Police: Nurse left children in van parked at nursing home, but gave them pizza

Police: Nurse left children in van parked at nursing home

Willoughby Mariano

Sentinel Staff Writer

A nurse was arrested on felony child neglect counts after police said she left her children for hours in a hot van parked at her workplace, according to a report released today.

Eustis Police were called to the parking lot of Bayview Center, a nursing home, about 2:15 a.m. Sunday after an employee found two children inside a Ford van, according to the arrest affidavit. Sheets were hung over the window to hide the children, and the windows were rolled up.
read more here
Nurse left children in van parked at nursing home

Mom Blames YouTube After Son Sets Self On Fire

Mom Blames YouTube After Son Sets Self On Fire
Tuesday, August 11, 2009 5:56:12 AM

Reported By Stephanie Coueignoux

ORLANDO -- A Volusia County boy set himself on fire and his mom is blaming a video he saw online for what happened.

Russell Gortzig, 13, of Deltona says he and his friends were hanging out looking at videos online when they found a video of a guy setting himself on fire. Sunday night, they actually re-enacted what they had seen.

Russell is in the hospital with second and third degree burns and lucky to be alive.

"A mother's fear, that I couldn't help him, I didn't know what to do, I couldn't take it away," said Russell's mother, Linda McCrea.

McCrea says she'll never forget the phone call when she found out her son was severely burned or seeing him in so much pain.
read more here
http://fwix.com/share/38_94ea2c03bd

Police: Girl, 6, tied up, punished for taking food by relatives

Police: Girl, 6, tied up, punished for taking food
Girl was allegedly restrained in a bedroom for as long as a week

ROANOKE, Va. - Relatives of a 6-year-old girl in southwestern Virginia are accused of punishing her for taking food from the kitchen by repeatedly tying her up in a bedroom, surrounded by rubber snakes and spiders to scare her, police said Tuesday.

The girl's grandmother, aunt and uncle were in the Bristol, Va., jail on charges related to child abuse.

Bristol Police Sgt. Steve Crawford said there was evidence the girl was restrained in an apartment bedroom various times through July, including one week straight. He said police have reason to believe the practice had gone on longer than that.
read more here
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32374283/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/

Fort Benning Soldiers Death In Iraq

UPDATED
Fort Benning soldier dies in Kuwait
Spc. Walter dies of natural causes
By Lily Gordon - lgordon@ledger-enquirer.com

The Department of Defense announced Tuesday Fort Benning Spc. Richard A. Walters Jr. died in Kuwait.

Walters, 41, died in Ali Al Salem of natural causes, according to Lt. Col. Robert Mon of Fort Benning.

The Cleveland native was assigned to the 14th Combat Support Hospital, a unit consisting of approximately 300 soldiers that deployed to the Middle East in early July. The unit is to complete a yearlong rotation in Iraq.

Walters joined the 14th Combat Support Hospital in May 2009, said Fort Benning spokeswoman Elsie Jackson. He had a history of prior service, possibly in the Navy, she said.

Walters’ record shows he enlisted in the Army in September 2006 and that he served seven years of active duty in the military.

Walters was a licensed practicing nurse who spent time at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington before he was assigned to Fort Benning, Jackson said.

Walters’ awards include the Navy Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Southwest Asia Service Medal with Bronze Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
read more here
http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/news/story/804204.html

DoD Identifies Army Casualty


The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Richard A. Walters Jr., 41, of Cleveland, Ohio, died Aug. 10 in Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, of injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 14th Combat Support Hospital, Fort Benning, Ga.

The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.

http://icasualties.org/Iraq/index.aspx

South Windsor Police Officers Honored For Bravery, Leadership

South Windsor Police Officers Honored For Bravery, Leadership

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH

The Hartford Courant

August 11, 2009


SOUTH WINDSOR — - Officer Mark Cleverdon was new to the police force in September 2008 when he responded alone to a violent, bloody scene.

As Cleverdon pulled up at 174 Krawski Drive, he saw a young man in the front yard hit an older woman on the head with a baseball bat. The nearly naked man, later identified as Mark Schneider, continued hitting his mother, Sandy Schneider, after Cleverdon drew his pistol and ordered him to stop, police have said.

As Mark Schneider hesitated between blows, Cleverdon shot him with a Taser, subduing him enough to make the arrest, Commander Matthew Reed said Monday. Cleverdon "understood this was a deadly force situation, but when there was hesitation, he had the wherewithal to holster his weapon and use his Taser," Reed said.

"That's really what makes it remarkable — one, he was so new, and he applied his training perfectly," Reed said.
read more here
South Windsor Police Officers Honored For Bravery

Veteran finally receives his Bronze Star Medal for 1967 battle in Vietnam

Veteran finally receives his Bronze Star Medal for 1967 battle in Vietnam
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, August 9, 2009
BAMBERG, Germany — The package Alfred Pankey had waited more than 40 years for finally arrived.

The retired Army staff sergeant, now 69, hobbled into the post office on crutches anxiously looking for his long overdue Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for his acts of valor in a battle that claimed the lives of nine of his comrades.

“Yeah man, I was awarded this in Vietnam, but I never received the medal,” Pankey said, proudly holding his newest possession.

“I’ve been trying to get this award for the longest time.”

After retiring in Germany with his family in 1982, Pankey began the process of searching through his military records and contacting his hometown retirement center to see what happened to his award. He said he sent numerous letters and made tons of phone calls.
read more here
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=64077

Boeing to pay $2 million over whistleblower claims over Air Force Jets

Boeing to pay $2 million over whistleblower claims


By Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) - A $2 million payment will be made by The Boeing Co. to settle a whistleblower's claims of bogus billing records at a plant in San Antonio.

The settlement with the Justice Department involves maintenance of Air Force planes.
read more here
http://www.komonews.com/news/boeing/52960087.html

Veterans find peace with free acupuncture treatment

Veterans find peace with free acupuncture treatment
By Jackie Alexander, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Sunday, August 9, 2009
As Bob Linde deftly sticks five needles into Charlie Minnick's ear, Minnick lifts his chin and takes a deep breath. The needles pinch.

It's worse in one spot inside the top of his left ear. His mouth tenses with pain. It's the lungs' pressure point.

The 74-year-old military veteran had a pack-a-day smoking habit for 25 years.

Minnick doesn't believe in Tylenol. And he doesn't like shots. But for him, acupuncture works.
read more here
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article1025493.ece

Mark Priest, Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial, dies after performance fall

Disney performer dies days after performance fall

Willoughby Mariano and Jason Garcia

Sentinel Staff Writers

11:58 PM EDT, August 10, 2009


A performer at Walt Disney World and theater-community mainstay died Monday, four days after he was injured during a show at the Magic Kingdom.

Mark Priest, 47, fell Thursday while playing in "Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial," an interactive show in which actors lead guests through a series of pirate-skills tests, a Disney spokeswoman said.

Priest, who was in a mock sword fight, stumbled on a wet spot at the show's location, near Pirates of the Caribbean, and then banged into a wall, said friend Jeffrey Breslauer. His injuries included a broken vertebra in his neck and a cut that required 55 stitches to his scalp.

Priest was moved out of intensive care and appeared to be improving, but he experienced complications Monday and died at Florida Hospital Orlando, friends said. An official cause of death has not been determined.
read more here
Disney performer dies days after performance fall

Sad tale of John Yettaw, Missouri Vietnam Vet, and Nobel Prize Winner he wanted to save

Aug 11, 2009
Sad tale of John Yettaw


BANGKOK - JOHN Yettaw thought he was on a divine mission to save Aung San Suu Kyi when he swam to her lakeside house - but the troubled US military veteran instead left her at the mercy of Myanmar's junta.

The 54-year-old from Missouri was initially branded a 'fool' by lawyers for the detained Nobel Peace Prize winner after his bizarre adventure in May gave the military regime a ready-made excuse to keep her locked up.

Yet a picture eventually emerged of a somewhat tragic figure on a spiritual quest, a devout Mormon who sought redemption after his teenaged son was killed riding a motorcycle that Yettaw had bought for him as a present.
read more here
Sad tale of John Yettaw

What is CHAMPVA?

This is from the VA website. Keep it handy if your spouse is a disabled veteran. You should be getting what goes along with that and not do without what your spouse alredy paid for with his/her service.

Frequently Asked Questions
What is CHAMPVA?
CHAMPVA is a health benefits program in which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) shares the cost of certain health care services and supplies with eligible beneficiaries (see Eligibility Fact Sheet 01-3 for criteria for CHAMPVA coverage).

CHAMPVA is managed by the VA’s Health Administration Center (HAC) in Denver, Colorado. We process CHAMPVA applications, determine eligibility, authorize benefits, and process medical claims.

Who is eligible for CHAMPVA?
To be eligible for CHAMPVA, the beneficiary cannot be eligible for TRICARE. CHAMPVA provides coverage to the spouse or widow(er) and to the children of a veteran who:

is rated permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected disability, or

was rated permanently and totally disabled due to a service-connected condition at the time of death, or

died of a service-connected disability, or

died on active duty and the dependents are not otherwise eligible for DoD TRICARE benefits.

Effective October 1, 2001, CHAMPVA benefits were extended to age 65 and older. To be eligible, you must also meet the following conditions:

if the beneficiary was 65 or older prior to June 5, 2001, and was otherwise eligible for CHAMPVA, and was entitled to Medicare Part A coverage, then the beneficiary will be eligible for CHAMPVA without having to have Medicare Part B coverage.

if the beneficiary turned 65 before June 5, 2001, and has Medicare Parts A and B, the beneficiary must keep both Parts to be eligible.
if the beneficiary turn age 65 on or after June 5, 2001, the beneficiary must be enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B to be eligible.

How Can I Locate a Provider?
We do not maintain a provider listing. Most Medicare and TRICARE providers will also accept CHAMPVA (but be sure you ask the provider). If you are having difficulty finding a provider, we recommend you visit the Medicare website HTTP://WWW.MEDICARE.GOV and use the “Search Tools” at the bottom of that page to locate a Medicare provider. You may also visit the TRICARE website at (http://www.tricare.mil/STANDARDPROVIDER/) to locate a provider in your area. If you choose to see a provider who does not accept CHAMPVA, you will likely have to pay the entire bill and then submit a claim for reimbursement of our cost share. Remember that CHAMPVA cost shares are based on the CHAMPVA allowable amount.

What does CHAMPVA pay?
In most cases, CHAMPVA pays equivalent to Medicare/TRICARE rates. CHAMPVA has an outpatient deductible ($50 per person up to $100 per family per calendar year) and a cost share of 25% up to the catastrophic cap (up to $3,000 per calendar year). You should collect the 25% allowable cost share from the patient except when the patient has other health insurance.

If the patient has other health insurance, then CHAMPVA pays the lesser of either 75% of the allowable amount after $50 calendar year deductible is satisfied, or the remainder of the charges and the beneficiary will normally have no cost share. See Payment Methodology Fact Sheet 01-11 for further information regarding payment on other than outpatient type of services.

Can a beneficiary have other insurance and use CHAMPVA?
Yes. If the beneficiary has other health insurance (OHI), they should be billed first. The explanation of benefits (EOB) from the OHI should then be submitted with the claim for reimbursement to CHAMPVA. By law, CHAMPVA is always secondary payer except to Medicaid, State Victims of Crime Compensation Programs and supplemental CHAMPVA policies.

What is the impact of Medicare on CHAMPVA?
As a result of a Federal law passed June 5, 2001, CHAMPVA expanded benefit coverage to eligible family members and survivors of qualifying veteran sponsors effective October 1, 2001.

If the beneficiary is eligible for CHAMPVA and also has Medicare Part A entitlement (premium-free hospitalization coverage) and Medicare Part B (outpatient coverage) we will cover many of the costs not covered by Medicare. CHAMPVA will pay after Medicare and any other insurance, such as Medicare HMOs and Medicare supplemental plans, for health care services and supplies.

CHAMPVA does not pay Medicare Part B premiums.

How do I get more information?
Mail: VA Health Administration Center
CHAMPVA
PO Box 409028
Denver, CO 80206-9028

Phone: 1-800-733-8387
Monday - Friday

FAX: 1-303-331-7804

Inquiry Routing & Information System (IRIS). For specific guidance when using IRIS for your inquiry click here.

Website: www.va.gov/hac


What is the difference between CHAMPVA and TRICARE (formerly CHAMPUS)?
Although similar, CHAMPVA is completely separate with a totally different beneficiary population than TRICARE - a Department of Defense healthcare program formerly called CHAMPUS. While the benefits are similar, the programs are administered separately with significant differences in claim filing procedures and preauthorization requirements.

How can I obtain an application for CHAMPVA benefits?
There are a couple ways to obtain an Application for CHAMPVA Benefits (VA Form 10-10D):

Fillable Application
Call the Health Administration Center at 1-800-733-8387. When calling, select the Application Form option from the voice-mail menu. To help reduce the volume of telephone calls during business hours, please consider placing these calls during evening or weekend hours.

From the time an application is submitted, how long before I can expect a response from the Health Administration Center?
Generally, applicants can expect to receive written notification from the Health Administration Center within 45 days from mailing their application. To streamline the process, applicants are encouraged to complete the Application for CHAMPVA Benefits (VA Form 10-10D) in its entirety and to attach all required documents. As further explained on the application, required documents include a copy of each applicant's Medicare card (if Medicare eligible) and a school certification for all applicant children between the ages of 18 and 23.
CHAMPVA School Certifications (01-02)

Why is CHAMPVA the secondary payer when beneficiaries have other health insurance (OHI)?
Fact Sheet - CHAMPVA-OHI (01-23)
To answer this question, a look at CHAMPVA's origin and the congressional intent behind its legislation may help. From the start, CHAMPVA was intended to serve as a safety net in the event other coverage was not available - rather than being the primary carrier. While families with OHI are not disqualified from CHAMPVA benefits, CHAMPVA's safety net protection becomes available after the OHI has paid. This includes benefits available from the enrollment in a health maintenance organization (HMO), preferred provider organization (PPO), Medicare or other health insurance. Exceptions to CHAMPVA's secondary payer status are supplemental CHAMPVA policies, Medicaid, and State Victims Compensation Programs - CHAMPVA becomes the primary payer in these cases.

Are CHAMPVA benefits available to beneficiaries with other health insurance (OHI) coverage through a Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), who elect to receive HMO-covered services outside of the HMO network?
Just as beneficiaries with OHI cannot opt to waive those benefits to have CHAMPVA become the primary payer, beneficiaries enrolled in an HMO cannot elect to waive the HMO benefits without forfeiting their CHAMPVA benefits. CHAMPVA benefits, however, do apply to covered services that are not covered by the HMO.

Are healthcare services at VA facilities available to CHAMPVA beneficiaries?
Under the CHAMPVA Inhouse Treatment Initiative (CITI for short), CHAMPVA beneficiaries may receive cost-free healthcare services at participating VA facilities.

How can I find out if the local VA facility is participating in the CITI program?
Although some VA facilities are not CITI participants due to the volume of veterans they are responsible for serving, most are. To find out if your local facility is participating, click here. However, CHAMPVA beneficiaries who are also covered by MEDICARE cannot use a VA medical center because MEDICARE does not pay for services provided by a VA Medical Center.

What out-of-pocket expenses can a CHAMPVA beneficiary expect under CITI?
None - CHAMPVA beneficiaries don’t pay a thing when receiving services under the CITI program.

Isn’t it unfair that some VA facilities are offering CITI services, while others aren’t? Shouldn’t they all participate?

VA’s authority to offer inhouse services to CHAMPVA beneficiaries is conditional providing veteran access to care is not compromised. Unfortunately, some facilities are experiencing such a high veteran demand for services that participation in the CITI program is not possible.

How does my annual deductible and catastrophic cap work?
The annual outpatient deductible begins over again each Jan 1st and is $50.00 per person, no more than $100.00 per family. This deductible must be paid before CHAMPVA will pay 75% of the allowable amount. As claims are processed for covered services, charges are automatically credited to individual and cumulative family deductible requirements for each calendar year.

The catastrophic cap (cat cap) begins over again each Jan 1st and is $3000.00 per family per year. Each time we pay a bill, the deductible and cost share (out of pocket expenses) are calculated and credited to the cat cap. When the cat cap reaches 3000.00 for the family, CHAMPVA will then pay at 100% of our allowable amount for the rest of the calendar year.
go here for links and to find answers to your questions

http://www.va.gov/hac/forbeneficiaries/champva/faqs.asp

Don't like "socialized medicine"? Quit Medicare and the VA

Don't like "socialized medicine"? Quit Medicare and the VA
In answer to "Don't shove health reform down our throats" published 9:50 AM EDT, August 10, 2009:
Mae Stephens

Gary Odahara of Middle River, wrote "Don't shove health reform down our throats." In his letter he says: "I have served this country for more than 20 years in the U.S. Armed Forces and suffer from various ailments that occur in a person's life: hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and hypercholesterol."

This means he is a veteran and probably uses the Veterans Administration for his health care. If anyone is a vet and yet does not want health care reform for the citizens of our country, then I have a suggestion: Don't go to the VA for your own health care. Pay for everything yourself. The Veterans' Administration health care system is 100 percent socialized medicine! Taxpayers pay for the health care of ALL eligible veterans and their immediate families. So, if you are a veteran who does not like socialized medicine or health care reform, then quit using the VA!

Also, if you have parents using Medicare and you or they are against health care reform or "socialized medicine," you should send a letter to Medicare and state specifically that you want your parents to be dropped from the rolls and either you or they pay for everything. Medicare is governmental socialized comprehensive health care. Working taxpayers pay for this system. If you were to try to take Medicare away from Granny and Gramps, you would have a silver-haired uprising huge enough to cause earthquakes. The prevailing cry among the 65-plus set is "Don't mess with my Medicare!" Some of these folks think that health care reform means that somehow their Medicare is taken away from them. Who told them that lie?
read more here
Baltimore Sun

This really hits home for me. Aside from being married to a disabled veteran, so was my father. He was a Korean Veteran and 100% disabled. I have been surrounded by veterans all my life and know a thing or two about the VA.

First, no the VA is not perfect. There has been enough posts on this blog to prove that I know the problems very well. Considering the Congress and the President set the rules and the funding of the VA, this ends up being up to the people in charge. If the system is not working, it's our fault for electing them and not holding them accountable. This happened in the Bush Administration because we are very good at sending men and women off to war, but never seem to get involved when it comes to them coming home and needing us because they served. Readers of this blog are involved or you wouldn't bother reading a blog like this.

We have private health insurance to cover me and our daughter while she is still in college. CHAMPVA does not pay everything and since there is only a VA Clinic in the Orlando area, I couldn't enroll for care from the VA itself. So we have both types of insurance. The VA takes great care of my husband now that he has an approved claim but getting to that point was hell. My Dad had great care as well from the VA.

My Mom worked most of her life for a factory. My Dad passed away in 1987 at the age of 58. My Mom passed away in 2007 at the age of 85. She had CHAMPVA and Medicaid and AARP but even with that, when she was in assisted living, then in a nursing home, it cost her a fortune. We sold the house and most of the money she received from the sale of the house paid for her care. We were smart enough to put the house in all of our names after my Dad passed away just in case something happened to my Mom so that everything she worked for was not taken away.

For my in-laws, well it was not so great for them. My Father-in-law was a WWII veteran. He had a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He never went to the VA, never filed a claim, worked all his life in construction. He died in 1994 and my Mother-in-law died the next year. They had Medicaid and Blue Cross, which took care of my Father-in-law in hospice. We couldn't get help to bury my Father-in-law because he never had a claim with the VA. They had no property left, but he left a life insurance policy enough to bury him. When my Mother-in-law passed away, we had to pay the bulk of the cost because she didn't have enough life insurance. Because she didn't have any money, Medicaid took care of her at the nursing home. This is the way the system is supposed to work. To take care of people without their own resources.

It is not a matter of one deserving more than others or free hand outs. It's a matter of providing the best care for all according to their own resources. I've read enough of some of the lies coming out about healthcare reform and for starters the Medicaid cut is about cutting out wasteful spending.

I know my Mom was so tired of getting the same tests by different specialists and tired of giving blood for more tests when they were already done. I can't count how many times she was sent for an x-ray on the same body part. This is where the cuts will come from. They will make sure specialists are not able to pad the bill with tests being paid for over and over again.

Then there is the lie about the government deciding who gets care and who does not. That's the problem already with the insurance companies doing just that. First we have what happened to my husband when his VA claim was tied up and we had to pay out of pocket for his care at the VA. The insurance company told us they wouldn't cover mental healthcare for him after the VA doctor diagnosed it connected to Vietnam. Imagine how we felt having to pay at the same time we were paying premiums. We thought we were doing the responsible things but suffered for it.

Then there is my brother. He worked as a superintendent in construction. The first time he lost a job, he had to pay COBRA and worried constantly about being able to afford it while paying for the house and everything else he worked so hard to buy. He found another job and worried about pre-existing conditions with high blood pressure as well as other things, but the insurance covered it. Wonderful until he got laid off last year. He lost his job in October and again, the worry returned. The Thursday after he lost his job, he wasn't feeling well but was worried about going to the doctor because he had an interview the next day. He passed away that morning from a massive heart attack. He was only 56.

Young people just starting out after college, when their parent's healthcare will no longer cover them usually don't have any insurance at all. They just can't afford it. Right now while my daughter is in college, she's covered but a lot of her friends have no insurance at all. They don't go to the doctor. They go to the emergency room and their parents help them pay the bill.

But it's not just the young. Working people also suffer without insurance. My friend Jen didn't have health insurance. They just never could afford it. A couple of years ago, she went to the emergency room and found out she had cancer. She walked out of the hospital planning on not going back because she said there was no way she could pay to stay alive. She had to be talked into going back. She was not just afraid of dying. She was afraid she couldn't afford to live.

Since all the steps in healthcare have been part of my life, I know something has to be done to make sure no one is ever afraid of going to the doctors or being ruined financially or seeing everything they worked so hard for going to take care of their health. How many people lost their homes over this? How many lost jobs and had been turned down for healthcare? How many families saw their elderly parents see everything they worked hard for to leave to their families be taken away because of the cost of their last stage care? Do any of the people screaming in the town hall meetings ever think of their own families, parents and children? Have they ever been touched by any of this with the people in their own lives? Ever have a friend go through it?

What is going on right now is not right. Nothing is being taken away from anyone. If they have insurance already, great, they can keep it and they should count their blessings they have it, but they need to stop being so selfish they don't want everyone having access to coverage as well. I have to wonder if what they have to gain by being against steps taken to providing for others to stay alive and as healthy as possible? Again, getting back to the above editorial, we already have publicly funded healthcare being given to some. For what does not work, it's our obligation to make sure the people we elect do the right thing and make it work. If they fall short, we need to stay on top of them. Elections are not the end of our obligation to the way this country is run. It's up to us to pay attention to facts all the time and not believe some commercial or political hack opens their mouths to talk about what is made up hype.

Army study to investigate increase in military suicide rate

Army study to investigate increase in military suicide rate
News Segments Mon, 08/10/2009
The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health are developing extensive surveys and tests that will probe soldiers for mental illnesses and provide some clues on the increasing suicide rate.

The study will take five years to conduct and will include genetic and neuro-biological studies. To learn more about mental health in the army and the challenges faced by soldiers and veterans, FSRN contacted Doctor Judith Broder, the founder and director of The Soldiers Project.
go here to listen
Army study to investigate increase in military suicide rate

The Soldiers Project
What is the Soldiers Project?
We are a group of licensed mental health professionals who offer free psychological treatment to military service members (active duty, National Guard, Reserves and veterans) who have served or who expect to serve in OEF and/or OIF. We also provide treatment to members of their families and other loved ones. Treatment is conducted in our private offices. Our therapists are all volunteers and our services are entirely confidential. We do not report to any governmental agency.

The Soldiers Project is a component of the Ernest S. Lawrence Trauma Center of the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (LAISPS). We are a non-profit 501(c ) (3) organization as defined by the IRS. Contributions are fully tax-deductible.

Because of LAISPS' commitment to bringing psychoanalytic understanding to underserved groups within our community it established the Ernest S. Lawrence Trauma Center. The Center's projects are run by volunteer licensed clinicians who provide free psychoanalytically-informed psychological services to "at-risk" populations as well as educational presentations to the community.

"The Soldiers Project is an example of people around the nation who want to help these young men and women coming back, according to Congressman Bob Filner, Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs. 'If the VA is not doing its job, at least some people have stepped in to try and do it,' said Filner."
-- Truthout.org

24 riders rescued from California roller coaster

24 riders rescued from California roller coaster
Story Highlights
Invertigo ride at Santa Clara's Great America Theme Park stopped around 12:15 p.m.

Passengers stuck for hours before being rescued from ride; no injuries reported

Last riders removed around 5:45 p.m.; they were given water to cope with heat

Video shows firefighters lowering them into a basket at the top of a fire truck


By Nick Valencia
CNN

(CNN) -- A mechanical failure on a roller coaster at an amusement park in Santa Clara, California, on Monday afternoon left 24 people stranded for hours on the ride, some as high as 80 feet off the ground, authorities said.

"The ride was ascending to the highest point of the ride, actually where it begins, and then it just stopped," said Augie Wiedemann, deputy fire chief of the city. No injuries were reported.

The Invertigo ride at Great America Theme Park stopped about 12:15 p.m. (3:15 p.m. ET) and passengers were stuck for at least three hours, he said.

Video from CNN television affiliate KGO showed firefighters removing passengers from the ride's restraint system and lowering them into a basket atop a fire truck.
read more here
24 riders rescued from California roller coaster

British Captain gives account from Afghanistan few others ever hear

I never get tired of reading pieces like this. I get upset over them but I know its healing for them to write. Once in a while someone comes along with the soul of a poet pulling us in to what he's writing to the point where we cannot be a distant observer.

You can question the military campaign in Afghanistan, the same way most questioned it for Iraq. You can question the lack of care when they get back home and need help because of their wounds, physical ones as well as TBI and PTSD, question the lack of planning and supplies as well as the lack of change of plans that actually work. You can question all you want but what most of us agree on is the men and women with their lives on the line deserve a hell of a lot more attention than any nation has given them. Please read this and then say a prayer both occupations have peaceful solutions soon so they all go back to their homes and families and then pray we finally get our act together to take care of what they need us for.

One Young Captain Offers Brutally Honest Account Of Dealing With Life, And Death, In Afghanistan
The Independent

In the first ever unauthorised dispatch from an officer on the frontline, one young Captain offers a brutally honest account of life in Afghanistan, revealing the pain of losing comrades, the frustration at the lack of equipment, and the sense that the conflict seems unending and, at times, unwinnable.

The author's name has been withheld.

My motivation is simple. Writing this helps vent off some of the frustration at what is happening out here in Afghanistan to those serving in the British Army, where death and serious injury are sickeningly common occurrences.

Before coming here, I had done two tours in Iraq which saw fierce fighting against the enemy. But, sometimes out here I feel I might as well be on my first tour, as a novice second lieutenant instead of a so-called senior captain with over eight years experience in the Army, due to a shocking rate of attrition that I have never encountered before.

Commentators keep citing previous figures for casualty rates in the Falkland's conflict, as well as the years in Northern Ireland, suggesting that, spread over the time we have been in Afghanistan, the figures here are not that bad.

How reassuring. For a moment I thought the rates might be quite bad; but thank goodness I have been shown that what we are experiencing is in fact a tolerable "medium" number of casualties.

Can we really only analyse the death and injury rate, or view it as a cause for concern, once we get past a certain benchmark or once the average number outstrips a previous average? I had hoped that human progression was a bit more advanced than that, and that there might be more to the situation than a comparison of statistics.
read more here
One Young Captain Offers Brutally Honest Account

Ex-homeless woman leaves $150,000 to Hebrew University

Ex-homeless woman leaves $150,000 to Hebrew University
Story Highlights
Woman died two years ago; estate's executor asks that she remain anonymous

Holocaust survivor lived on New York streets until accountant befriended her

University spokesman: "This was a special story and a special gift"



(CNN) -- A Jewish Holocaust survivor who later lived on the streets of New York City has left half of her $300,000 estate to Hebrew University, the school said Monday.

"It moved us very much," university spokesman Yefet Ozery said in a telephone interview from Jerusalem, where the school is based.

"Hebrew University has many, many donors and benefactors and supporters and many people remember us in their will, but I haven't come across such a person that lived actually as a poor woman who would give half of her bequest to Hebrew University," Ozery said.

The woman, who died two years ago in her 90s, has not been identified publicly at the request of her estate's executor, he said.

"He didn't want her name to be remembered as a homeless" person, Ozery said.

The woman, who had no known relatives, survived a concentration camp and was living on the streets of New York's Upper West Side several years ago when a Jewish accountant befriended her, Ozery said.
read more here
Ex-homeless woman leaves $150,000 to Hebrew University

Eric Hall Memorial Ride raises money to help veterans

Eric Hall Memorial Ride raises money to help veterans

By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com

The sounds of motorcycles revving up filled the air surrounding Faith Lutheran Church, in Jeffersonville, Saturday as 75 bikes headed out onto Allison Lane as part of the Eric Hall Memorial Ride.

The second annual event is in memory of Hall, a Marine from Jeffersonville whose death last year was attributed to post-traumatic stress disorder. He was 24 when he disappeared in Florida while experiencing a war flashback. His body was found just outside of the town where he was staying.

His family decided after he passed that they would start a foundation in his honor to help other veterans get the help they need.

“I took on a huge undertaking, because if I make this much progress,” Becky Hall, Eric’s mom, said with her fingers an inch apart, “that’s OK. At least I did something. And that could help someone’s son, child, husband.”

People drove from all over to be a part of the ride, some even as far as Florida.

“In the military, we believe no man is forgotten and I’ll never forget Eric. I have a picture of Eric hanging in my house. This is something I have to do,” said Leonard Leary, a 65-year-old veteran from Florida who helped search for Eric.
read more here
Eric Hall Memorial Ride raises money to help veterans

Spokane VA Center Miscounted Suicides

CVA: VA Profoundly Underreporting Vet Suicides?


Spokane VA Center Miscounted Suicides
August 10, 2009
Spokesman-Review

The number of Spokane, Wash.-area veterans who killed themselves in a one-year period is far greater than the Spokane Veteran Affairs Medical Center knew at the time, a VA investigation has found.

The VA's Office of Medical Investigations discovered that from July 2007 through the first week of July 2008, at least 22 veterans in the Spokane VA service area killed themselves, and 15 of them had contact with the medical center.

Spokane VA had previously reported nine suicides and 34 attempted suicides in that time period. All of them had some contact with the medical center.

"The methods and sources routinely being utilized by the medical center to identify veterans who have committed suicide may be inadequate," a report by the VA medical inspectors said.

The suicides came amid heightened concern for the mental health of Soldiers and veterans nationally. In response, VA facilities have strengthened protocols for identifying patients at risk of suicide.

The inspectors' report was released late last week by the Veterans Health Administration to Spokane resident Steve Senescall, after a year spent trying to find out more about the death of his son, Lucas Senescall. The young man's body was found hanging in his Spokane home a few hours after he sought psychiatric help at the Spokane VA.

Although the report was completed on Feb. 4, Senescall did not receive it until late Thursday, hours after The Spokesman-Review called VA headquarters and the office of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray with inquiries about the father's efforts to obtain the information.

On July 7, 2008, Steve Senescall accompanied his son -- who had a history of mental illness, including a previous suicide attempt -- to the medical center's psychiatric ward, where Lucas was seen by Dr. William L. Brown.

Rather than admit Lucas, Senescall said, the psychiatrist had the veteran make an appointment for an office visit in two weeks.

"I want to know why, when he was rocking back and forth in his chair with his hands over his mouth to keep from crying, he sent him home," Senescall said.
Senescall's suicide was the 15th in a little more than 12 months by a veteran who had at least some contact with the Spokane medical center.

The discrepancy between the nine deaths reported earlier by the Spokane VA and the 22 noted in the medical investigators' report came as a result of the medical center comparing death records from the Spokane County medical examiner with records from all three branches of the VA -- the Veterans Health Administration, the Veteran Benefits Administration and the National Cemetery System.

The description of Veteran 2 matches the case of Richard Kinsey Young, a 35-year-old Navy veteran who killed himself in April 2008 after a 16-month struggle with back pain and depression.

The most common complaint was lower back pain, reported by 54 percent of the Soldiers, a previous Spokesman-Review investigation found. Two of the veterans who killed themselves were Iraq or Afghanistan veterans, including Spc. Timothy Juneman, a 25-year-old National Guardsman and former Stryker Brigade Soldier who was injured in a roadside explosion in Iraq.

Juneman hanged himself at his home in Pullman, where he was taking classes at Washington State University after being released from inpatient suicide watch at the Spokane VA in January 2008.

read more here

Spokane VA Center Miscounted Suicides

Wounded Times Two Years Old Today

I can't believe two years has come and gone already on this blog. Last month was a very good month for views.

Feedburner count

Friday, July 03 – Saturday, August 01
15,956 views

I really want to thank all the readers and subscribers for sticking with me. It's been a rough couple of years, constant struggles with God, wanting to blow my top too many times or wanting to just stay in bed knowing that each day bring more heartbreaking stories to read and post along with all the emails to get through. I also know that at some point in the day, there will be an incredible story to renew my faith in the human spirit, like the post I did on the Patriot Guard Riders taking a memorial flag after a Vietnam Veteran's funeral from California all the way to Florida and what happened on the way.

Between Screaming In An Empty Room and this blog, there are over 17,000 posts and there were even more on older blogs long gone. This isn't the kind of blog a casual reader wants to get into. Far too few posts offer "happy days" news. It's all about trauma, heartbreak, violence, suffering, the troops, veterans, families, police officers and firefighters. It's also about people making a difference and that's what I want to focus on right now. All of the above wanted to make a difference or they wouldn't have gone into the line of work they did. They make a difference in our lives everyday.

There are also quiet, simple heroes making a difference like the group of men in Washington DC rushing to pull people out of cars after a bad accident or the off duty firefighters pulling people out of a burning car along with other witnesses risking their own lives to help. These are the people I do this for as well, but to tell you the truth, they end up helping me because I am able to read their stories and know that no matter how bad things seem, how lonely this world and work can be, there are true heroes walking around this nation side by side with the rest of us, asking nothing in return when they go above and beyond to help total strangers.

Local news stations and papers will report on what goes on in that one area of the country, but people in the rest of the country wouldn't have a clue and I believe acts of human kindness need to be publicized as much as possible to inspire others. I believe it's also true that when we have someone suffering in Seattle Washington and someone else suffering in Miami Florida, it offers a lot of comfort to know there is someone with the same kind of pain they can relate to and perhaps even find comfort in that.

Doing this blog is one of the hardest things I've done in my life but I wouldn't trade a day of it, even though I do a lot of complaining in the process, the truth is, they all mean more to me than just a post on a blog. I can't be detached from any of it. The good thing is that I can't be detached from the good posts about what average people manage to do either. That's a good thing and I shed good tears over them.

The most amazing people though to me have to be the families finally talking about PTSD and what their loved one goes through. They are understanding there is nothing to be ashamed of and no reason to hide any of it. It's because of their courage to speak the truth that things are happening a lot faster than during the time when PTSD was America's best kept secret. Because of them a lot of lives have been saved.

Thank you again for reading this blog and being a subscriber. You prove that people care everyday and I know you could be reading entertaining blogs instead, so I am very grateful to all of you. I couldn't do this without your support and your time.

Love
Chaplain Kathie

Teen who converted to Christianity, fearing for her life, ordered to DCF custody

Teen who converted to Christianity, fearing for her life, ordered to DCF custody

Amy L. Edwards

Sentinel Staff Writer

5:12 PM EDT, August 10, 2009


An Ohio teen runaway, fearing for her life after her Muslim family learned about her conversion to Christianity, was ordered to state custody this afternoon in Orlando.

The girl, who turned 17 today, had been staying with Blake and Beverly Lorenz, pastors of Global Revolution Church in Orlando.

The girl met the Orlando family through a prayer group on Facebook. The Orlando Sentinel has not named the girl because of her age.

Earlier today, Beverly Lorenz told the Sentinel the teen hitchhiked to a Greyhound station in Ohio, where she took a bus to Orlando.

The girl borrowed someone's phone and called Lorenz, whom she had only spoken with one other time on the telephone.

The girl asked Lorenz if she could come to her house. Even though the girl was essentially a stranger, Lorenz said it was OK.

The teen, who is not a U.S. citizen, told Lorenz she was fearful of her family -- scared they would hurt or kill her, or send her to native Sri Lanka.
read more here
Teen who converted to Christianity