Army is reviewing Madigan's reversal of PTSD diagnoses
The Army plans to review a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatric team that reversed the PTSD diagnoses of more than a dozen soldiers, potentially weakening their case to receive a medical retirement.
By Hal Bernton
Seattle Times staff reporter
The Army is reviewing the actions of a Madigan Army Medical Center psychiatric team that reversed the diagnoses of more than a dozen soldiers previously found to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
All these soldiers have been under consideration for medical retirement, which offers considerably more financial benefits than alternative forms of discharge.
Some have complained that doctors at the hospital, south of Tacoma on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, unfairly stripped them of the PTSD diagnoses, which would help qualify them for a medical retirement, and instead tagged them as malingerers.
In an unusual intervention, the office of the Army Surgeon General has arranged for the soldiers to fly to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where they are scheduled to be examined by another team of Army doctors.
Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., confirmed details of the review to The Seattle Times.
read more here
Friday, January 27, 2012
Salt Lake Veterans Affairs enlists vets for huge medical research project
Salt Lake Veterans Affairs enlists vets for huge medical research project
BY KRISTEN MOULTON
The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Jan 26 2012
Becky Kemp Carpenter’s dad, a Vietnam War veteran, died two years ago of ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. So when she heard about the Million Veteran Program to help medical research, she — a third-generation veteran — didn’t hesitate to sign up.
"I come from a strong history of service," said Carpenter, who was one of 35 veterans enrolled Thursday during the program’s formal kickoff at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"By doing a simple blood test and answering questions, we can help not just future vets but people who are around now," said Carpenter, a West Valley City resident who served in the Air Force in the 1990s. "There is so much more we can continue to do to serve our country."
Begun last year in Boston, the Million Veteran Program has so far enlisted more than 20,000 veterans to donate their DNA and release their VA medical records to researchers. The VA in Salt Lake City is one of 40 hospitals participating so far and has enrolled more than 300 veterans since fall; the program hopes to have 50 participating hospitals by summer.
read more here
BY KRISTEN MOULTON
The Salt Lake Tribune
6 million vets get ongoing care through VA, and a national program aims to get 1 million to help create a huge database of continually updated records.
First published Jan 26 2012
Becky Kemp Carpenter’s dad, a Vietnam War veteran, died two years ago of ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. So when she heard about the Million Veteran Program to help medical research, she — a third-generation veteran — didn’t hesitate to sign up.
"I come from a strong history of service," said Carpenter, who was one of 35 veterans enrolled Thursday during the program’s formal kickoff at the George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
"By doing a simple blood test and answering questions, we can help not just future vets but people who are around now," said Carpenter, a West Valley City resident who served in the Air Force in the 1990s. "There is so much more we can continue to do to serve our country."
Begun last year in Boston, the Million Veteran Program has so far enlisted more than 20,000 veterans to donate their DNA and release their VA medical records to researchers. The VA in Salt Lake City is one of 40 hospitals participating so far and has enrolled more than 300 veterans since fall; the program hopes to have 50 participating hospitals by summer.
read more here
2nd Fort Bliss Soldier Dies After Shooting Outside Central Nightclub
BREAKING: 2nd Soldier Dies After Shooting Outside Central Nightclub
POSTED: 3:38 pm MST January 26, 2012
EL PASO, Texas -- A Fort Bliss soldier who was shot in the head outside a Central El Paso nightclub has died from his injures, police said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 2:09 a.m. Jan. 15 outside Fussion Nightclub at 4304 Dyer Street.
Preston Brown died at University Medical Center on Monday. Damien Bailey died the night of the shooting. The third victim, Tyrone Head was shot in the upper chest and transported to William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He was released after he received medical treatment. All three soldiers were 21years old.
read more here
Suspect held in shooting death of Fort Bliss soldier
POSTED: 3:38 pm MST January 26, 2012
EL PASO, Texas -- A Fort Bliss soldier who was shot in the head outside a Central El Paso nightclub has died from his injures, police said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 2:09 a.m. Jan. 15 outside Fussion Nightclub at 4304 Dyer Street.
Preston Brown died at University Medical Center on Monday. Damien Bailey died the night of the shooting. The third victim, Tyrone Head was shot in the upper chest and transported to William Beaumont Army Medical Center. He was released after he received medical treatment. All three soldiers were 21years old.
read more here
Suspect held in shooting death of Fort Bliss soldier
Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier allegedly fired at neighbor's home
JBLM soldier allegedly fired at romantic rival's neighbor's home
JEREMY PAWLOSKI
Staff writer
Published January 27, 2012
Tenino police arrested a solider at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for allegedly shooting up a Rainier home on New Year’s Day to get revenge for an affair.
Police think Eric David Kollar meant to target a romantic rival’s home but instead fired eight shots from a .45-caliber Glock into a home adjacent to where the man lived. The man had an affair with Kollar’s wife while Kollar was in Iraq, police said.
Kollar, 25, was most recently assigned to group support for the 1st Special Forces Group and has served at least one tour in Iraq, court papers state. He was arrested without incident Wednesday on suspicion of one count of drive-by shooting.
read more here
JEREMY PAWLOSKI
Staff writer
Published January 27, 2012
Tenino police arrested a solider at Joint Base Lewis-McChord for allegedly shooting up a Rainier home on New Year’s Day to get revenge for an affair.
Police think Eric David Kollar meant to target a romantic rival’s home but instead fired eight shots from a .45-caliber Glock into a home adjacent to where the man lived. The man had an affair with Kollar’s wife while Kollar was in Iraq, police said.
Kollar, 25, was most recently assigned to group support for the 1st Special Forces Group and has served at least one tour in Iraq, court papers state. He was arrested without incident Wednesday on suspicion of one count of drive-by shooting.
read more here
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Naval Hospital becomes training ground for program improvement
Naval Hospital becomes training ground for program improvement
January 25, 2012 10:40 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
In October 2010, Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital was the worst in the Navy at returning findings for service members sidelined by wounds, injury or illness in a timely manner. A little more than a year later, officials from distant Marine Corps bases and even other services pay visits to the hospital to learn how to improve their own programs.
All it took, Lt. j.g. Lisa Cook said, was a number of sleepless nights and a different way of seeing things.
The process for wounded, ill, or injured troops deemed potentially unfit for further service is supposed to take a Congress-mandated 295 days from injury to military separation or re-joining a unit. The Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, like other Navy medical centers, is responsible for 100 of those days: the time it takes to complete a service member’s physical exam and complete medical records and findings so that the service member can continue to receive a VA rating and transition to civilian life or begin re-integration into full-time service. And with the high rate of deployment of Camp Lejeune troops, the Naval Hospital processed 1,200 of these medical boards last year, more than any other naval medical center, including larger centers such as Camp Pendleton and Portsmouth.
Cook, the department head for Patient Administration, arrived at her post a year ago to find a staggering mess. In the office were 989 patient files, each representing a Marine or sailor waiting idle on base while his or her findings were completed. The oldest file was dated 2008.
“They’re in limbo; they don’t know if they can move on with their life, or they’re just sitting around,” Cook said. “You don’t know. ‘Do we move my spouse back home while I wait for my findings; do I not?’ We had members being told ‘This process is going to take 295 days and you’re going to be out,’ and they moved their spouse away so they could just sit here and relax and get better, but a year and a half later, they still have no findings.”
read more here
January 25, 2012 10:40 AM
HOPE HODGE - DAILY NEWS STAFF
In October 2010, Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital was the worst in the Navy at returning findings for service members sidelined by wounds, injury or illness in a timely manner. A little more than a year later, officials from distant Marine Corps bases and even other services pay visits to the hospital to learn how to improve their own programs.
All it took, Lt. j.g. Lisa Cook said, was a number of sleepless nights and a different way of seeing things.
The process for wounded, ill, or injured troops deemed potentially unfit for further service is supposed to take a Congress-mandated 295 days from injury to military separation or re-joining a unit. The Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital, like other Navy medical centers, is responsible for 100 of those days: the time it takes to complete a service member’s physical exam and complete medical records and findings so that the service member can continue to receive a VA rating and transition to civilian life or begin re-integration into full-time service. And with the high rate of deployment of Camp Lejeune troops, the Naval Hospital processed 1,200 of these medical boards last year, more than any other naval medical center, including larger centers such as Camp Pendleton and Portsmouth.
Cook, the department head for Patient Administration, arrived at her post a year ago to find a staggering mess. In the office were 989 patient files, each representing a Marine or sailor waiting idle on base while his or her findings were completed. The oldest file was dated 2008.
“They’re in limbo; they don’t know if they can move on with their life, or they’re just sitting around,” Cook said. “You don’t know. ‘Do we move my spouse back home while I wait for my findings; do I not?’ We had members being told ‘This process is going to take 295 days and you’re going to be out,’ and they moved their spouse away so they could just sit here and relax and get better, but a year and a half later, they still have no findings.”
read more here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)