Tampa's VA hospital reaches out to Iraq, Afghanistan veterans

Frank King of Altamonte Springs holds his 7-month-old daughter, Raynah, as he gets information Saturday during a Welcoming Home Day at the Sun Dome in Tampa. The event was sponsored by the James A. Haley VA Medical Center for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tampa's VA hospital reaches out to Iraq, Afghanistan veterans
By Jessica Vander Velde, Times Staff Writer
Published Saturday, March 15, 2008 11:09 PM
TAMPA — Iraq war veteran Ken Guillion's back still hurts, even though he stopped carrying heavy .50-caliber machine guns in the Army more than a year ago.

The 29-year-old former gunner wants to start physical therapy for his chronic back pain, but the waiting list was too long at the Veteran Affairs hospital near his home in Indiana.

He's more hopeful about Tampa's services. Although he just moved to the city a week ago, he was at James A. Haley VA Medical Center's "Welcome Home America's Heroes" event Saturday to gather information about medical care he's eligible to receive.

"She pushed me to come," he said, smiling, as he pointed to his fiancee, Linda Rondon.

In a nationwide effort to reach more veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has asked its hospitals to hold welcome back events.

Only about 30 percent of veterans go to VA hospitals, and that needs to change, said Seamless Transition coordinator Steve Preston. "We'd like it at 100 percent," he said.

It's his job to help transfer veterans from military hospitals to VA hospitals.

Tampa's VA Medical Center's chief of staff, Edward Cutolo Jr., said that even though troops are told about VA services when they leave the military, many don't remember the information when they need it.
go here for the rest
http://www.tampabay.com/news/military/veterans/article419066.ece

If you live in Central Florida, join the walk the Veterans For Common Sense is doing on the 30th of March for the men and women we all claim to support. I'm going!


Siesta Key Beach walkathon for Haley House
Veterans to benefit from walkathon
By LESLIE FEINBERG CORRESPONDENT

The Florida Veterans for Common Sense (FVCS) have organized a walkathon to benefit wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan on Siesta Key Beach on March 30.The hospital receives more seriously injured veterans, with staff specializing in the treatment of brain and spinal cord injuries. Since patients often need several months of treatment, their families are left to handle the cost of hotels and living expenses during their recovery.

The Haley House in Brandon helps the friends and families of patients who live more than 50 miles from the Haley House and qualify for aid based upon income with living arrangements as well as the recently completed "Comfort Center," complete with full kitchen, washer and dryer, and a TV and game area.

Volunteers at Haley House have found a marked difference in a patient's recovery with the presence of their loved ones, providing them with the necessary support system to significantly cut down on their recovery time.

As Harry Stimmel, FVCS board member and co-creator of the walkathon said, "If the parents live in Oklahoma, and they don't have much money, we're providing them with some kind of facility so they can visit the veteran ... it can make all the difference."

As a display of their faith in the Haley House Fund and the support that it provides to veterans and their families, each member donates the cost of a room to Haley House on his own birthday every year.All of the local members of the Florida Veterans for Common Sense plan to participate in the walk, as well as many of the Haley House staff.

INTERESTED?
To participate in the walk, make a per-mile pledge or to make a direct donation, contact retired Air Force Lt. Col. Len Gumley, FVCS board member, at (941)927-0777, or mail it to him at 5408 Eagles Point Circle, Sarasota, FL 34231.

All funds raised by the walkathon will go to the Haley House Fund, which was created in 2004 to provide facilities for the visiting loved ones of veterans being treated by the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/ArticleID/9568