Live music at Fresno's VA hospital makes a big difference
Musicians in the hospital waiting room were meant to provide simple distraction, but doctors noticed improvement in many patients, especially those with PTSD or traumatic brain injury.
By Diana Marcum, Los Angeles Times
January 16, 2012
Reporting from Fresno— The hospital was built in the years after World War II. Its ceilings are low, corridors long and corners sharp — all possible stress triggers for those who have been in combat.
Not to mention that a hospital waiting room can make anyone edgy.
But the Veterans Affairs hospital in Fresno has found a way to make the experience easier: live music.
A musician playing amid the hustle and bustle is familiar to anyone who has ever sat at a cafe with entertainment or taken the subway. But this has proved to be more. The hospital set out to provide simple distraction, but soon doctors noticed a marked improvement in many of their patients, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Hani Khouzam, a psychiatrist who treats both disorders, said patients have been arriving for appointments so notably calmer that it takes him longer to make a diagnosis — something he welcomes.
"You have to understand what it means for a combat veteran to be agitated in the waiting room.
Their pupils are dilated. They are angry or waiting for something to happen," he said. "But when we have live music that day, they come to me far more relaxed. It's like an amazing miracle, and I don't say that lightly."
On a recent day in a busy main reception area, grandfathers waited for blood work and a young veteran was whisked through on a gurney, face-down and in restraints — possibly headed for a locked psychiatric unit. Jon Sharp, a classical guitarist, played Francisco Tarrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra," which begins in wistful melancholy and builds to an uplifting melody.
George Flores, head of the hospital's police force and himself an Iraq War veteran, paused to listen.
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Monday, January 16, 2012
Fort Bragg soldier faces multiple charges after shootout with Fayetteville police
Fort Bragg soldier faces multiple charges after shootout with Fayetteville police
Jan 16, 2012
By Paul Woolverton
Staff writer
Kimberly Brown was relaxing in her west Fayetteville apartment with some television Friday night when she smelled smoke and saw firetrucks come through the gate into the complex's parking lot.
In the next 30 minutes, she heard pounding footsteps, men banging on doors, water spraying the outside of her apartment building and gunfire.
Brown's upstairs neighbor, Fort Bragg Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Paul Eisenhauer, was involved in a shootout and standoff with police. He ended up critically injured and charged with 30 felonies, including 15 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries. One was treated at the scene, the other at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, police said.
And Brown spent the night in a Fayetteville fire station.
The incident started about 10 p.m. Friday when someone reported a fire at Austin Creek Apartments on Capeharbor Court, which is off 71st School Road between Raeford Road and Cliffdale Road, the Police Department said.
Brown said firefighters knocked on residents' doors, asking if they had a fire in their units.
She saw two go up to the third floor, she said, and then heard them talking to Eisenhauer, asking him to open the door.
He refused, Brown said.
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Fort Bragg Soldier in Fayetteville shootout
Jan 16, 2012
By Paul Woolverton
Staff writer
Kimberly Brown was relaxing in her west Fayetteville apartment with some television Friday night when she smelled smoke and saw firetrucks come through the gate into the complex's parking lot.
In the next 30 minutes, she heard pounding footsteps, men banging on doors, water spraying the outside of her apartment building and gunfire.
Brown's upstairs neighbor, Fort Bragg Army Staff Sgt. Joshua Paul Eisenhauer, was involved in a shootout and standoff with police. He ended up critically injured and charged with 30 felonies, including 15 counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Two police officers suffered minor injuries. One was treated at the scene, the other at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, police said.
And Brown spent the night in a Fayetteville fire station.
The incident started about 10 p.m. Friday when someone reported a fire at Austin Creek Apartments on Capeharbor Court, which is off 71st School Road between Raeford Road and Cliffdale Road, the Police Department said.
Brown said firefighters knocked on residents' doors, asking if they had a fire in their units.
She saw two go up to the third floor, she said, and then heard them talking to Eisenhauer, asking him to open the door.
He refused, Brown said.
read more here
Fort Bragg Soldier in Fayetteville shootout
Syracuse VA helps vets battle hidden wounds of war
VA helps vets battle hidden wounds of war
Published: Monday, January 16, 2012,
By James T. Mulder / The Post-Standard
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Chip Crawford of Baldwinsville estimates that for every military veteran like himself who has been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, there are five others who need the same help but are not getting it.
“They’re just living with the pain, trying to go about living in the world, even though you don’t fit in,” said Crawford, 50, who served with the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1980s in Grenada and Lebanon.
Crawford shared his story at the Syracuse VA Medical Center earlier this week at Recovery Day, a program designed to encourage veterans who need help with PTSD and other mental health issues to come to the VA. Other veterans, family members and VA officials joined Crawford.
“The nightmares never end but the treatment you get helps you deal with them,” Crawford said.
The Syracuse VA provides mental health services to more than 7,000 patients annually and expects those numbers to grow as more soldiers return from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Published: Monday, January 16, 2012,
By James T. Mulder / The Post-Standard
Dick Blume/The Post Standard
Military veteran Chip Crawford of Baldwinsville says the VA has helped him cope with post traumatic stress disorder
Syracuse, N.Y. -- Chip Crawford of Baldwinsville estimates that for every military veteran like himself who has been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, there are five others who need the same help but are not getting it.
“They’re just living with the pain, trying to go about living in the world, even though you don’t fit in,” said Crawford, 50, who served with the U.S. Coast Guard in the early 1980s in Grenada and Lebanon.
Crawford shared his story at the Syracuse VA Medical Center earlier this week at Recovery Day, a program designed to encourage veterans who need help with PTSD and other mental health issues to come to the VA. Other veterans, family members and VA officials joined Crawford.
“The nightmares never end but the treatment you get helps you deal with them,” Crawford said.
The Syracuse VA provides mental health services to more than 7,000 patients annually and expects those numbers to grow as more soldiers return from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here
Error spurred false alarm at Tucson base
Officials: Error spurred false alarm at Tucson base
by Dennis Wagner on Jan. 15, 2012, under Arizona Republic News
The false report of a hostage incident that shut down Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson four months ago was the result of a misunderstanding rather than a hoax, a base spokesman says.
During the Sept. 16 incident, which began about 9 a.m., SWAT teams were deployed from as far away as Phoenix. Base personnel were put in lockdown or evacuated for most of the day. Military flights were disrupted. Major streets were closed. Frightened parents were unable to pick up children from base schools.
Finally, the base commander, Col. John Cherrey, announced without explanation that the threat was over and no gunman or weapon had been found.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Air Force provided partial records to The Arizona Republic that shed some light on the incident. Those documents do not explain who first reported the threat or how the error occurred.
In an interview, Capt. Jonathan Simmons said, “We don’t believe it was a hoax. We believe it was a mistake. And, if someone thinks they see a gunman on base, they should report it.”
E-mails among Air Force officials sent during the six-hour episode indicate fears of a tragedy similar to the November 2009 rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, where a U.S. Army psychiatrist is accused of killing 13 and wounding dozens.
“Planning for worst case mass casualties,” advised an 11:24 a.m. message from the base vice commander.
read more here
by Dennis Wagner on Jan. 15, 2012, under Arizona Republic News
The false report of a hostage incident that shut down Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson four months ago was the result of a misunderstanding rather than a hoax, a base spokesman says.
During the Sept. 16 incident, which began about 9 a.m., SWAT teams were deployed from as far away as Phoenix. Base personnel were put in lockdown or evacuated for most of the day. Military flights were disrupted. Major streets were closed. Frightened parents were unable to pick up children from base schools.
Finally, the base commander, Col. John Cherrey, announced without explanation that the threat was over and no gunman or weapon had been found.
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request, the Air Force provided partial records to The Arizona Republic that shed some light on the incident. Those documents do not explain who first reported the threat or how the error occurred.
In an interview, Capt. Jonathan Simmons said, “We don’t believe it was a hoax. We believe it was a mistake. And, if someone thinks they see a gunman on base, they should report it.”
E-mails among Air Force officials sent during the six-hour episode indicate fears of a tragedy similar to the November 2009 rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, where a U.S. Army psychiatrist is accused of killing 13 and wounding dozens.
“Planning for worst case mass casualties,” advised an 11:24 a.m. message from the base vice commander.
read more here
"The Senator" 3,500 year old tree falls due to fire
UPDATE-Woman charged with burning 'The Senator' says she did it 'to use illegal drugs'
UPDATE
Investigator: Fire that destroyed 'The Senator' was not arson
Investigator has not determined the cause of the fire
read more here
UPDATE
Investigator: Fire that destroyed 'The Senator' was not arson
Investigator has not determined the cause of the fire
read more here
(Off topic)
This is one of the first sites we saw when we first moved to Florida. The massive tree was stunning. Looking at news footage, it is the only tree burning in the forest and looks like someone must have done this despicable act.
Tree Known As The Senator Falls Due To Fire
3,500-Year-Old Tree Oldest Of Its Kind
LONGWOOD, Fla. -- A fire that was burning on the inside of a historic tree known as The Senator has caused it to topple.
The fire was burning on the inside and on top of the 125-foot tall tree. The fire weakened it so much that it collapsed a little after 8 a.m. Monday.
The tree is located in Big Tree Park in Longwood.
The Pond Bald Cypress is the oldest tree of its kind in the world. It is estimated at 3,500-years-old.
read more here
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