, we’ve had no problems.” ❑

VA to Expand Pilot Program Arming Police

New Business Stream for VA

W hen VA’s Federal Fran-chising Service firstprocessed payroll inJanuary for the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission(FERC) using an automated humanresources and payroll services modelfrom outside that agency, it intro-duced a new business stream andarea of revenue for VA.

Funds generated through thisendeavor can help reduce theoperational costs associated with theVA Austin Automation Center,Financial Services Center and SharedServices Center.

The Franchising Service tookadvantage of this new technology byhandling FERC’s payroll processeson a PeopleSoft payroll and humanresources application created fortheir agency.

VA had already purchased itsown version of the PeopleSoftsoftware that will be used at proto-type VA facilities and Central Office.HR LINK$ software solutions will

eventually allow VA employees andmanagers to use personal computersor phones to conduct many of theroutine human resources tasks.

VA has been approached byabout 10 federal agencies interestedin exploring franchising opportuni-ties.

This is good for VA because thereductions in operational costs at thethree centers can be passed on tointernal organizations, said JenniferDuncan, VA’s director of the Fran-chising Service. It is good for VA’sexternal customers, as well, becausethey too will reduce costs throughlarger volume processing.

VA has hired Andersen Consult-ing as the contractor to help imple-ment the new systems for federalcustomers.

Later, VA may handle FERC’sother HR functions and FERC willuse other HR LINK$ applications,such as employee and manager self-service. ❑

April 1999 7

T he Department observed VAResearch Week March 28-April 3 with a variety ofactivities highlighting the

work of VA’s more than 7,000investigators who are working onmore than 15,000 active researchprojects.

Research has been an importantelement of the VA health-care systemsince the post-World War II era,when doctors seeking better treat-ments for tuberculosis conducted thefirst large-scale clinical trials. In theensuing decades, major medicaladvances such as the CAT scan, thecardiac pacemaker, computer-designed prosthetics and liver andkidney transplants have resultedfrom pioneering work by VA investi-gators.

Although the VA researchprogram is committed to projectsthat improve the health care andquality of life of veterans, many of itsachievements benefit the generalpublic as well.

Here are a few of the achieve-ments of VA investigators over thelast decade.

Prostate Cancer TrialCollaborating with the NationalCancer Institute and the Agency forHealth Care Policy and Research, VAis conducting a 15-year study com-paring the two most widely usedtreatments for prostate cancer. Thestudy, which involves 2,000 men,will compare radical prostatectomy(surgical removal of the prostate) to

watchful waitingin which only thedisease symptomsare treated. Thestudy, known asthe ProstateCancer Interven-tion VersusObservation Trial(PIVOT), isexpected toprovide moredefinitive answerson the besttreatment forearly-stage

little reaction to alcohol as collegestudents were more likely to becomealcoholics 10 years later. Thisestablished the ability to “hold one’sliquor” at age 20 as a warning signfor risk and raised the possibility thatgenes controlling an individual’sinitial reaction to alcohol maycontribute to later alcoholism.

Cholesterol Screening GuidelinesVA researchers wrote clinical prac-tice guidelines on cholesterol screen-ing for the American College ofPhysicians. The guidelines consist ofseven specific recommendations andsupporting evidence for screening.

Improving Arm MovementAfter StrokeA rehabilitation technique developedby VA is helping stroke victimsregain movement in their arms. This“constrained-induced movement”therapy restricts use of a strokevictim’s unaffected arm, encouraginggreater use of the limb affected bythe stroke. A number of patientshave regained significant movementin their arms without medication orsurgery.

Visual Rehabilitation SystemUsing Laser TechnologyAbout 93,000 veterans are legallyblind, including a number whosuffer from macular degeneration.Rehabilitation for these patients iscomplicated by the need for clinicallyreliable assessment techniques. Tomeet that need, VA researchers aredeveloping a scanning laserophthalmascope that is expected tofacilitate cost-effective visual reha-bilitation for patients with vision-lossproblems.

VA also has taken the lead onresearch into the causes and treat-ment of health problems reported byGulf War veterans. The VA NationalHealth Survey, the government’slargest study of the health of GulfWar veterans, has entered its finalphase. Physical examinations andclinical testing of veterans and theirfamily members will be conducted at16 VA medical centers and areexpected to be completed by thespring of 2000. ❑

Pioneering Work of VA Researchers Continues

Arlan Richardson, Ph.D., San Antonio VA Medical Center, at workin his laboratory. Dr. Richardson and his associates are studyingaging and age-related diseases.

prostate cancer.

Cochlear Im-plants for Deaf PatientsCochlear implants are electronicdevices implanted in completely deafpatients to help them hear again. Alarge-scale clinical trial showed thatmulti-channel implants were supe-rior to single-channel devices.

Implantable Insulin Pumpfor DiabeticsA trial found that adult-onsetdiabetes patients using an implant-able, computer-controlled insulinpump had better blood sugar control,better weight control and betterquality of life than those takingmultiple daily injections. Theseresults offer the hope that diabeticsmay one day be able to receive theinsulin they need without injections.

Early Treatment of SpinalCord InjuryVA researchers tested two corticos-teroids, methylprednisone andtrilizad, in animals with spinal cordinjuries, and found that animals thatreceived the drug within eight hoursafter injury could regain up to 25percent of their lost neurologicalfunction. Subsequent clinical trials inpatients with acute spinal cord injuryestablished that this early interven-tion could help reduce permanentdamage, setting the standard fortreatment of acute compressionspinal cord injury.

Link Between Youthful Drinkingand Later AlcoholismIn a landmark study, VA investiga-tors found that men who showed

8 VAnguard

“ The Winter Sports Clinic haschanged my life!” That wasthe sentiment echoed by manyof the more than three hun-

dred disabled veterans gathered inCrested Butte, Colo., March 21-26, forthe 13th National Disabled VeteransWinter Sports Clinic. Clearly dem-onstrating the Clinic’s commitmentto “Miracles on a Mountainside,” it’seasy to see why.

A newcomer to this unique skiprogram might notice an unusualsight if they were to venture out tothe resort’s downhill ski staging area.Left at the bottom of the hill is a seaof wheelchairs, artificial limbs,prosthetic devices, walking sticksand guide dogs — only their ownersare missing. Most likely they couldbe found on top of the mountain,conquering fears, regaining confi-dence and self-esteem, and realizingthat their disabilities are actually anopportunity to experience life from adifferent perspective.

Sponsored by VA and the Dis-abled American Veterans, the Clinicis open to any U.S. military veteranwith just about any type of physicaldisability or visual impairment.Nearly one-third of this year’sparticipants had never skied before.Besides cross-country and downhillskiing, participants are introduced toa wide variety of other activities suchas kayaking, fly fishing, scuba divingand rock climbing.

Thirteen years after its creation,

the Clinic continues as one of thenation’s best rehabilitation opportu-nities for disabled veterans, enablingthem to push their limits beyondwhat they ever thought was possible.The event is especially meaningful tothe first-timers, who arrive inCrested Butte “feeling like a scaredjack rabbit,” but leave “soaring likean eagle,” as Navy veteran CharlotteNoddin from Coos Bay, Ore., soaptly put it.

The Clinic allows the novicedisabled skiers to realize there is life— and plenty of it — after injury ordisease. It is more than just learningto ski — it is about regaining confi-dence and that competitive spirit. Itis about finding out what they stillcan do as they conquer the moun-tains. And it is about sharing witheach other, and finding out howother veterans have overcome thechallenges they’ve faced.

The youngest athlete this yearwas 19-year-old Tim Lindgren ofTinley Park, Ill. Lindgren, a quad-riplegic who was in boot camp justone year ago, was injured in a caraccident less than ten months beforethe event. “Since my accident, theVA Medical Center has been verysupportive in getting me back tohaving an active life,” he said. “Aspart of my recovery, my therapistsuggested coming to the Clinic. I’mglad I came — this is the best experi-ence I’ve had since my accident! It isnice to see that it’s not over… it has

just begun!”Making the Clinic even more

memorable for Lindgren and theother veterans was a visit fromTipper Gore, wife of the vice presi-dent. On “Race Day,” the final dayof the Clinic, Mrs. Gore slid right intothe spirit by meeting with — andskiing with — the participants.

Joined by Secretary of VeteransAffairs Togo D. West, Jr., and DAVNational Commander Andrew A.Kistler, she handed out medals to theveteran skiers and ate lunch with agroup out on the deck. After deliver-ing the keynote speech at the closingceremony, Mrs. Gore completed herday by making an unscheduled visitto the closing celebration — dancingand taking pictures with the veteranswell into the evening.

Like most visitors to the Clinic,Mrs. Gore was deeply moved by theparticipants’ unfailing display ofcourage and determination — andthe veterans, in turn, enjoyed hercharisma, warmth and enthusiasm.“I didn’t know what to expect,” saidClifford McDowell, an Army veteranfrom Falls Church, Va. “Uponmeeting her, I immediately felt herwarmth. Her presence was the bestsalute anyone could give us. Weenjoyed having her here — meeting

‘Miracles on a Mountainside’ for Disabled Vets

Patrick Sapp, from Rockwall, Texas, conquers the mountain.

Larry Foster, from Arleta, Calif.

April 1999 9

W hen he was first asked toconsider accepting anappointment as chairmanof the Board of Veterans’

Appeals (BVA) last year, Eligah D.Clark admits he didn’t really knowmuch about VA, let alone the board.Besides, he liked the job he alreadyhad.

But as a United States MarineCorps officer and prior enlistedMarine, Colonel Clark understoodwhat it meant to be given an unfa-miliar and challenging mission. Hehad spent his entire adult lifecarrying out just such missions.

This one, however, was different.This was a presidential appointmentto an assistant secretary position incharge of an organization he knewlittle about. It also meant leaving theMarine Corps, where he had beenserving for more than 30 years.

BVA enters VA’s final decisionon behalf of the Secretary in appealsof claims for veterans’ benefits. Bylaw, all board members are lawyers.Typically, BVA has about 65 boardmembers, 260 additional attorneys,and 170 support personnel.

It is difficult to imagine a betterrecord of talent and experience thanClark brings to his new position. Atthe time of his appointment inOctober 1998, Clark was a seniorjudge of the Navy-Marine CorpsCourt of Criminal Appeals in Wash-ington, D.C. Before that he hadserved as a military defense counsel,legal assistance officer, prosecutor,appellate counsel, trial judge, andappellate judge.

He had been Chief Judge of theWestern Pacific Judicial Area inOkinawa, Japan, and Chief MilitaryJudge of the Atlantic Judicial Circuitin Washington, D.C., of the KeystoneJudicial Circuit in Okinawa, and ofthe Sierra Judicial Circuit in Califor-nia.

About his new assignment, Clarksays, “I have made it my business tolearn as much as possible about notonly the board as an institution, butabout the people who make it work.I have been very favorably im-pressed with the dedication anddetermination that board members,staff attorneys, and support person-nel bring to their efforts to fulfill the

board’s mission of serving theveterans and their families.”

Those efforts resulted in nearly39,000 BVA decisions in fiscal year1998 along with a significant reduc-tion in response time. “More impor-tant than the number of decisionsproduced is the timeliness withwhich appeals are decided,” saysClark. “We think that by providingquicker, high-quality decisions, inthe long run we better serve all theveterans whose claims come beforethe board.”

Six months after accepting thechallenge of serving as chairman ofthe board, how does Clark view BVAand its mission? “The Board is aservant of both the veteran and of thegovernment. We serve the veteranfirst,” he says. “Our mission contin-ues to be to provide the highestquality decisions on claims in atimely and efficient manner. By thelaw, that is our mission. By theneeds of our veterans, that is ourgoal. By our conscience, that is ourduty.” ❑

By Willie Alexander

New BVA Chairman Focusing on Improving Timeliness

“Thank you for inviting meto your National DisabledVeterans Winter Sports Clinic,where I learned aboutdetermination...about thechallenge of taking on themountain….about the miraclesthat can happen on amountainside. After what I sawin Colorado, I have no doubtthat you can conquer anything!

“In a world of constantchange, we know with certaintythat today America is free,secure, and prosperous becauseof your service. I will always becommitted to honor and supportyou, our veterans, who havegiven so much to preserve ourliberty and to advance Americaninterests around the world.

“I feel so very enriched forhaving participated in yourWinter Sports Clinic. You haveinspired me with what you haveaccomplished.”

her made my service to the armedforces worthwhile!”

Renewed hope for a happy andfulfilled life is what the Clinic is allabout. Perhaps best said by DanaLiesegang, a Navy veteran fromEugene, Ore., “This Clinic haschanged my life forever. It is theclosest to heaven a person can be

and still be alive! You feel like youcan practically touch the sky we’reup so high. More important, thepeople here generate such aeuphoric energy that it makes youfeel like you’re in heaven!” ❑

By Ivonne Chaustre

Mrs. Gore’s Message toClinic Participants

DanaLiesegang, aNavyveteran fromEugene,Ore., tacklescross-countryskiing.

10 VAnguard

Pittsburgh Program Offers Specialized CareFormer POWs

Former POWs at the annual summer picnic.

J erry Alexis was captured bythe Germans in November1944 while serving as anArmy infantryman. The next

few months of his life in captivityincluded walking more than 500miles on foot and traveling morethan 1,000 miles by rail. His night-mare ended on April 29, 1945, whenhe was released from a POW camp inMoosburg, Germany, just prior to theend of World War II.

More than 40 years later, he wasone of the first veterans to enter theFormer Prisoners of War (POW)Program at the VA PittsburghHealthcare System whenthe program began in1987, and he has been anactive member ever since.

Today, Alexis is a 74-year-old retired ministerwho credits the programwith improving both themental and physicalconditions of formerPOWs who are enrolled.The program “buildstrust, camaraderie andcreates an opportunity forformer POWs to be ableto open up with each

POWs. The program functions witha full complement of staff, includinga social worker, nurse practitioner,physician, psychiatrist, psychologistand clerical support.

“We consider our clients to bevery unique veterans,” said ProgramCoordinator Rick Canavan. “Notonly did they experience combattrauma, but also the additionaltrauma of becoming a prisoner ofwar. That catastrophic role changeresulted in significant physical andpsychological injuries for the surviv-ing former POW. All too often wehave heard [them say], ‘no one

“Frequently, the former POW wouldbecome alienated from other veter-ans, and would try to cope with theirsymptoms alone,” said Canavan.“We have found the group format,with its emphasis on mutual supportcombined with preventive healthcare topics, to be helpful for manyformer POWs. The individualcounseling is available for POWswho feel more comfortable with thistype of therapy.”

Large and small meetings areheld with homogenous groups suchas Army Air Corps, Army Infantry,Korean Conflict, 106th Division from

the Battle of the Bulge andthe Bataan CorregidorSurvivors.

The program alsooffers special groups suchas the Wives Group,Widowers Support Groupand Cancer Support Group.A sleep study lab is used todiagnose and treat chronicsleep disturbances, andveterans who participate inthe program receive anannual physical exam andfrequent check-ups with aphysician or nurse practi-

other,” Alexis said. “Theonly reason I have been

would believe me…’”The average age of the veterans

who participate in the program is 76,and 95 percent of them were POWsduring World War II. Twenty-threemembers of the group were KoreanWar POWs. According to Canavan,of the approximately 700 POWs whoreturned from Vietnam, only onelived in the Pittsburgh area, and hehas since relocated to Texas.

The Pittsburgh program offerscomprehensive psychiatric andmedical care to former POWs in a tri-state area. Supportive grouptherapy, often with a patient educa-tion theme, and individual therapyare available. According to staffmembers, the group meetings helpreduce the sense of social isolationmany ex-POWs feel, especially afterretirement when they have moretime to think about what they havebeen through.

tioner. A social workercontacts and visits the ex-

POWs in their homes if they areunable to make it to the facility forappointments.

Program staff also coordinateactivities such as an annual POWRecognition Day ceremony, aholiday party in December and asummer picnic for program partici-pants.

In addition to top managementsupport and a small but dedicatedstaff, Canavan believes the Pitts-burgh program’s success can beattributed to the strong support itreceives from local former POWorganizations such as the AmericanDefenders of Bataan and Corregidor,the American Ex-POWs and theKorean War Ex-POWs. Those threeelements combined, he said, “havecreated a rather successful mix andenabled the program to thrive.” ❑

able to do so well over the years isbecause of my care at the VA Pitts-burgh Healthcare System. Godwilling, I will stay involved with theex-POW group for the rest of mylife.”

He also credits the program withsaving his life, since it was thephysician for the program whodiagnosed his blocked coronaryarteries. He underwent triple bypasssurgery and now enjoys an activelife. His busy schedule includes aminimum of eight visits a month tothe VA Pittsburgh HealthcareSystem, where he is involved ingroup meetings, exercise classes andsimply sharing experiences withother former POWs.

Alexis is one of more than 650veterans who have been evaluatedand treated by the former POWprogram in Pittsburgh. In the lastfiscal year alone, the program hadcontact with more than 420 former

By David E. CowgillVA Pittsburgh Healthcare System

April 1999 11

Take Stockin AmericaWith U.S.Savings Bonds

This year’s Federal SavingsBonds Campaign runs May 1-31.Secretary Togo D. West, Jr., ischair of VA’s campaign, withBoard of Veterans’ AppealsChairman Eligah D. Clarkserving as vice chair.

A volunteer canvasser willcontact you soon about purchas-ing Bonds through the payrollsavings plan.

Bonds offer a safe vehicle forinvestment, tax advantages andmarket-based interest rates fromthe date of purchase.

Check out the SavingsBond Wizard atwww.savingsbond.gov. ThisWindows program will calculatethe value of your savings bondsand record and inventory them.You may also want to downloadthe “Earnings Report” from thewebsite at the above address foryour bond values.

Want to KnowWhat Your BondsAre Worth?

For a recorded message of currentrate information,

call1-800-4US-BOND

W hen on March 4, 1865,Abraham Lincoln took theoath of office for thesecond time, the nation was

in the last throes of the Civil War.In the conclusion of his second

inaugural address, Lincoln said:“With malice toward none; with

charity for all; with firmness in theright, as God gives us to see theright, let us strive on to finish thework we are in; to bind up theNation’s wounds; to care for him whoshall have borne the battle and for his

widow, and his orphan — to do allwhich may achieve and cherish a justand a lasting peace, among our-selves, and with all nations.”

That paragraph sums up thephilosophy that has guided VeteransAffairs, as well as its functional andorganizational forerunners in dealingwith veterans, especially thosedisabled.

A part of that address adornsmetal plaques on either side of theVermont Avenue doors to VACentral Office in Washington, D.C.

“To care for him who shall haveborne the battle, and for his widow,and his orphan,” became the mottoof VA in May 1959, when the plaqueswere first put up.

How was VA matched withLincoln’s immortal words? By thedirection of an Administrator of theVeterans Administration in theclosing years of the Eisenhower

Administration, Sumner G. Whittier.The following was recorded in

the 1967 edition of a VA medicalhistory printed for the use of theCommittee on Veterans’ Affairs,which was entitled, “To care for himwho shall have borne the battle”:

“He worked no employee longeror harder than himself to make hispersonal credo the mission of theagency. What was that credo?Simply the words of AbrahamLincoln, ‘to care for him who shallhave borne the battle, and for his

VA Motto’s Origin Traced to FormerAdministrator Sumner G. WhittierMost VA employees know that Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguraladdress is the source of the quote long used by the Department to illus-trate the philosophy behind VA’s mission. But do you know who isresponsible for matching VA with Lincoln’s immortal words?

widow, and his orphan.’ To indicatethe mission of his agency’s employ-ees, Mr. Whittier had plaquesinstalled on either side of the mainentrance.”

Mr. Whittier, who served asAdministrator from December 1957to January 1961, was a veteran ofWorld War II. He served in theNavy for three years and wasdischarged as a lieutenant. He hadheld a number of public servicepositions from the age of 27, finallyserving as lieutenant governor ofMassachusetts from 1953 to 1956. Hejoined the Veterans Administrationas Director of Insurance in January1957, and in December of that yearwas appointed Administrator. ❑

By Bonner Day

12 VAnguard

10th Anniversary Celebration

VA Central Office employees, veterans service organizationrepresentatives and other friends of the Department crowded into Room230 on March 17 to mark the 10th anniversary of VA’s elevation tocabinet status. Former Congressman G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery, whowas instrumental in getting the cabinet legislation passed, joinedSecretary Togo D. West, Jr., at the podium for remarks (above left andright). Below left, Montgomery and Secretary West prepare to cut thecake; below right, celebrants test their knowledge of the Department byparticipating in a VA trivia contest.

Photos by Michael Moore and Emerson Sanders

April 1999 13

MEDICALadvances

VA Researcher to Lead Studies onPositive Effects of Exercise on Arthritis

A five-year, $4 million grant from the Department ofEducation will allow VA Investigator Dr. Jerry Parker tolead new studies on the role of exercise in treatingarthritis, on managing psychological effects of thedisease and on providing information to the publicthrough the media. Dr. Parker is director of MentalHealth Services at the Columbia, Mo., VA Medical Centerand chief researcher at the Missouri Arthritis Rehabilita-tion Research and Training Center of the University ofMissouri.

Although arthritis patients were previously advised torest and avoid most movements, Dr. Parker has foundthat exercising and maintaining aerobic fitness is veryhelpful to arthritis sufferers. The grant will be used toconduct studies, train doctors and provide information topatients. Many of the patients who are served by thecenter are veterans who are treated at the VAMC’sclinics.

Minneapolis VAMC Researchers IdentifyNew Area of Brain Involved in Thinking

Researchers at the Minneapolis VA Medical Centerreported in a recent issue of Science that they haveidentified a new area of the brain that takes part in thethinking process — the motor cortex, an area scientistspreviously believed was limited to controlling voluntarymovements. They believe the finding is an importantstep in the quest to understand how the brain’s higherfunctions work, and perhaps ultimately identify newapproaches to brain disorders such as cognitive prob-lems.

“We were surprised to find that the motor cortex isn’tjust a slave to carrying out movements, but is involved inplanning those movements as well,” said study leaderApostolos P. Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., director of theMinneapolis VA Medical Center’s Brain Sciences Center.

Georgopoulos and colleagues taught monkeys a“serial order” task and rewarded the animals with snacksfor making the right decisions. As the animals performedthese tasks, the researchers monitored activity of theirbrain cells and were surprised to find a very strong signalfrom motor cortex cells.

“The motor cortex clearly was involved in this processand not just the movement,” said Georgopoulos, who

holds an American Legion Brain Sciences Chair and isprofessor of neuroscience at the University of Minnesota.

The researchers focused their study on the motorcortex because they have long believed that certain partsof the brain may be involved in far more complex func-tions than currently known, and they previously foundsome evidence of complex operations in the motorcortex.

New Hope for Patients with SpinalCord Injuries

Patients with spinal cord injuries are re-training theirspinal cord reflexes to gain function in a pilot trainingprogram called Supported Treadmill Ambulation Training(STAT) at the Center of Excellence on Healthy Aging withDisabilities at the Houston VA Medical Center.

The new program offers hope to veterans who havesome motor function below the level of the spinal cordinjury. Researchers have known that damaged spinalcords retain some residual function.

Training involves using a treadmill, with parallel barssupporting some of the patient’s weight and providingbalance, allowing the patient to concentrate on thewalking function. Over the course of the therapy, theparallel bars are adjusted to support less weight.

Three veterans are participating in the pilot project.After 11 years in a wheelchair, one of them is nowwearing braces and practicing with a walker andcrutches. Another has improved so much that he hasreturned to work, and the third is exercising at homebecause he no longer needs a therapist to assist him. Anew group will start training in the near future.

Albuquerque VAMC Researchers FindIncidence of Liver Cancer on Rise in U.S.

Researchers from the Albuquerque, N.M., VA MedicalCenter found that liver cancer is on the rise in the UnitedStates, having increased by 71 percent from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s.

Since a large percentage of liver tumors can beattributed to hepatitis B and C, the number of liver cancercases is expected to increase until those infections arebrought under control. Nearly 4 million Americans arebelieved to be infected with hepatitis C, but becausesymptoms usually do not appear for many years, theexact number of cases is unknown.

Although alcoholism is another major cause of livercancer, the incidence of alcoholism is declining, theresearchers reported in a recent New England Journal ofMedicine. An estimated 14,500 Americans are expectedto develop hepatocellular carcinoma, the most commonform of liver cancer, this year. Only 5 percent are ex-pected to survive for five years. ❑

14 VAnguard

you heardHAVE

Major League BaseballUmpire Jerry Layne recentlyvisited patients at the Charles-ton, S.C., VA Medical Center.As a member of the DisabledAmerican Veterans’ volunteerteam, Layne visits VA medicalcenters in National Leaguecities in his free time duringbaseball season and volun-teers in the off-season. “Iwant to bring smiles andbrighter days to veterans whohave given so much to ourcountry,” Layne said. “I wantthem to know that they areappreciated. Brightening theirlives with a friendly visit is avery small token in return forwhat they have given us.”

The Chicago VA Re-gional Office has beenreaching out to former POWsin Illinois for the past sevenmonths through informationalbenefits forums tailored tothem. So far, more than 195former POWs, along with theirfamily members, have takenadvantage of the opportunityto obtain information on suchtopics as state benefits forformer POWs, VA medicalcare eligibility and specialPOW programs at medicalcenters in the area. Inaddition, 45 claims have beentaken and 85 hospital cardshave been issued as a resultof this initiative.

The 10-year-old Court ofVeterans Appeals, respon-sible for hearing appeals ofVA benefit denials, has beenrenamed. Effective March 1,the United States Court ofVeterans Appeals is nowknown as the United StatesCourt of Appeals for VeteransClaims. The duties andresponsibilities of the court

remain unchanged. ChiefJudge Frank Nebeker hadsought the name change toreduce confusion resultingfrom the similarity betweenthe court’s original name andthat of VA’s Board of Veter-ans’ Appeals, whose deci-sions the court reviews. Therenaming is intended to betterindicate that the court iswholly independent of theDepartment.

A simple bet has changedthe lives of Nashville VAMCemployees Troy and CathieJohnson. Troy, acting chiefof Supply Processing andDistribution, and Cathie, aprogramming supportassistant in Prosthetic andSensory Aids Service, used tosmoke up to three packs ofcigarettes a day each. Troymade a bet with friends thathe could quit, and Cathiedecided to join him. In a bidto get even healthier, thecouple took up running forexercise and soon beganparticipating in marathons.They have now set a goal ofrunning 50 marathons in 50states and are well on theirway — to date, they havecompleted 16 marathons in 15months.

Ron Ridgeway, fieldexaminer and homelessveterans coordinator at theHouston VA Regional Office,will be featured in a programon prisoners of war (POWs)from the Vietnam era to bebroadcast on the LearningChannel on May 31.Ridgeway was an 18-year-oldMarine when he was capturedby the North Vietnamese, andwas held for more than fiveyears. He was the sole

survivor of an attack on hisunit, and lay wounded andbleeding for a day before hewas discovered. He waslisted as “killed in action,” andfuneral services were held forhim and eight other membersof the patrol about a year afterhis reported death. Theprogram features interviewswith Ridgeway and otherformer POWs about theirexperiences while in captivityand their lives today.

Little Rock, Ark., VARegional Office Director FredH. King was honored by theState of Arkansas House ofRepresentatives recentlywhen a resolution waspassed recognizing hismilitary service and notableaccomplishments during his25-year VA career. Passageof the resolution, which wasproposed by State Represen-tative Sandra Rodgers, wasfollowed by a standing ovationin King’s honor.

The Veterans BenefitsAdministration’s high-techsatellite video training networkreaches beyond VA employ-ees. VA Loan Guaranty

Michael Paolella (left), labor relations manager for theProvidence, R.I., district of the U.S. Postal Service,presents the GI Bill stamp to Peter C. Wells, director of theProvidence VA Regional Office. The stamp is part of thePostal Service’s “Celebrate the Century” commemorativestamp and education program.

Service has scheduled fourinteractive televised trainingbroadcasts for home mort-gage lenders across thecountry. Participants will havethe opportunity to askquestions during the broad-casts, which can be viewed atany VA Regional Office. Eachvideo seminar focuses on aspecific group of commerciallender employees involved inthe VA home loan process.

Working with smallbusinesses, the NationalCemetery Administration issaving money and speedingservice in making secondinscriptions on headstones.Second inscriptions areneeded when a secondinterment is made in the samegrave. Prior to the change, allheadstones had to bereplaced when a secondinterment was made. Underthe new program of workingwith small businesses, secondinscriptions are added on thesite. The program hasgenerated revenue of morethan $1 million for smallbusinesses and saved VAnearly $1.5 million in replace-ment costs. ❑

April 1999 15

HONORSand awards

Rudolf H. Moos, Ph.D., ofthe Palo Alto, Calif., HealthCare System, is the firstrecipient of the UnderSecretary’s Award forOutstanding Achievement inHealth Services Research.As director of the HealthServices Research & Devel-opment (HSR&D) Center forHealth Care Evaluation, Mooshas focused on improving thelives of people affected bysubstance abuse andpsychiatric disorders. TheUnder Secretary’s Award wasestablished to honor thehighest level of achievementand to recognize the impor-tance of health servicesresearch in the health care ofveterans and the generalpopulation.

Deputy Secretary HershelGober is this year’s recipientof the AMVETS Silver HelmetCivil Servant of the YearAward. The AMVETS SilverHelmet Awards have beenpresented for more than 40years to both public figuresand private citizens torecognize outstandingaccomplishments in variousfields.

The Washington, D.C.,VAMC has been named oneof the most wired hospitalsand health systems in thecountry by Hospitals & HealthNetworks magazine. Themedical center providesonline information for patientson a variety of diseasesincluding cancer, arthritis,asthma, hypertension anddepression. Medical person-nel have online access toclinical information functionssuch as accessing patientrecords, and ordering and

reviewing the results of labwork. They also can reviewand make entries in medicalrecords online.

Dr. Alan E. Mast , staffphysician at the Memphis,Tenn., VAMC, and Dr.Richard N. Pierson, III, staffsurgeon at the NashvilleVAMC, were recent recipientsof Presidential Early CareerAwards for Scientists andEngineers. Mast is studyingthe basic biomechanisms ofproteins that regulate bloodclotting, while Pierson’sresearch is aimed at develop-ing improved strategies toprevent rejection of trans-planted organs.

The Bronx, N.Y., VAMC’sPrimary Care RapidReponse Team was honoredby Under Secretary for HealthDr. Kenneth Kizer for a patientsafety initiative. A pharma-ceutical company issued awarning that a medicationused to treat diabetes mellitushad a potentially serious sideeffect in patients who also hadcongestive heart failure. Theteam developed a process foridentifying and assessingaffected patients, and thendeveloped an appropriatecourse of action with theirrespective physicians.

Diane M. Breaux , anadvanced practice nurse inthe Primary Care Clinic at theCentral Arkansas VeteransHealthcare System in LittleRock, was named AdvancedPractice Nurse of the Year bythe Arkansas Nurses Associa-tion. Breaux is considered apioneer in the field of ad-vanced practice nursing inArkansas. She was one of

the first to pass the nationalcertification exam for ad-vanced practice nurses and toreceive authorization to writeprescriptions for patients.

Jerry L. Satterwhite, ofthe Birmingham, Ala., VAMC,was selected VA SocialWorker of the Year for 1998.The award, which recognizesexemplary skill in the deliveryof administrative expertiseand clinical care to patientsand their families, waspresented to Satterwhite atthe Uniformed Services SocialWork Conference in SanDiego.

The Washington Univer-sity School of Medicinenamed Dr. Scot G. Hickman ,St. Louis VAMC physician,Professor of the Year 2000.The award recognizes hiswork with medical students,his dedication to medicalexcellence and his commit-ment to developing anddelivering outstanding healthcare.

Gerald F. DiBona, M.D.,chief of Medical Service at theIowa City VA Medical Centerand a world-renowned expertin renal and cardiovascularmedicine, is president-elect ofthe American PhysiologicalSociety. He will take officethis month at the society’sannual meeting, serve aspresident-elect until 2000,serve one year as president,and then one year as past-president.

Jayendra H. Shah, M.D.,chief medical officer at theTucson, Ariz., VA MedicalCenter and professor ofMedicine and Radiology at theUniversity of Arizona Collegeof Medicine, received VA’sMark Wolcott Award forClinical Excellence. He wasselected for exceptionalleadership and outstandingachievements in VA health

care, medical education andclinical research.

Federal Executive Boards(FEB), the regional inter-agency groups primarilyresponsible for honoringoutstanding federal employ-ees in their areas, recentlyselected Barbara L. Chanko,RN, administrative assistantto the chief of staff at the NewYork VA Medical Center, asrecipient of the 1999 FEBDistinguished GovernmentService Award for hercontributions to local, networkand national VHA programs.

Lawrence S. Dolecki,Ph.D., chief of PsychologyService at the Martinsburg,W.V., VA Medical Center, wasrecently appointed by WestVirginia Governor CecilUnderwood to a three-yearterm as a member of the stateRehabilitation Council. Thecouncil’s responsibilitiesinclude helping the state’sDivision of RehabilitationServices develop goals andpriorities, and evaluating theeffectiveness of the state’srehabilitation program. Dr.Dolecki also was appointedtreasurer of the West VirginiaTraumatic Brain and SpinalCord Injury RehabilitationFund Board, which identifiesneeds and coordinatesservices for state residentswith these disabilities.

Mike Walsh, chief ofMedical AdministrationService at the Nashville,Tenn., VAMC, received theFederal Excellence inManaged Care Award fromthe American College ofHealthcare Executives.Walsh was honored for hiswork with the Service Transi-tion Examination Program(STEP), at Fort Campbell,Ky., which assesses activeduty men and women forcompensation eligibility priorto discharge. ❑

16 VAnguard

HEROES✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

While performing hisregular duties as the commu-nity service officer for Policeand Safety at the NorthChicago VAMC, AustinStaunton saw a family havinga dispute. After calming thefamily members, Stauntonescorted them to a building onthe campus. When theyarrived in the parking lot, theveteran began having aseizure. Staunton quicklyplaced the veteran’s headback, preventing him fromchoking, and called for amedical team. When theteam arrived, they took overthe veteran’s care, and the VApolice transported the patientfor further treatment.

By all accounts, Adam Nekoranik was very proud of hisservice to his country, and he was particularly proud tohave been awarded a POW medal. He had been capturedby the Germans at Ardennes during World War II.Nekoranik wore his medal everywhere he went, and whenhe became seriously ill, his dying request to his family wasthat his medal be buried with him.

Nekoranik passed away recently, and while makingarrangements for his funeral, his wife discovered that thePOW medal was missing. She called the Philadelphia VARegional Office and Insurance Center (VARO&IC) to findout if anything could be done to help. The burial wasscheduled to take place the following day.

A team of VARO&IC employees began working on whatseemed an impossible task. Benefits Counselor ChrisHutchins drove to Nekoranik’s brother’s house to obtainthe needed paperwork for the Department of Defense(DoD) to issue the medal (the veteran had never filed forVA benefits).

When Hutchins brought the paperwork back to theVARO&IC, Congressional Liaison Diane Rivera convincedDoD to accept faxed paperwork and to have the medalengraved at the Defense Logistics office in Philadelphiawithin one day. Benefits Counselor Dewitt Mathis thendrove to the Defense Logistics office to pick up the medal,and Hutchins delivered it to the family that evening. Familymembers expressed their gratitude to the PhiladelphiaVARO&IC employees who went beyond the call of duty tohelp them honor the veteran’s dying wish.

Dan Knight , a temporary electrician working at theDublin, Ga., VAMC, was tracing pipe in the attic of one ofthe facility’s buildings when he found a wallet stuckbetween two rafters. The wallet looked like it had beenthere for quite some time. There was no money in it, butthere were several personal photos, notes, old stamps, aNavy identification card, and even an unused ticket for anApril 22, 1945 baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park.

Knight immediately began searching for the owner, andeventually tracked down his son in Ohio. The son excitedlyrecited his father’s military service number, which matchedthe number on the Navy I.D. found in the wallet. The sontold Knight that his father died fifteen years ago, whichmade the discovery of the wallet even more meaningful.Since the Dublin VAMC was a Navy hospital in 1945, it isbelieved that the wallet owner was either a patient there orwas assigned to the Medical Corps.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Martha Smith, a nurse atthe San Francisco VAMC,spends her vacation timeworking with a team ofmedical professionals inNuevo Progreso, a remotevillage in Guatemala, stockingand running operating roomsat the Hospital de la FamiliaMedical Center. Although theoperating conditions areprimitive by modern stan-dards, Smith and her teamperform a wide variety ofsurgical procedures duringintense 12-hour days. Smithhas assisted primarily oncataract surgery, giving bothyoung and old Guatemalans

the opportunity to see againand lead more independentlives.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Karina V. Courtmanche,a nurse in the OutpatientPsychiatric Clinic at the WestHaven, Conn., VAMC,recently saved the life of afellow nurse who beganchoking while eating lunch inher office. Fearing she wouldpass out and no one wouldnotice her absence until afterlunch, the choking victimwalked out into the hall insearch of assistance.Courtmanche noticed her co-worker gasping and asked ifshe was choking. When thenurse nodded, Courtmancheperformed the Heimlichmaneuver, clearing theblocked airway.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

While driving a group ofday treatment patients home,Columbus, Ohio, VA Outpa-tient Clinic employees DaleHamilton and DaveGrabosky passed a housewith smoke billowing out. Thefamily in the house haddropped an infant while tryingto escape, and the father hadgone back inside to rescue it.Hamilton, from Medical

Administration Service, andGrabosky, from Mental Healthand Behavioral SciencesService, called the firedepartment and helped thefather rescue the child.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Janice Falk, recreationtherapist at the Lebanon, Pa.,VA Medical Center, wasparticipating with co-workersin a Bike-a-thon sponsored bythe local chapter of theAmerican Heart Associationwhen another member of theVAMC team informed her thata rider in the event appearedto be having a heart attack.She immediately began chestcompressions and continueduntil the ambulance crewarrived. She remained on thescene assisting the EMTsuntil the man was transportedto the hospital. He laterunderwent a successfulbypass operation.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Lillette Turner’s quickthinking averted a potentialtragedy in VACO’s Office ofResolution Management. Aco-worker was eating herlunch when she beganchoking. Turner, an EEOspecialist, quickly performedthe Heimlich maneuver. ❑