First One VA ConferenceFirst One VA ConferenceFirst One VA ConferenceFirst One VA ConferenceFirst One VA ConferenceMore than 500 employeesparticipate in Phoenix — page 8

VAnguard

Inside: Saratoga National Cemetery, 4 ✩ Cancer Center, 5 ✩ Wheelchair Games, 7

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

AUGUST 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

❏ New Cemetery 4Saratoga National Cemetery dedicated

❏ Y2K Test 4Fourth of July compliance test a success

❏ Cancer Center 5Research Center dedicated in Portland

❏ VA Partnership Council 6Fifth anniversary of partnership in VA

❏ Wheelchair Games 7600 athletes participate in Puerto Rico

❏ One VA Conference 8First regional conference held in Phoenix

❏ Mentoring Program 10Employees get closer look at a top job

CCCCCOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNSOLUMNS

11111On The Cover:Laura Warfield, program

manager, VHA Office of SpecialProjects (left), explains to PennyJones, chief of rating activity atthe Reno, Nev., Veterans ServiceCenter, how to use programs ofthe Virtual Learning Center. TheCenter allows computer users toreceive information on topics ofinterest from others who haveshared their practices.

13-16

James Magiera

VAnguard VA’s Employee Magazine

August 1999 Vol. XLV, No. 7

Printed on 50% recycled paper

INTRODUCINGAlthough James Magiera never

quite thought of himself as a hero,that is exactly what he is to veteransat the VA medical center in Bedford,Mass.

On Memorial Day weekend,while most Americans were headingoff to the beach or busy with back-yard barbecues, Magiera ran 200miles to highlight the need forvolunteers at VA medical centers. “Iwanted to give some recognition tothe VA hospitals and our veterans,”he explained.

A Vietnam veteran and avidrunner, Magiera has been working asa horticul-turist at theBedford VAMedicalCenter forthe past 30years.Recently,Magierabecameconcernedabout the lackof youthvolunteers athis medicalcenter. “Veter-ans, some ofwhom have nofamily, reallyvalue a visit fromyounger generations,” he said.

Many of the visitors to the VAmedical center are members ofveterans groups, which are typicallymade up of older people. As theveterans groups get smaller andsmaller, Magiera wonders, “who willtake their place?” To raise awarenessabout the lack of younger volunteers,Magiera decided that if he ran 200miles, then maybe he could motivatethe younger generations to volunteer200 hours.

Averaging 50 miles a day,Magiera ran through Lexington,Boston, Pembroke, and finallyreached his summer home inBrewster, Mass., after four gruelingdays. Although his feet were swollen

with blisters and covered in blood,the first thing Magiera wanted to doafter completing his run was to callthe medical center in Bedford to leteveryone know he had made it.“They were all thrilled,” he said. “Icould hear them yelling in thebackground. They knew I wouldn’tlet them down.”

With the temperature reachingwell over 90 degrees during theMemorial Day weekend, Magierasaid the heat was the most challeng-ing aspect of his run.

To keep his energy level upduring the run, hemunched on trailmix and drankwater from a five-pound pack. Hiswife, Susan, methim each after-noon along theroute and tookhim to a hotel toeat and rest.And althoughhe had man-aged to resistjunk food formore than ayear beforethe run, hecelebrated

the end of hislong, hot journey with a cool treat —ice cream.

When asked whether or not hewould do it all over again, Magieraproudly said he would push hisbody to the limit again if peoplewould be willing to give up a little oftheir time for volunteering. Whetherplaying cards, reading a book, orsimply sharing a conversation, hesaid, volunteers at VA medicalcenters let veterans know thatsomeone truly cares.

James Magiera truly cares, and tothe veterans at the Bedford VAMedical Center and to VA employeesacross the country, he truly is ahero. ❑

By Matt Bristol

August 1999 3

OutlookHershel W. GoberDeputy Secretaryof Veterans Affairs

First Conference Sets Stagefor Making One VA a Reality

Balloon sales were among the fund-raising effortslaunched by employees of the Oklahoma City VAMC tohelp co-workers who were victims of the most intensetornado in U.S. history as it swept through parts ofcentral Oklahoma in May. Through the generosity ofOklahoma City VAMC employees and many others, theVAMC collected $15,000 for tornado victims. Of the 52employees who sustained damage to their homes, cars orpersonal belongings, 24 applied for and received financialassistance. Oklahoma City VAMC employees extendthanks to their colleagues at VAMCs nationwide whocontributed money, as well as food, clothing andsupplies, to this worthy cause.

As weapproach oursecond One VAconference inAtlanta, I wantto thank all whoparticipated inJuly’s Phoenixconference.Their enthusi-asm and hardwork boosted

the One VA process with a momen-tum that will carry through theremaining three conferences and onto success in transforming VA into aseamless veteran-focused organiza-tion.

In Phoenix, I sat at several tablesof employees from all VA servicesand heard serious and thoughtfulconcerns. I heard front-line peopletelling it as it is. Then it wasmanagement’s turn — the moment ofcommitment.

At the end of the conference, theleadership of each of VA’s adminis-trations faced VA employees andvoiced their commitment to One VA.I joined those leaders in discussingthe conference recommendations formoving One VA forward. And then Imade some commitments basedupon those recommendations —

commitments backed by VA’s topleadership.

I’ve charged the VA LearningUniversity (VALU) to develop anddistribute by January 1 a One VAemployee orientation program foruse at all our facilities. It will provideour employees with a better under-standing of all elements of VA withstrong focus on serving veterans.

I have directed that the One VAlearning maps used by conferenceparticipants be made available to allfacilities. I want conference partici-pants to make them part of a totalemployee learning experience attheir facilities.

I also committed VALU todevelopment of a learning maptargeted toward veterans to enhancetheir awareness of their own poten-tial entitlement to benefits andservices VA provides.

I have directed that an informa-tion guide be prepared that will aidVA employees in helping veteransand their families reach the rightsource for information they areseeking. The guide will be availableon the VA Intranet and will have thecapability of directing the veteran tothe nearest VA facility that providesthe service required.

These are specific commitments

to implement ideas generated byrank-and-file VA employees whobelieve we can become One VA.

The last night in Phoenix, wespent time looking at a list of OneVA issues the conferees believed hadto be addressed at the national level.Foremost among them was the issueof information technology and theneed for access to the kinds ofinformation those in the front linesneed to get the job done.

I have directed the Acting Assis-tant Secretary for Information andTechnology to work with othermembers of the Department’s ChiefInformation Officers Council todetermine what it will take to makethis kind of integrated informationsystem a reality. I am asking thatthey get back to me in Novemberwith a report that includes mile-stones and estimated costs to achievethis One VA goal.

Phoenix turned the concept ofOne VA into a process, and thatprocess will grow into reality witheach succeeding conference. We arelaying the foundation — a One VAfoundation that will support anorganization of dedicated VAemployees empowered to providethe best service possible to veteranswell into the 21st century. ❑

4 VAnguard

A s F-16 fighter jetsflew overhead andbagpipes and drumsplayed on the

ground below, SaratogaNational Cemetery, VA’s116th national cemeteryand the sixth in New York,was dedicated July 9before a crowd of about2,000 people who braved asteady early-morningdrizzle to attend theceremony.

Secretary of VeteransAffairs Togo D. West, Jr.,presided over the cer-emony, which was alsoattended by numerousnational, state and localdignitaries, including NewYork Governor GeorgePataki and former Con-gressman Gerald Solomon, who wasinstrumental in securing funding forthe $11 million cemetery.

“Great nations care about thosewho defend them,” Secretary Westsaid in his keynote address. “It is themighty heart of America’s veteransthat brings us here today…and givesus hope.

“Veterans in this area can beconfident that this cemetery will

meet their needs for the next 100years,” he added.

Located approximately 30 milesnorth of Albany, the 373-acre cem-etery will serve the more than225,000 veterans living in theSaratoga area. The cemetery liesalong the Champlain Canal Trail,famous as a significant military routeof Native Americans during pre-colonial times and the colonists

New National Cemetery Dedicated in New Yorkduring the French andIndian War and the Ameri-can Revolution. The 60-acre first phase ofthe cemetery is now openfor burials, and has spacefor 5,000 grave sites, 2,000lawn crypts, 1,500 vaultsfor cremated remains and700 garden niches forcremated remains. Eventu-ally, the cemetery willinclude 175,000 burial sites.A computerized gravelocator will be open 24hours a day in thecemetery’s informationcenter to help visitors locatethe grave sites of theirloved ones. Cemetery Director MaryAnn Fisher and her staffexpect to handle an average

of eight to 15 burials each day, andabout 40,000 visitors are expectedduring the first year of operations.

Saratoga National Cemetery isthe first of four new national cem-eteries VA will open this year. Theothers are Abraham Lincoln NationalCemetery near Chicago; Dallas-FortWorth National Cemetery; and theOhio Western Reserve NationalCemetery near Cleveland. ❑

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D. West, Jr. shakes hands withActing Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Roger Rapp as (fromleft) New York Governor George Pataki, Saratoga National CemeteryDirector Mary Ann Fisher, and Jim Wilson, chairman of the SaratogaNational Cemetery Veterans Support Committee, look on.

Fourth of July Y2K Compliance Test a Success

(continued on page 12)

T here were no sub-freezingtemperatures, no teeth-chattering blustery winds, nosnow drifts, and certainly no

holiday decorations adorning theshop windows or streets of Chicago.

Yet for a three-day period overthe Independence Day holiday, itwas “December in July” when VAmoved the computer clocks forwardto January 2000 to test the Y2Kcompliance of the veterans benefitsdelivery system.

The Benefits Delivery System atthe VA Data Automation Center inHines, Ill., west of downtown Chi-cago, served as “command central”as a total of 127 employees from VAfacilities around the country went towork inputting data, accessingveterans’ files, and updating records.

Sally Wallace, the VeteransBenefits Administration (VBA)’s Y2Kcoordinator at VA Central Office,

said that the test, officially called aBusiness Process Simulation (BPS),included VBA adjudicators andfinance personnel from Chicago, St.Louis, St. Paul, Philadelphia and BayPines, Fla. They entered routinetransactions that tested the criticalsystems for VBA’s business lines andlinks between those systems in aY2K-compliant environment.

This final Y2K test covered all VAbusiness functions: compensationand pension (C&P), education,vocational rehabilitation and coun-seling (VR&C), insurance paymentsand the VA hospital veterans inquirysystem (HINQ) which links VAmedical centers to VBA databases.Computer dates were rolled ahead tothe year 2000 at the Hines andPhiladelphia Benefits DeliveryCenters, Austin Systems Develop-ment Center and St. Paul DebtManagement Center, and the com-

puters were put to work processingbenefits.

“We were going to ‘pretend’ thatit was January 2000. However, youcan’t use your current data because itis not retrievable if it is January2000,” Wallace explained. “You haveto age your data and prepare the filesfor access.” In many cases, Wallacesaid, dedicated communications lineshad to be established specifically forthe test.

She said planning for such asimulation is just as important —and intense — as the test itself. “Ittook us over a year of planning toorchestrate the project,” she said.Initial planning began back in 1998,when the 1999 Independence Dayholiday weekend was agreed uponas the best date. All of the neededresources during the three-dayholiday were available, without

August 1999 5

P ortland, Ore., VA MedicalCenter dedicated its North-west Veterans Affairs CancerResearch Center on June 24,

signifying both an important begin-ning and an historic end. VA estab-lished itself even further as a majorcancer research contributor in thePacific Northwest, and UnderSecretary for Health Dr. Kenneth W.Kizer gave what turned out to be oneof his last public addresses as head ofVA’s health care system.

The new research center, built byVA at a cost of nearly $30 million,now resides, only two years aftergroundbreaking, in two futuristicbuildings, housing 66 labs and 150research staff. VA researchers, inpartnership with Oregon HealthSciences University (OHSU) col-leagues, will begin scientific studiesfocused on understanding thegenetic basis and biological path-ways of cancer.

The outdoor dedication program,with standing-room-only attendanceof more than 100, was held under asprawling awning to protect theaudience from the wet mist of“Portland sunshine.” The agendafeatured a broad roster of speakers,starting with master of ceremoniesGrover Bagby, M.D., the new re-search center’s director and thePortland VAMC’s chief of hematol-ogy and oncology.

Bagby set a warm, personal toneof diverse people working together

Portland VAMC Dedicates Cancer Research CenterEvent Was One of Kizer’s Last as VA Under Secretary for Health

for the same vital healthcause. He, in turn,introduced a formidablearray of speakers,including VISN 20(Portland) Director TedGaley, M.D.; PortlandVAMC Director JamesTuchschmidt, M.D.; andOHSU President PeterKohler, M.D. VeteranRichard Yoshikawa, along-time Bagby patient,spoke eloquently of howPortland VAMC pro-vided outstanding carewhen he was diagnosedwith leukemia.

As Bagby introducedUnder Secretary for

Health Kizer, he paused after notingKizer’s board certification in fivemedical specialties, turned to aseated Under Secretary, smiled, andsaid, “Five specialties?I’ve never heard of sucha thing!”

Kizer then gave oneof his final publicaddresses as VA undersecretary for health. Hehas since chosen not toserve a second term,after having estab-lished the foundationfor VA health care inthe 21st century.

He began byacknowledging thestructure in front ofhim (the medicalcenter) and the newone just over hisshoulder (the cancerresearch center),saying that, ultimately,both are only buildings— beautiful, impres-sive, but inanimate. “Iexpect a lot of good tocome from inside this[research center]building, but let usremember that it willcome from the work ofthe people inside of thebuilding,” he said.

He emphasized thatit will be the people

that count, that “there are moreimportant things [we can do] thangiving a pill or an injection,because…health care is more thanmedical care. It includes workingtogether with mutual respect, andcaring about one another.”

As the ceremony neared itsconclusion, Bagby introduced theman many considered the perfectperson to bring the day’s variousthemes together — former U.S.Senator Mark Hatfield. Hatfield, whohas achieved almost legendary statusin Oregon as a champion of veteransand as a dynamic supporter of cancerresearch, spoke movingly of hispersonal experience with VA’s goodwork, in partnership with theuniversity, and of the importance ofcontinuing cancer research. ❑

By Joe BarisonLos Angeles OPA Regional Office

Portland VAMC Cancer Researcher Dr. Michael Heinrichand Research Assistant Diana Griffith pull frozen cells fromliquid nitrogen in one of the 66 laboratories in the newNorthwest Veterans Affairs Cancer Research Center.

BOB ELLIS/THE OREGONIAN-REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF THE OREGONIAN

Kenneth W. Kizer, M.D., M.P.H., speaks at the Junededication of the Northwest Veterans Affairs CancerResearch Center.

6 VAnguard

F ive years ago, VA entered intoan historic labor-managementpartnership agreement withemployee unions at the national

level. Never before had the leader-ship of VA’s three administrationsand five major employee unions satdown together at the same table todiscuss the biggest challengesaffecting the Department’s employ-ees.

As the VA National PartnershipCouncil (VANPC) — the groupestablished to carry out the goals ofthat agreement — celebrates its fifthanniversary this year, members arereflecting on its accomplishmentsand looking ahead to where theorganization will go from here.

“The fact that the VANPC hasbeen in existence for five yearsmeans that it’s not just a flash in thepan,” said VHA Chief NetworkOfficer and VANPC member KenClark. “There was some skepticismin the beginning about whether itwould work and whether it wouldlast, and the fact that it has says a lotabout its role and its need.”

Originally, the national partner-ship agreement was an outgrowth ofPresident Clinton’s direction toagencies to overcome pastadversarial relationships and mobi-lize the creative energies of federalemployees to achieve the objectivesof the National Performance Review.Members drawn from the employeeunions and VA management werecharged with designing, implement-ing and maintaining a cooperative,constructive working relationshipbetween labor and management.

Specific objectives included:ensuring implementation of labor-management partnership concepts inVA; developing methods of volun-tary resolution of disputes; identify-ing training needed to accomplishpartnership objectives; and address-ing VA policies and proceduresaffecting employees and customerservices. By the end of the VANPC’sfirst year of existence, more than halfof all VA facilities had formed localpartnership councils, 36 percent hadpartnership agreements and 63percent had received the necessarytraining. Since then, the Council hascontinued to promote the benefits ofpartnership in helping field facilities

overcome the conflict that hastraditionally existed between unionsand management over how themission can best be accomplished.

“The Council believes that stronglocal partnerships are the best way toachieve improvements in services toveterans and their families and toimprove working conditions for allemployees,” said Ronald Cowles, VADeputy Assistant Secretary forHuman Resources Management andVANPC member. “Since our unionpartners represent the employeeswho are directly providing servicesand benefits to veterans and theirfamilies, they have a unique andvitally important perspective on howand where we can achieve betteroutcomes and higher satisfaction.”

The VANPC meets quarterly todiscuss major Department issues andprovide a forum to address concernsabout program or policy changesbefore decisions are made. Thisapproach reduces the need fornational-level labor-managementnegotiations on changes that arelikely to affect the working condi-tions of VA employees. Nationalpolicies and issues addressed by theCouncil using this method haveincluded the pilot program to armVA police, buyouts, and performancemanagement and incentive awards.

“VA has gone through a lot ofchanges in recent years,” said Clark,“and in times of great challenge andstress, there needs to be common

agreement between labor andmanagement on what the goals andpriorities are. The VANPC brings therank and file employee together withmanagement and makes sure thateveryone is aware of and involved indecisions that will affect all aspectsof the organization.”

As the VANPC moves forwardfrom the five-year milestone, mem-bers say they hope to renew theCouncil’s efforts to promote andrecognize successful partnershipsthroughout the Department, as wellas offer advice and direct support tolocal partnerships that are notworking. They are looking at ways touse the VA home page to providelinks to a partnership Web site whereVA’s best practices and informationon partnership can easily be sharedwith anyone who is interested indeveloping and maintaining acooperative labor-managementrelationship.

“We are all working toward acommon goal of improving thequality of care given to our veterans,but VA should also be concernedwith doing the best for its mostvaluable resource — the employees,”said Lorraine Payton, President ofthe National Federation of FederalEmployees (NFFE) VA Council andVANPC member. “We must con-tinue to work hard to strengthen therelationship between managementand labor. Our survival depends on acooperative relationship.” ❑

National Partnership Council Sets Tone of Cooperation

The VANPC is sponsoring a contest for the design of a logo that will becomethe Council’s symbol. The contest winner will be rewarded with a monetary prize of$500 from the VANPC and will be invited to attend a meeting of the Council.Contest entries will be accepted until October 15, 1999 and should be sent to oneof the following:

Department of Veterans AffairsOffice of Human Resources Management (051B2)810 Vermont Ave., NWWashington, DC 20420Attention: Jeneen MingoOr by e-mail to npc.logo.contest@mail.va.gov.

The logo should be no larger than 3” x 4” and no more than three colors. Thecontest winner will be notified by mail not later than December 10, 1999. All VAemployees and their family members are encouraged to enter. Questions can bedirected to Jeneen Mingo at (202) 273-9873. The symbol should reflect theVANPC’s diversity, creativity and commitment to positive change. The contest isthe first of numerous activities the Council is planning to reward successful andcreative labor-management partnership initiatives.

VANPC Logo Contest

August 1999 7

F or the first time in its 19-yearhistory, the annual NationalVeterans Wheelchair Gameswere held outside the continen-

tal United States, on the island ofPuerto Rico in June.

More than 600 athletes from 45states, Puerto Rico and Great Britaincompeted in events such as track andfield, weightlifting, slalom, swim-ming and basketball at 11 venues inand around San Juan. First-timeexhibition events included scubadiving and a billfishing tournament.

Jointly sponsored by VA and theParalyzed Veterans of America(PVA), the Games are the largestannual wheelchair sports event in thecountry and are open to all U.S.military veterans who use wheel-chairs due to spinal cord injury,certain neurological conditions,amputations or other mobilityimpairments.

For employees of the host facility,the San Juan VA Medical Center,along with members of the PuertoRican team and local volunteers, thisyear’s event was an opportunity toshowcase the history and hospitalityof the island.

From the commonly heard phrase“Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico (Welcometo Puerto Rico),” to the local policeescorts for the athletes’ buses as theytraveled between venues, partici-pants found local hospitality inabundance. They also wereintoduced to local history during thecolorful opening ceremonies, held atthe historic Cuartel Ballajá, thelargest military installation of the

New World,built by theSpaniardsduring the19th century. But as

always, itwas theopportunityto challengethemselvesthroughathleticcompetitionwith theirfellowdisabledveterans thatdrew the

participants to these Games.Two facts about participant

Guido Padula, a Navy veteran fromFairview, N.J., made him uniqueamong the athletes — at age 74, hewas competing in the Games for thefirst time, and he also was one ofonly 16 World War II combat veter-ans participating in this year’sGames.

After returning home from thatwar, where he served in the Pacificas a master sea diver, Padula beganattending college and working inconstruction. But within a fewmonths, his life took a dramatic andunexpected turn — while workingon a construction site one day, hesuddenly fell eight stories.

His injuries left him in a wheel-chair, but he wasn’t willing to giveup. “I just kept going,” he said. “Lifecontinued, thanks to my family’ssupport and unconditional love.”

With his daughter, Kim, cheeringhim on from the sidelines, Padulaconquered the grueling slalomcompetition, his first event of theweek. “I wasn’t sure he could do it,”Kim said after her father crossed thefinish line. “I held my breath witheach turn he made and when hefinally crossed the finish line, I prettymuch exploded with euphoria. I amso proud of him.”

The fast-paced week closed witha ceremony at Minillas Plaza featur-ing the passing of the torch to nextyear’s host and the announcement ofthe winner of the highly covetedSpirit of the Games award.

As his fellow athletes erupted in

cheers around him, an emotionalKenneth Huber, a Navy veteran fromMilan, Mich., rolled onto the stage toaccept this year’s Spirit of the Gamesaward.

Throughout the week, Huber wasquick to credit his wife, Mary, andother caregivers for the support thatallows him to compete in the Gameseach year. “The doctors, the nursesand therapists, the caregivers andspouses — these are the ones whoassist us every day, and take care ofour needs all year long,” he said.“They’re there by our side when weneed them, and without them, a lotof us couldn’t be here to compete.”

And Huber also had a specialmessage for potential future Gamescompetitors. “To those who haven’tmade it here yet — make a specialeffort to attend,” he said. “Your lifewill be enriched by the experience.”

Next year’s Games will be held inSan Antonio, Texas, July 4-9. TheHeart of Texas Health Care Networkwill be the first Veterans IntegratedService Network (VISN) to host theGames, and organizers say they areplanning a variety of special activi-ties marking both the 20th anniver-sary and first Games of the 21st

century. For more information onnext year’s Games, contact TomBrown, National Veterans Wheel-chair Games VA Director, at (210)617-5125. ❑

San Juan VAMC Hosts 19th Wheelchair Games

Two track competitors race across the finish line in a blur of flying wheels.

Jack Franklin, an Army veteran from Vina,Ala., competes in javelin.

8 VAnguard

M ore than 500 VA employeesand veterans’ advocatesmet in Phoenix last monthto devise ways to help the

Department operate as One VA.Heading the list of ideas for nationalimplementation was creation of anintegrated computer informationsystem accessible to all employeesacross organizations so they canimprove service to veterans. At thelocal level, participants advocatedco-location of medical and benefitsservices — one-stop shopping.

Encouraged by Deputy SecretaryHershel Gober and VA undersecretaries to “just do it,” partici-pants also found activities to pursueby themselves or with local VApartners.

In Hawaii, for example, VAfacilities pledged to work together todevelop a resource card that willhelp all employees assist veteranswith questions involving any VAprogram. A group of Arizonaparticipants suggested creation oflocal inter-agency steering teams.They thought a “director’s coffee”would be one way for employeesfrom several agencies to meet

regularly. They also suggested localWeb sites to help employees as wellas veterans.

Through a series of fact-findingexercises and discussions, employeesin mixed teams of VA organizationsreached consensus on systemsneeding change — those they canchange locally, those requiringheadquarters support within VAadministrations,and others need-ing VA topmanagementconsideration. Theconference culmi-nated with inter-administrationteams developingand sharing actionplans they willimplement locally.

Deputy Secre-tary Gober, thedriving forcebehind the OneVA conferences,announced severalnational initiativesthat an executiveleadership team

adopted at the end of the conference.In the last-day wrap-up, Gobercommitted headquarters offices tothe following actions:■ The VA Learning University(VALU) will develop by Jan. 1 a OneVA employee orientation programfor use at all facilities and, by Jan. 31,a One VA Learning Map for veteransto help them understand VA ser-vices.■ VALU will make the employeeLearning Map available to facilitiesparticipating in the One VA confer-ences within a month after eachconference.■ VALU will also develop by Jan. 1an information guide (available onVA’s intranet) to help employeesdirect veterans to sources of informa-tion they seek. Employees will havethe ability to provide veterans withprinted directions to the nearest VAfacility offering needed services.■ By Nov. 5, VA’s Office of Informa-tion and Technology will assess thecost and time needed to create anintegrated information system thatwill support a reliable database andgive front-line employees access toinformation across the Department.

Dennis Duffy, Assistant Secretaryfor Planning and Evaluation, whoseoffice coordinated planning andimplementation of the conference,identified a requirement of thosewho attended — participants willsend his office quarterly reports on

First Regional Conference Held in PhoenixOn the Way to One VA

Keith Pratt, associate chief of staff/ambulatory care (left), and JohnFears, director, Phoenix VAMC, try out the Board of Veterans’Appeals CD-ROM explaining videoconferencing of veterans’hearings on appeal.

Fortunata Kennedy, program chief, Associated Health Professions, VHA EducationOffice, points to information on the VA Learning Map, an exercise to help employees seethe “big picture” shaping the way they work. Looking on are (from left): group facilitatorJackie Zepp, personnel specialist, Phoenix VARO; Vincent Barile, Director of OperationsSupport, NCA; and Bob Bubniak, Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office ofTelecommunications, VACO.

August 1999 9

their efforts to implement local OneVA plans beginning Oct. 15. Thatinformation will be placed on theVA home page as One VA bestpractices.

According to Under Secretary forBenefits Joe Thompson, legislationthat developed discrete veterans’programs ever since World War IIcreated VA organizational “stove-pipes.” Arguing for a single, unifiedapproach to service, he urged, “Nowit’s important that our veterancustomers don’t see our organiza-tions. You have opportunities at thelocal level that we don’t have atCentral Office to make that happen.”

Kenneth Clark, Chief NetworkOfficer of the Veterans HealthAdministration, called for improv-ing VA’s image, a single point ofcontact for veterans and better new-employee orientation. Clark calledon network directors to give facilitymanagers time to collaborate. Heurged everyone not to wait for “a

Waco VARO Disconnects Last Wang Computer

A n era in computing ended forthe Veterans Benefits Admin-istration (VBA) in June whenthe Waco, Tex., VA Regional

Office (VARO) became the lastVARO to disconnect its Wangcomputer system.

VBA had been moving applica-tions from the Wang systemto newer computer systemsfor several years, but thatprocess was acceleratedover the past year when theWang system’s lack of Year2000 compliance became anissue. Most VAROs discon-nected the Wang systemslast spring, but the WacoVARO’s IRM staff neededto keep their system run-ning while they convertedsome locally developedprograms to run on theMicrosoft Windows-basedLocal Area Network (LAN)now used throughout VBA.

Once that conversionwas complete, with no users on thesystem and no applications running,the IRM staff “pulled the plug” onthe Wang system. As the cables weredisconnected, Waco VARO IRMstaffers who had spent many longhours keeping the system runningwere more than a little nostalgic. “It

systems were purchased to giveVAROs office automation support(especially word processing tools),they were soon adapted for use inproduction applications. Wang’selectronic mail system, Wang Office,was fully implemented in 1985,providing VAROs their first interof-

fice electronic communicationssystem.

Upgrades to the Wang systemeventually provided many VBAemployees their own terminal, and avariety of automated solutions weredeveloped using Wang, includingthe Veterans Assistance Inquiry

(VAI), Automated Vouch-ers (AVAPS) and numerousloan guaranty applications.VA regional offices alsoused the Wang system toimprove local processes,and some of those locally-developed solutions wereadapted for nationwide use. By the early 1990s, Wangterminals gave way topersonal computers thatwere able to access theWang systems. The middleof the decade found VBA

employees using MicrosoftWindows applications suchas Word and Excel, andformer mainstays like Wang

WP and 20/20 were abandoned. Inthe past year, VBA made a majoreffort to migrate the remainingWang-based applications to theLAN. ❑

By David WildWaco, Tex., VA Regional Office

was a very reliable system in itsday,” said Sector Service CenterManager Ron Conaway, who helpedinstall the first Wang minicomputer.

Wang computers were firstintroduced into VAROs in 1983,when each received a minicomputerand 10-30 terminals. Although the

green light,” but to move forwardwith One VA initiatives.

Roger Rapp, Acting UnderSecretary for Memorial Affairs,reinforced Clark’s call for employeeorientation. “Thank God for our fieldemployees,” he added. “They are theheart and soul of One VA.”

Team members gained some oftheir ideas from exhibits showcasing20 locations and headquartersgroups that improved their service,often in conjunction with other VAunits. Other ideas came from videosand interviews they conducted withveterans and employees before theconference.

Ideas from the Phoenix confereeswill be shared with employees, stateand local veterans officials and unionrepresentatives who will participatein the Southern conference in AtlantaSept. 8-10. Other One VA regionalconferences will be held for theNortheast in Pittsburgh Nov. 3-5,and for the Central region in St.

Louis Dec. 7-9.Walt Ozawa, director of the

Hawaii Office of Veterans Services,said in his conference evaluation,“Four state directors attended. Weare already beginning to collaborateon a One VA process. Thank you toour regional VA directors whoinvited us. We are excited about thismajor change in approach. VA’scommitment to stay the course onthis will be key.”

Eileen Powell, Associate DeputyAssistant Secretary for FinancialManagement, listed some of thethings she liked about the confer-ence, including “the commonmessage and stated commitmentfrom VA executive leadership.” Forfuture consideration she suggested,“Somehow we must have sessionsfor all rank and file employees onOne VA,” and added, “VA has nochoice; we must become One VA.” ❑

By Jo Schuda

Waco VARO IRM employees (left to right) James Flippin, DebraWinchester, Carol Webb, David Wild, Betty Strahl, Ron Conawayand Jon Welk prepare to disconnect their Wang minicomputer.

10 VAnguard

More on Mentoring

Getting a Closer Look at a Top JobDeputy Secretary’s One VA Mentoring Program

C areerists intent on broadeningtheir perspectives and theirprospects as future VA leadersare doing just that thanks to

Deputy Secretary of Veterans AffairsHershel Gober.

Deputy Secretary Gober’s newOne VA Mentoring Program offersVA Central Office employees ingrades GS 9-15 the opportunity towork with the Deputy Secretary atthe highest levels of VA manage-ment. The competitively selectedparticipants work two-month toursas a special assistant to the DeputySecretary. They perform assignmentsdesigned to develop managerial andleadership skills and are encouragedto ask questions and provide feed-back as they follow Deputy SecretaryGober through his workday. Thatday can take them to top-levelmeetings and conferences in Wash-ington or to town hall meetings withveterans half a continent away.

The mentoring program’s initialphase began in March and will endFebruary 28, 2000 when the last ofthe first group of six programparticipants completes the mentoringcycle. Plans are underway to recruita second group this fall. DeputySecretary Gober said he is anxious tocontinue the program next year andwants as many employees as pos-sible to apply this fall when thesecond phase is announced.

“For me and VA this is a win-win

program,” hesaid. “Myoffice benefitsfrom theexpertise andenergy ofemployeesfrom otherdivisions, andthe protégéshave anopportunityto broadentheir knowl-edge of VA ata higher level.The programhas beenextremelysuccessful

and I plan to continue it.”Those who have completed the

One VA Mentoring program shareDeputy Secretary Gober’s enthusi-asm. Wayne Wrighting, a programspecialist in the Office of Administra-tion, said that seeing the DeputySecretary interact with veterans first-hand was most memorable.

“The opportunity to travel withMr. Gober and watch him listen toveterans’ concerns and respondpositively to them in various situa-tions had the greatest impact on me,”he recalled. “I definitely learnedmuch about ‘Putting Veterans First.’”

Another protégé, VA GeneralCounsel attorney AngelaPrudhomme, said her mentoringexperience included traveling withthe Deputy Secretary and attendingtop-level meetings where she ob-served key decisions being made.

“My most enlightening experi-ence was a veterans’ town hallmeeting where veterans asked Mr.Gober about changes in the veteranshealth care system, benefits claimsprocessing and the need for morenational cemeteries,” Prudhommesaid. “As a VA attorney, I’m aware ofhow law, politics and bureaucracyinfluence benefits and services, butnow I have a better understanding ofhow these factors impact veterans.”

Isabel Soto, director of theVeterans Benefits AdministrationBusiness and Technology Integrationstaff, has just finished the program.

“Two aspects of my experiencestand out,” she noted. “The 2001internal budget meetings helped meclearly understand how critical andimportant that process is. It trulyenables us in VA to serve ournation’s veterans. And the success ofthe One VA conference in Phoenix,Ariz., was gratifying. It shows thatwe as a Department are truly movingtoward working together as One VAfor veterans.”

Deputy Secretary Gober seesmentoring programs like his as anessential ingredient in movingtoward One VA. “I encourage otherVA managers to get involved inmentoring programs of their own,”he said. “As we strive to become OneVA, these programs help employeesbecome aware of broader aspects ofthe agency and how we worktogether. By understanding VA as awhole, we can move towards provid-ing seamless service to our nation’sveterans.” ❑

By Chris Scheer

Deputy Secretary Hershel Gober talks with One VA Mentoring Programparticipants (left to right) Wayne Wrighting, Angela Prudhomme andIsabel Soto in his office.

In 1997 the VA Central OfficeFederal Women’s Program(FWP) teamed with the Depart-ment to sponsor a structuredmentor program. The “MentoringProgram for Career Develop-ment” is designed to provideparticipants with the benefit of aone-on-one mentoring experi-ence.

Some of the most experiencedand respected VA officialsvolunteer to serve as mentors.Mentors draw on their experienceto help counsel and guide em-ployees. The mentors agree tohelp the employee assess herskills, set goals and develop andimplement an individual careerplan. Since its inception,128employees have participated inthe program. For more informa-tion, contact Angela M.Prudhomme, FWP Vice-Managerand Mentoring Program Coordi-nator, via e-mail or call (202) 273-6345.

August 1999 11

T eams of VA employees arecontinuing to achieve newstandards of excellence in theirefforts to help build a better

government, and are being recog-nized with Vice President Gore’sHammer Awards.

The Cleveland VA RegionalOffice recently received its fifthHammer Award, this one for itsinnovative approach to job place-ment services for disabled veterans.The VARO’s Veterans First Team,which combines the services ofCleveland’s Vocational Rehabilita-tion and Counseling division, theOhio Bureau of Employment Ser-vices and the U.S. Department ofLabor, streamlines the process offinding jobs for veterans. Clevelandis one of only a few VA regionaloffices to receive five HammerAwards.

For many years, VA administered22 small golf courses used for patienttherapy, rehabilitation and recre-ation. But the annual cost of operat-ing and maintaining these courseswas nearly $1 million — funds thatcould be reallocated to more critical,direct patient care.

A team from the Asset andEnterprise Development Service inVA’s Office of Facilities Manage-ment set up a variety of enhanced-use leasing agreements that haveallowed VA patients to continue tohave access to most of the golfcourses, but VA no longer pays tooperate and maintain them.

An innovative example was theSt. Cloud, Minn., VAMC Enhanced-Use Contract Team’s project turningthe operation of the facility’s nine-hole golf course over to the city of St.Cloud. The city pays all of theoperating costs, allows VA patientsto play for free and credits theVAMC for a portion of the medicalcenter’s utility costs.

These two teams received Ham-mer Awards for their efforts toeliminate the use of appropriatedfunds to operate and maintain VAgolf courses.

The VA/Bureau of PrisonsIncarcerated Veterans MatchingProject Team in VA Central Officewon a Hammer Award for develop-ing an electronic means to identifyveterans incarcerated in the Federal

Prison System. VA is responsible forreducing or suspending benefitspayments to veterans who areincarcerated after being convicted ofa felony or misdemeanor. Throughthe new method developed by thisteam, the Bureau of Prisons providesVA an electronic tape each monththat allows the two agencies tocompare records and identifyinmates who are receiving VAbenefits. VA regional offices are thennotified of incarcerated veterans intheir jurisdiction and can begintaking the appropriate actions toreduce or suspend the inmates’veterans benefits.

In a related effort, a team fromthe Huntington, W.Va., VA Re-gional Office received a HammerAward presented by West VirginiaGovernor Cecil Underwood for aninitiative to identify and adjust thecompensation and pension awards ofveterans incarcerated in state facili-ties. They partnered with the WestVirginia Division of Corrections,which also received a HammerAward for the effort.

The Urology Clinic Team at theWashington, D.C., VA MedicalCenter received a Hammer Awardfor their efforts to improve servicefor patients who need to be screenedfor prostate cancer. Using existingresources, this team made changesthat significantly reduced waitingtimes for patients.

The Long-Term Care LaundryProcess Improvement Team at theLeavenworth, Kan., VA MedicalCenter won both Hammer andScissors Awards for their efforts toimprove the laundry process andeliminate redundant steps after asatisfaction survey of nursing homeresidents identified concerns withthe timeliness and quality of laundryservices. A subsequent surveyconducted after the team madeimprovements indicated that laun-dry issues were no longer a mainarea of concern.

A team of 51 employees at thePhiladelphia VA Regional Office &Insurance Center recently collectedthe facility’s third Hammer Award inless than two years. The awardrecognized the team’s telephoneinterview initiative that reduced a“blocked call” (busy signal) rate of 52

percent to nearly nothing, resultingin better service to veterans and theirfamilies who call for assistance.

The Pharmacy Benefits Manage-ment Strategic Healthcare Group inVA’s Office of Patient Care Servicesreceived a Hammer Award recogniz-ing the achievements of VA’s con-solidated mail-out pharmacies intransforming an outdated, hospital-based process to a state-of-the-artsystem that serves veterans withgreater accuracy, convenience andimproved timeliness.

Before the seven centralized mail-out pharmacies were established,veterans had to wait up to 20 daysfor their new or refilled prescriptionsto reach their homes. Today, 80percent of all prescriptions arereceived in four days, and nearly allare received within five days.

Veterans not only receive theirmedications quickly, but with lesserror due to the use of computer barcoding and visual inspection by alicensed pharmacist. And the aver-age cost of filling each prescriptionhas decreased from $2 to 80 cents.VA’s consolidated mail-out pharma-cies are located in Bedford, Mass.;Charleston, S.C.; Dallas; Hines, Ill.;Leavenworth, Kan.; Murfreesboro,Tenn.; and West Los Angeles.

The Government on Displayevent held at the Mall of America inMinneapolis on a weekend earlierthis year was a massive project forthe Federal Executive Board (FEB) ofMinnesota and the more than 50participating federal and stateagencies, including VA. The goal ofthis event was to put federal andstate government programs beforethe public in a hassle-free environ-ment. On an average weekend,200,000-300,000 people visit the Mallof America.

The Minneapolis VAMC pro-vided free blood pressure screeningsand offered eligibility/enrollmentassistance to veterans, and the St.Paul VARO & Insurance Center,Fort Snelling National Cemeteryand the St. Paul Vet Center offeredbenefits information.

For their combined efforts, theMinnesota FEB, the participatingfederal and state agencies and theMall of America received the Ham-mer Award. ❑

More VA Teams Collect Hammer Awards

12 VAnguard

Y2K Test (cont.)

Bernadette Pessagno, BPS coordinator in the VBA Y2K ProjectOffice in VACO, looks on as Sheila Henderson, a veterans claimsexaminer in the Chicago VA Regional Office, participates in theFourth of July Y2K compliance test.

interfering with regular work weekdata processing and benefits pay-ments production.

Diane Jelonek, Y2K testcoordinator for the HinesSystem Development Center,the launch site and focal pointfor the three-day test, had tomake sure all the computerprograms were modified andall the linkages between thebenefits operational. “Therewere program analysts,systems analysts, adjudicators,finance specialists, and super-visors participating in the test,”she noted. “In otherwords, we used the wholegamut of staff it takes toprocess a normal day’s work.”

To prepare for the BPS test,a dry run was conductedseveral months earlier with theDepartment of Treasury, whichactually produces and distributes VApayments to veterans.

Testing was conducted along twotracks. Track I focused on payments.VBA generated computerized

VA has passed its final examand the grade is A. The Departmentof Veterans Affairs is Y2K ready.Bring on the 21st century!

A final July 4th national test ofthe VA benefits system involvingVA data automation centers,regional offices and medicalcenters, and the Department ofTreasury showed that years ofplanning and hard work havebrought the VA computer programsand processes that generatebenefits payments to veterans intocompliance with the “00” environ-ment that begins January 1, 2000.

“We’ve accomplished our goal,”Principal Deputy Assistant Secre-tary for Information and TechnologyHarold Gracey told VBA Y2Kconferees in Pittsburgh. “The firststages of our effort were the realmof information technologists. Nextcame extensive testing to makesure the new software worked asintended.

“The final task— contingencyplanning — belongs to all of us,” he

Y2K Readiness Update: What’s Left to Do?

payment files for compensation andpension, education, spina bifida,survivors entitlements, and insur-ance, and sent them to Treasury forprocessing and payment. Track II

tested non-receipt and cancellation ofpayments. VBA sent four files toTreasury for processing later thisyear.

In the first track, 36 payment fileswere sent to Treasury, which re-ported it could read all the upgradedY2K-compatible code and that allpayments were processed correctly.

By the end of the three-day Y2K simulation, hun-dreds of computer scripts hadbeen successfully tested,thousands of transactionsexecuted among all of the testsites, and payment data forall VBA benefits programs,worth a combined value of$3.5 billion, had been sent toTreasury. The BusinessProcess Simulation was anoverwhelming success. “We tested all the benefitsthat we are going to pay our

customers,” Wallace said,summing up the effort.

“Our customers are veryspecial people — our

nation’s veterans and theirbeneficiaries,” she added. “For

the Year 2000, we can nowtruly say ‘we are ready.’” ❑

By Carl HendersonChicago OPA Regional Office

said. “This is the bailiwick of VApeople — claims examiners, veter-ans’ service representatives, facilitydirectors and the like. Each of usmust now tailor contingency plans foreach aspect of our operation,address every possible point offailure, and exercise the plansrepeatedly to be sure that no matterwhat the circumstances might be onJanuary 1, 2000, we are ready andable to serve veterans and theirfamilies.”

He noted how dependent allorganizations are on informationtechnology — telephones, refrigera-tors, and even cars are filled withcomputer components. He said VAhad made much progress preparingto work around possible Y2K inter-ruptions beyond its control.

“Contingency plan templateshave been adapted to the uniquecircumstances of every medicalcenter,” he reported. “Imagine thecomplexity — every elevator, everyheating and air conditioning control,power supplies, generators, tele-

phone and paging systems —examined and fixed, or plans inplace to work around them.”

Gracey also noted what may bethe greatest Y2K problem of all —public confusion and hysteria.

“Our biggest probable source oftrouble in the U.S.,” he said, “ispanic or hoarding behavior stimu-lated by lack of information or thespread of misinformation. Inaddition to our contingency plan-ning, it is important that each of usin VA help educate the public aboutour high level of confidence. Iencourage VA managers andleaders to engage in Y2K conversa-tions in their communities and inviteveterans service organizations andother groups to their facilities todiscuss VA readiness.”

Finally, Gracey advised: “Beready for a surge of phone callsand inquiries; be ready to communi-cate the status of VA operationsboth to VA Central Office and to thepublic; and be ready to face theunexpected.” ❑

August 1999 13

MEDICALadvances

VA Study Finds Rise in ‘Good’ CholesterolCuts Risk for Heart Disease

In a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine,VA researchers reported findings from the first large-scale,long-term clinical trial to prove that raising “good” high densitylipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol prevents heart disease and stroke.

The researchers found that the drug gemfibrozil caused asix percent increase in HDL-cholesterol (relative to placebo).They also found that gemfibrozil reduced coronary heartdisease death by 22 percent, non-fatal heart attack by 23percent and stroke by 29 percent, in a study of 2,531 men withcoronary heart disease and low levels of both HDL and LDLcholesterol.

Beginning in September 1991, researchers at 20 VAmedical centers recruited and randomly selected 1,264 patientsto take gemfibrozil and 1,267 to take placebo until July 1998.Men in both groups of the study were characterized by lowlevels of HDL, low LDL (“bad” cholesterol), moderate levels oftriglycerides (another dangerous blood fat), advanced age(average 64 years), a high prevalence of diabetes, high bloodpressure and abdominal obesity.

Hanna Bloomfield Rubins, M.D., M.P.H., chief of generalinternal medicine at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, co-chaired the VA HDL Intervention Trial with Sander Robins,M.D., of the Boston University School of Medicine.

They and their colleagues chose gemfibrozil for the studybecause they considered it the agent most likely to sharplyimprove HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride values while havingthe least effect on LDL-cholesterol level.

Rubins said the drug is a safe and cheap therapy option forthe 20 to 30 percent of coronary heart disease patients —several million in the United States — who don’t have high LDL-cholesterol but do have low levels of the beneficial HDL-cholesterol.

The VA HDL Intervention Trial was supported by theCooperative Studies Program of VA’s Office of Research andDevelopment and by a supplemental grant from Parke Davis, adivision of Warner Lambert.

VA Researchers Find Nasal Flu VaccineReduces Employee Absenteeism andHealth Care Visits

VA researchers and colleagues have found that a newinvestigational flu vaccine, delivered via nasal mist, significantlyreduced employee absenteeism, doctor’s office visits andmedication use in healthy, working adults. Results of their studyappeared in a recent issue of the Journal of the AmericanMedical Association (JAMA).

More than 4,500 healthy, working adults aged 18 to 64participated in the study at 13 medical centers. Two-thirds ofthem received one dose of the intranasal influenza vaccine,while the remaining third received a placebo. From November1997 through March 1999, study participants self-reportedillness events and illness-associated absenteeism, health carevisits and the use of prescription antibiotics and over-the-counter medications.

Participants who received the actual vaccine experienced18.8 percent fewer severe febrile (feverish) illnesses and a 23.6percent reduction in upper respiratory tract illnesses associatedwith fever. The duration of severe febrile illnesses was reduced27.3 percent.

Although the economic effects have yet to be analyzed,influenza accounts for millions of workdays lost and physicianoffice visits each year. In this study, the VA researchers andcolleagues found that illness-related absenteeism and healthcare visits were significantly lower among those who receivedthe flu vaccine.

Participants missed 17.9 percent fewer workdays due tosevere febrile illnesses and 28.4 percent fewer days for febrileupper respiratory tract illnesses. Health care provider visitswere as much as 40.9 percent lower for febrile upper respira-tory tract illnesses. Vaccinated subjects also experienced a 47percent reduction in days of prescription antibiotic use and 28percent fewer days use of over-the-counter medications due tosevere febrile illnesses.

“These findings show substantial benefits in a populationnot usually targeted for flu vaccine,” said study leader Kristin L.Nichol, M.D., M.P.H., chief of medicine at the Minneapolis VAMedical Center and professor of medicine at the University ofMinnesota. “We found that when you vaccinate healthy, workingadults, good things happen.”

The researchers’ work was supported by Aviron, manufac-turer of the intranasal vaccine (FluMist™ ). The vaccine isbeing developed as part of a Collaborative Research andDevelopment Agreement between Aviron and the NationalInstitute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a unit of theNational Institutes for Health.

Memphis VA Medical CenterResearcher Helps Develop Strep Vaccine

James B. Dale, M.D., infectious disease researcher at theMemphis, Tenn., VA Medical Center and the University ofTennessee, Memphis, helped develop a vaccine to preventdiseases from streptococci bacteria that will soon be tested forthe first time in humans.

The vaccine could help prevent the 25 million cases of strepthroat, rheumatic fever and strep-related illnesses that occureach year.

Development and testing of the new vaccine has beenconducted in collaboration with scientists at the NationalInstitutes of Health and at ID Biomedical Corp. of Seattle. Thefirst phase of human clinical trials is scheduled to begin thissummer at the University of Maryland Center for VaccineDevelopment. ❑

14 VAnguard

you heardHAVE

In Memoriam

The VA Web site is beingredesigned in an effort toprovide a single point ofaccess to VA information forveterans, their families andthe general public. The newframework design will providea model for all VA elements toplace information on the Web.Representatives from VHA,VBA, NCA and veteransservice organizations areserving on a committee tohelp develop this new VA-wide Internet site that can bea viable tool for veterans andothers who need VA informa-tion. All VA employees areinvited to respond to the VAHomepage Redesign Surveyat http://vaww.va.gov.

Maria Z. Hamilton,program assistant in theEqual Employment Opportu-nity office at the Fayetteville,N.C., VA Medical Center,recently had one of herpoems, entitled “Renewal,”selected for inclusion in thebook Homecoming, ananthology of prose and poetry

of the Writer’s Ink Guild.Another of Hamilton’s poemswas previously published in anationwide collection entitledPoetic Voices of America.

Despite coming to Texaswith years of experience asprofessional nurses, languagebarriers and a challengingstate licensing process causemany Hispanic nurses toresign themselves to takingjobs outside of their training.But thanks to an initiative ledby the Dallas chapter of theNational Association ofHispanic Nurses, thesenurses are getting the helpthey need to practice theirprofession in Texas. Twonurses from the VA NorthTexas Health Care System(VANTHCS), GracielaArredondo and ChristinaFrias, help spearhead theinitiative, through whichHispanic nurses who arereasonably proficient inEnglish are eligible to receive120 hours of education andtraining to help them become

fully licensed in Texas.Another 25 non-HispanicVANTHCS nurses are servingas volunteer instructors in theprogram.

The Bay Pines, Fla., VAMedical Center recentlyhosted a standdown forhomeless veterans of theCentral Florida West Coastthat brought together re-sources from VA, the militaryand veterans groups. As partof their summer training, Armyreservists from the 73rd FieldHospital pitched their tentsand trained on the grounds ofthe Bay Pines VAMC. Theyjoined with the VAMC, the St.Petersburg VARO and severallocal veterans serviceorganizations (VSOs) to helpmore than 175 area homelessveterans. With transportationprovided by the VSOs, theveterans were brought to theencampment to receivemedical screenings, benefits

reviews and a hot meal.Those with urgent medicalneeds were cared for at theVAMC.

The VA OptometryService Web Page wasrecently selected as aLinks2Go “Key Resource” forOptometry. The Web pagewas ranked tenth in a list ofthe top 19 “Key Resources”on the Internet. The Links2GoKey Resource Award is basedon an analysis of millions ofWeb pages using an objectivestatistical measure applied toan extremely large database.The only way for a Web pageto be listed as a “Key Re-source” is to achieve enoughpopularity for the Links2Goanalysis to select the page.The success of the Webpage, located at http://www.va.gov/optsvc, is largelydue to the efforts of Dr. PhilipGross, an optometrist at thePhiladelphia VAMC. ❑

Golfer Tiger Woods accepts two awards presented tohis father, Earl, by Dr. Dennis Wyant, director of theIndianapolis VA Regional Office. Earl Woods, whoserved as a lieutenant colonel in the Army (including twotours of duty in Vietnam), and was trained as a GreenBeret, was honored with a certificate of appreciation forhis military service and a flag flown over the U.S.Capitol. Wyant presented the awards to Tiger Woods atthe Douglass Golf Course in Indianapolis, the first publicgolf course in the nation opened to African Americans.Woods was in Indianapolis for a golf clinic sponsored bythe Tiger Woods Foundation.

The veterans of America and their families lost a devotedand life-long friend with the death of Zachary Fisher inJune. His lasting tributes to the men and women whoserved the nation in uniform and their families include theIntrepid Museum, the Zachary and Elizabeth M. FisherArmed Services Foundation and the Fisher Award forExcellence in Military Medicine.

His 25 Fisher Houses provide a place for families ofservice members and veterans to stay while their lovedones are undergoing medical treatment. A bronze plaqueat the entrance of each Fisher House states that the houseis “dedicated to our greatest national treasure…our militaryservice men and women and their loved ones.”

“If anyone merited the title of national treasure, it wasZach Fisher,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Togo D.West, Jr. “He will be greatly missed.”

August 1999 15

HONORSand awards

VA Chief Patient CareServices Officer Dr. ThomasV. Holohan has beenappointed to chair the Drugs,Biologics, and TherapeuticsPanel of the MedicareCoverage Advisory Commit-tee (MCAC). The panel willadvise the Health CareFinancing Administration(HCFA) on the drugs,biologics and therapeuticsthat are reasonable andnecessary for Medicarebeneficiaries. He will alsoserve as a member of theMCAC Executive Committee.

Maynard Henning, healthtechnician in the MinneapolisVA Medical Center’s AdultDay Health Care (ADHC)program, received theExcellence in CaregivingAward from the MinnesotaAlzheimer’s Association inrecognition of his outstandingwork with complex-careveterans in ADHC.

Dr. Linda Rabeneck, aphysician-health servicesresearcher at the Houston VACenter for Quality of Care andUtilization Studies at theHouston VA Medical Center,has been appointed to serve afive-year term on the editorialboard of the monthly scientificjournal Gastroenterology.The journal is published bythe AmericanGastroenterological Associa-tion and is the leadingpublication in gastroenterol-ogy research.

Dr. Nick Kanas, associ-ate chief of Mental HealthService at the San FranciscoVA Medical Center, receivedthe Raymond F. LongacreAward from the Aerospace

Medical Association. Theaward is given annually torecognize outstandingaccomplishment in thepsychological and psychiatricaspects of aerospacemedicine. Kanas has beenconducting NASA-fundedresearch on crew memberand crew-grounded interac-tions during NASA/Mir, andhas published numerousliterature reviews andconceptual pieces on thepsychological, psychiatric andinterpersonal issues associ-ated with long-term spaceflight and the U.S. andRussian psychologicalsupport systems for spacecrews.

Joseph Ouslander, M.D.,director of the RehabilitationResearch and DevelopmentCenter of the Atlanta VAMedical Center, has beenelected president of theAmerican Geriatric Society fora one-year term, to befollowed by a one-year termas chairman of the board.Ouslander also was appointedboard member of the newFoundation for Health inAging Committee.

Susan G. Osguthorpe,associate director of theMedical and Surgery CareCenters at the Salt Lake City,Utah, VA Medical Center, wasinstalled as the new presidentof the Salt Lake CountyDivision of the AmericanHeart Association during itsrecent state-wide annualmeeting.

Carol L. Ceresa, chief ofthe Clinical Nutrition Sectionat the San Francisco VAMedical Center, was recently

elected president of theCalifornia Dietetic Association(CDA) for a one-year term.The CDA is a professionalorganization with nearly 7,000members — the largest statedietetic association in thenation.

Thomas Weaver, directorof the Bay Pines, Fla., VAMedical Center, and SandraOverstake, educationspecialist with the VA Learn-ing University, jointly receivedone of six National Outstand-ing Business and IndustryContribution and InnovationAwards presented by theNational Association of StateDirectors of VocationalEducation recently on CapitolHill. A long-standing teachingrelationship between the BayPines VAMC and the PinellasTechnical Education Center(PTEC) led to the develop-ment of an innovative minorityoutreach community-basedclinic on the PTEC campus.Weaver and Overstake wereinstrumental in developingand implementing the uniqueclinic.

Arnon Krongrad, M.D.,chief of Urology at the MiamiVA Medical Center, receivedthe Physicians Award fromthe Greater Miami Chamberof Commerce at its recent1999 Health Care HeroesAward Luncheon. Dr.Krongrad is an expert onprostate cancer and men’shealth.

Teresa Harris,histotechnologist at theMarion, Ill., VA MedicalCenter, received theHistotechnologist of the YearAward from the SouthernIllinois University College ofEducation.

VA’s Veterans CanteenService (VCS) recentlypresented its annual Out-standing Canteen awards for1998. The awards are

presented to the top fivepercent of canteens andrecognize those that providethe highest quality customerservice and have the mostsuccess in achieving overallprogram goals. Selections aremade on a regional level andare based on personal visitsby regional office andheadquarters staff, feedbackfrom the VA medical centersand technical reports oncompliance with VCS cus-tomer service programs. The1998 Outstanding VAMCCanteens were: Jackson,Miss.; Martinsburg, W.Va.;Minneapolis; San Diego; SanJuan, Puerto Rico; Shreve-port, La.; Richmond, Va.; andTampa/Orlando, Fla.

Ron Currier, team leaderof Prosthetic and SensoryAids Service at the Manches-ter, N.H., VA Medical Center,received the 1999 NationalOutstanding Veteran-PatientAward from the Daughters ofthe American Revolution.Currier, himself a doubleamputee, was recognized forfacilitating the rehabilitationprocess. He serves thecommunity as an instructor foroccupational therapy studentsat Tufts University, and heteaches area elementaryschool students aboutamputees and prostheticdevices. He also regularlyserves as a ski instructor atthe annual National DisabledVeterans Winter Sports Clinic.

David Cathcart, areadjustment counselingspecialist at the Newark, N.J.,Vet Center, recently receivedthe Four Chaplains Legion ofHonor Award. The award ispresented to individuals inrecognition of service tocommunity, nation or human-ity without regard to race,religion or creed. It wascreated in memory of fourArmy chaplains who wentdown with the troop shipDorcester during WW II. ❑

16 VAnguard

HEROES✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

When a helicoptercrashed in Poplar Bluff, Mo.,narrowly missing an officebuilding and a residentialarea, three members of theVA Medical Center’s nursingstaff were the first to arrive atthe crash site after seeing thehelicopter go down while theywere driving through the area.Registered nurses Kim Gumand Vince Maurer helpedemergency personnel with thevictims, while RegisteredNurse Christy Maurerassisted with crowd control.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

It was a very busy night inthe emergency room at theDes Moines Division of the VACentral Iowa Health CareSystem when a young motherappeared at the door with herthree-year-old daughter, whowas choking on a piece ofcandy. Registered NursePamela Varner put the girlover her arm and used herother hand to give two quickthrusts to the middle of thechoking child’s shoulderblades. The piece of candypopped out, and the child wasfine.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

For Richard Jacobsohn ,a registered nurse at theNashville VAMC, a quiet walkon the beach at sunset duringa Florida vacation suddenlytook an ominous turn. Henoticed four young girlsstruggling in the water, unableto fight the strong undertow.Jacobsohn quickly swam outto rescue the girls, whoranged in age from five to tenyears old. He had rescuedtwo of the girls and was in the

process of rescuing a thirdwhen he became caught inthe undertow. He was able toget the child into the arms ofanother rescuer before he toowas pulled underwater, andthe fourth child was saved byother rescuers. Jacobsohn’sown rescue came from asurfer who used his board totransport him to shore, wherehe was admitted to thehospital and treated foraspiration pneumonia. Thegirls visited their rescuer whilehe was in the hospital.

✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩

Two Leavenworth, Kan.,VA Medical Center employeescame upon an auto accidentwhile traveling together to theVAMC. Dr. Craig Scott, fromDental Service, and Dr. PaulReicherter, from MedicalService, provided first aid tothe three seriously injuredaccident victims and moni-tored their vital signs untilemergency medical techni-cians arrived on the scene.

A truck driver deliveringstorm sewer drains to theKnoxville Division of the VACentral Iowa Health CareSystem got his feet caughtwhile removing tie-downsfrom the delivery truck and fellfive to six feet from the flatbedtrailer onto his left side. Thefall left him immobilized.Utility Systems OperatorRandy Langebartels saw thedriver fall and rushed to hisaid. After assessing thesituation, Langebartels calledfor an ambulance and morehelp. General EquipmentMechanic Rand Mechan, who

also is a first responder withthe Knoxville Rescue Team,arrived at the scene momentslater and began providingmedical care to the injuredtruck driver. When theambulance arrived,Langebartels and Mechanhelped load the driver into theambulance to be transportedto the emergency room.

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Three Tuscaloosa, Ala.,VA Medical Center employeestransporting patients to clinicappointments at the Birming-ham VA Medical Centerassisted victims of anaccident on a local interstate.Nursing Assistants MaryBooth and William Glenn,and Motor Vehicle OperatorClarence Thorpe were thefirst to arrive at the scene of acollision between a woman’scar and a tractor trailer.Thorpe stayed with theveterans while Booth andGlenn checked the conditionsof the two drivers. The truckdriver was uninjured, but thewoman in the car was badlyshaken and had suffered cutsfrom flying glass. Booth andGlenn administered first aidand tried to keep the womancalm until rescue and lawenforcement personnelarrived.

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When Glenda Webb,appraiser at the Nashville VARegional Office, ran intoobstacles while trying to gethelp for a sick co-worker, shetook matters into her ownhands. The co-worker, whohad been complaining ofchest pains, had just returnedfrom a visit to the nurse’sstation, where he had beentold to go immediately to thenearest hospital emergencyroom. He asked Webb to callhis wife to take him to theemergency room. After tryingunsuccessfully for several

minutes to reach the co-worker’s wife, Webb called911, only to get a busy signal.Meanwhile, her co-worker hadslumped over. She quicklymade the decision to transporther co-worker to the hospitalin her own vehicle. She askedanother co-worker, GregPortwood, to help her get thesick co-worker to her car. Theco-worker later underwentquadruple heart bypasssurgery and is now recuperat-ing at home.

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The rapid response andextraordinary emergency careprovided by a group of VACentral Office employeessaved the life of Pat Smith, ahuman resources specialist inthe Career Transition Center.Smith suffered a life-threaten-ing medical emergency nearher office on the second floor.But thanks to the swift actionsof her co-workers Mary AlanBeckley, David Tracy andMari Horak, she is alive andwell today. Beckley comfortedSmith while Horak called 911and Tracy raced to the healthunit for assistance. Dr.Andrea Fore and RegisteredNurse Carol Lambiaserushed to the scene, wherethey administered CPR andassisted emergency medicaltechnicians until Smith wastransported to a local hospital.

As Stanley Jenkins, asocial worker at the BostonVA Outpatient Clinic, stood inline at a local restaurant topick up a sandwich for lunch,a patron tapped him on theshoulder. It took a fewseconds for Jenkins to realizethat the man was choking andwas signaling for help. Afterseveral attempts, Jenkins wasable to successfully use theHeimlich maneuver todislodge the food particleblocking the man’s airway. ❑

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