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outlook

Veterans Canteen ServiceChecking In With the Secretary

National Salute 2006

Greening the Government

March/April 2006

Veterans Canteen ServiceChecking In With the Secretary

National Salute 2006

Greening the Government

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Features

Checking In With the Secretary 6VA Secretary Jim Nicholson reflects on his first full year in officeKeeping Pace With Customer Expectations 10How Veterans Canteen Service has evolved over its 60-year historyMarking a Milestone of Their Own 13Several VA hospitals are celebrating their 75th along with the department2006 National Salute to Hospitalized Veterans 16A weeklong celebration in photosGreening the Government 18VA’s approach is winning accolades in the federal communityBringing Employee Ingenuity to the Marketplace 21Technology transfer allows commercial marketing of employee inventionsFrom Novice Skier to Paralympic Medalist 23Chris Devlin-Young learned to ski at the first Winter Sports Clinic

Departments

3 Letters4 From the Secretary5 Outlook24 Around Headquarters28 Introducing29 Medical Advances30 Have You Heard31 Honors and Awards32 Heroes

On the coverAs an operations specialist with the VeteransCanteen Service, Craig Fishbein, shown here inthe canteen store at the Battle Creek, Mich.,VA Medical Center, travels the country takingon challenges at VA canteen sites. He estimatesthat he spends 80 percent of his time on travel“fixing things.” Fishbein represents today’s Vet-erans Canteen Service, which has continuallyevolved over its 60-year history to meet thechanging expectations of veterans and VA em-ployees. photo by Patrick Gault

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VAnguardVA’s Employee MagazineMarch/April 2006Vol. LII, No. 2

Printed on 50% recycled paper

Editor: Lisa RespessAssistant Editor: Matt BristolPhoto Editor: Robert TurtilPublished by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420(202) 273-5746E-mail: vanguard@va.govwww.va.gov/opa/feature/vanguard

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letters

Have a comment on something you’ve seen in VAnguard?We invite reader feedback. Send your comments tovanguard@va.gov. You can also write to us at: VAnguard,Office of Public Affairs (80D), Department of VeteransAffairs, 810 Vermont Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.,20420, or fax your letter to (202) 273-6702. Include yourname, title and VA facility. We won’t be able to publishevery letter, but we’ll use representative ones. We mayneed to edit your letter for length or clarity.

We Want to Hear from You

Temporary ConditionLeads to PermanentUnderstandingRight after Thanksgiving, Ifell on the first day of snowand, in a natural reaction,threw out my hand to catchmyself. With some snappingof bones and my wristtwisted in a formation ratherlike a “Z,” I knew instantly Ihad broken my left hand.The emergency room con-firmed a nasty break at thewrist, and shortly thereaftersurgery was scheduled. In theinterim and after surgery thearm was splinted, then cast,leaving me with the use ofonly my right arm.

A single person nowconfronted with a left armand fingers that are totallyoff-limits. I challenge anyoneto try being one-handed forjust one day. The first prior-ity was learning to dress andundress myself. New frustra-tions surfaced regularly, likegetting caps off child-proof

medicine bottles, using de-odorant, combing hair, driv-ing a car, changing linens,pushing buttons on a phone,folding clothes. Kitchens arefull of screw, pop, or pulltops on containers, and ev-erything took the strength ofa weightlifter (or so itseemed).

Since I work at VA, Istarted thinking of all theveterans who return homewounded, some missinglimbs. I tried to relate totheir new way of living, thephysical and especially men-tal adjustments they wouldface. Here I was despondentover a temporary one-handedsituation that would last forseveral months. Exhaustedeach day from simple, every-day tasks—cooking, washingdishes, cutting up lettuce, oreven peeling a hard-boiledegg or orange—and I waslucky enough to have a leftelbow and two knees to assistme.

Every time I became de-pressed, limited by the use ofonly one hand, I thought ofthose veterans, past andpresent, who have learned toovercome and live with thesesituations every day. In myworst moments of frustra-tion, I told myself if thosemen and women who foughtfor us can overcome, then socan I.

I recently met a veteranwho was having his left hand

splinted because of an injury.He had lost his dominantright arm, so temporarily hewouldn’t even have much useof his left hand. He evenjoked that his penmanshiplooked better with his lefthand through practice. Mytemporary condition didn’tlook so bleak anymore.

Lana J. PriceIT Specialist

Employee Education SystemSalt Lake City

VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield explains the features of adisplay created to tell the VA story during the department’s 75thanniversary year to Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee ChairmanLarry Craig (R-Idaho) on Capitol Hill. Looking on is Bill Hester, de-signer of the display, who works in the VA Office of Administra-tion’s Media Support Services in Central Office. The display wastemporarily moved to the rotunda of the Russell Senate OfficeBuilding in March at the request of members of Congress, who sawit at VA Central Office. They wanted staff and visitors to better un-derstand the selfless sacrifice of both veterans in service and VAemployees in service to veterans.

Telling the VA Story on Capitol HillROBERT TURTIL

VAnguardfrom the secretary

4 March/April 2006

A New Front in the War on DiabetesJim NicholsonSecretary of Veterans Affairs

We can make a big difference in stemming the tide ofan insidious disease and provide even better care forour veterans.

It’s a real pleasure to appearin this issue of VAnguard.This is the first in a series ofcolumns that will now be aregular feature in these pages.

In this and in future is-sues of VAnguard, I look for-ward to using this vehicle asa way of recognizing the fineefforts of VA employeesacross the nation and provid-ing information about newinitiatives we are undertakingas an agency.

You’ll be hearing morein the days and weeks to fol-low about our newest pro-gram—one that’s not onlysignificant but also a lifesav-ing program in which manyof you will play a key role.

The program is calledHealthierUS Veterans, anewly forged partnership be-tween VA and the Depart-ment of Health and HumanServices. And it’s our entryinto America’s fight againstdiabetes and obesity.

Nationally, 64 percentof Americans are overweightor obese, and 20.8 millionhave diabetes. But the situa-tion is much more pro-nounced within the VA sys-tem. More than 70 percentof veterans receiving medicalcare from us are overweightor obese, and 20 percent ofour veterans have diabetes.That compares with only 7percent of Americans nation-wide who suffer from diabe-tes. The difference is sizeable,but so is the opportunity tobring our VA resources tobear in battling one of thebiggest preventable healththreats.

Because VA has the

nation’s largest integratedhealth care system servingmore than 5 million patients,we routinely conductgroundbreaking research thatbenefits not only veteransbut all Americans. Thatmeans the informationlearned by our doctors andresearchers in the fightagainst diabetes can easily beshared across the entire na-tion.

By bringing together theassets of two great depart-ments in a health-care part-nership, VA and HHS im-prove healthy eating andphysical activity, and expand

awareness among veterans,their families and communi-ties, slowing the spread ofdiabetes and obesity. Muchof this can be accomplishedthrough education and giv-ing veterans healthy lifestylechoices they can incorporateinto their daily lives.

When I was a kid grow-ing up in a small town in ru-ral Iowa, life was pretty leanduring the Depression. Eat-ing right meant eating sensi-bly, and my mother made dowith very simple ingredients:eggs, milk, vegetables, cereal,and occasionally meat.Things began to changeabout five decades ago, andmany of our patients todaywere among the first to expe-rience a significant dietary

shift.The 16 million veterans

who returned from WorldWar II and the Korean Warwere the first veterans to ex-perience the new fast-foodjoints that were springing uparound our country. In the1950s, supermarkets andconvenience stores were sell-ing an endless variety of pre-pared foods that, while easyto eat, were not necessarilythe best things to eat from anutritionist’s perspective. Thetruth is they were awash inlarge doses of sodium, sugarand fat.

With their increasing

waistlines came health prob-lems that would plague themin their later years and wouldaffect millions. The tragediesof blindness, limb loss, infec-tions, immobility, and hard-ship and heartache to fami-lies were the grim course setby diabetes and obesity.

But it doesn’t have to bethat way. The course can bechanged, or never taken atall. And that’s whatHealthierUS Veterans is allabout. HealthierUS Veteranscan help millions of Ameri-cans preserve the freedomand independence threatenedby diabetes and obesity.

The program starts withMOVE! – Managing Obesityfor Veterans Everywhere. It’sa patient-centered approach

to weight management thattailors diet and exercise regi-mens to each veteran we seein our health facilities. An-other part of this initiative isthe group of veteran volun-teers called the Fit for LifeVolunteer Corps, who willencourage veterans to activelyinvolve themselves in theseactivities.

Already, we’ve seen thesenior leaders of the Ameri-can Legion, the Veterans ofForeign Wars, the DisabledAmerican Veterans, the Para-lyzed Veterans of America,the Vietnam Veterans ofAmerica and the AMVETS

belly up to the healthy lifebar to challenge each otherto a “Down With thePounds” contest.

Our own Dr. LindaKinsinger, director of PatientCare Services for VA’s Na-tional Center for Health Pro-motion and Disease Preven-tion, has written a terrificpiece on HealthierUS Veter-ans on the facing page, and Iurge you to read it and shareit with your colleagues,friends and neighbors.

By working together andintegrating the HealthierUSVeterans program into ourdaily routines, we can make abig difference in stemmingthe tide of an insidious dis-ease and provide even bettercare for our veterans.

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Helping Veterans (and the Rest of Us) Be Fit for LifeLinda Kinsinger, M.D.Director, Patient Care ServicesVA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

We hope veterans, their families and VA employees willfind a way to get involved in this initiative and stay ‘Fitfor Life.’

The twin problems of diabe-tes and obesity are significanthealth concerns for Ameri-cans today. Genetic, environ-mental and behavioral factorsall play a role in why somany Americans are over-weight.

As Secretary Nicholsonpoints out in the accompany-ing column, the food envi-ronment has changed dra-matically in recent years. Weare eating more and movingless. Obesity isn’t a problemthat lends itself to one easysolution, especially in ourhealth care system alone. Itwill take a population-levelpublic health approach.

The effect of obesity onour patients and the VAhealth care system is substan-tial. Those in the highestweight category (a body massindex of 40 or higher) arefour times more likely tohave diabetes as those in thenormal BMI category (25 orlower). Total outpatientmedical care costs rise asBMI increases over 30.

The prevalence of dia-betes in the U.S. is also highand increases with age. Be-cause our patients, on aver-age, are older than the gen-eral population, the preva-lence of diabetes within VA ishigher than the overall U.S.rate. Approximately 1 mil-lion VA patients have diabe-tes and a substantial numberof veterans without diabeteshave metabolic syndrome,which places them at highrisk for diabetes. VA patientswith diabetes account for 80percent of all amputations,50 percent of all strokes, and

40 percent of those on kid-ney dialysis.

Clearly, bold action isneeded to prevent diabetesand obesity, especially amonghigh-risk individuals, by ag-gressively promoting physicalactivity and weight loss. Ourgoal is to improve health anddecrease costs for both pa-tients and the health care sys-tem.

The HealthierUS Veter-ans initiative is designed todo just that. By partneringwith the Department ofHealth and Human Services,this new program will bringtogether two large federalagencies to address theseproblems. Through the agen-cies within HHS, an enor-mous amount of work hasbeen done to develop excel-lent programs, strategies and

the research basis to addressdiabetes and obesity. VA hasfacilities in every state andlarge city and many smalltowns across the country. Sothe partnership between VAand HHS provides a rich op-portunity to improve healthyeating and physical activityamong veterans, their fami-lies and communities, andslow the increase in diabetesand obesity rates.

HealthierUS Veteranswill have a communicationscampaign, including a seriesof national, regional and lo-

cal events at VA medical cen-ters in conjunction with vis-its by senior VA leaders.These events will focus ongood nutrition and physicalactivity by sponsoring fitnessrallies, “Walk and Roll (forthose in wheelchairs)” events,and friendly competitionsamong administrators, staff,veterans and their familymembers. VA facilities caninstitute a variety of activi-ties, such as establishingwalking trails on facilitygrounds, marking distancesalong the way; posting re-minders about taking thestairs near elevators andbrightening stairwells; spon-soring “lunch & learns” withnutritional food and infor-mation about food choices;supporting healthy food op-tions in the canteens; and or-

ganizing farmers’ markets forstaff, patients and visitors.

Another part of this ini-tiative is to create a corps ofveteran volunteers, called Fitfor Life. We especially wantto involve members of theNational Guard and Reserve,who go back into their com-munities once their deploy-ments are over. This is a wayto keep them physically ac-tive and eating well. We en-courage both able-bodiedand disabled veterans to be-come ambassadors for theprogram.

VA has developed acomprehensive, patient-cen-tered weight managementprogram called MOVE!(Managing Obesity for Veter-ans Everywhere) that is beingimplemented in VA facilitiesaround the country. We willencourage health care provid-ers outside VA to access pro-gram materials from theMOVE! Web site, www.move.va.gov, including theinitial assessment question-naire and the dozens ofhandouts and other resourcematerials available.

Another aspect of thisnew program is somethingold for VA providers—a pa-per prescription. Called a“Prescription for Health,” itrecommends a walking pro-gram and a pedometer forveterans who are overweight

or obese and are able to walk.The intent is for health careproviders to send a powerfulmessage to encourage physi-cal activity. For those inwheelchairs, there’s a slightlydifferent prescription thatrecommends attaching anodometer to the wheel tomeasure distance rolled.

More details on this ini-tiative are available at www.healthierusveterans.va.gov. Wehope veterans, their familiesand VA employees will find away to get involved and stay“Fit for Life.”

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What do you consider VA’s most important accom-plishments over the past year?I think probably the single most important thing is theway we are taking care of our newest veterans who arecoming to us after serving in the combat zone. A mainpriority of ours is for them to have a seamless transitionfrom active duty in the military medical system to theVA system and then to home and into their civilian life.We want that to be hassle-free.

Many of them have made their sacrifice, and sohave their families, and they shouldn’t have to sacrificemore by getting lost in the bureaucracy or having their

questions go unanswered and the anxiety that goes withthat. We want that transition to be smooth and we areworking hard with the Department of Defense to ensurethat this happens.

I am also very proud of the continuing improve-ment in our health care system. Last year, we had over55 million patient visits, and numerous independentagencies and periodicals rate the VA at the very top interms of quality of care. That doesn’t just happen—ittakes competence and compassion and dedication onthe part of our workforce. They really love what theyare doing, which is taking care of veterans.

The March/April 2005issue of VAnguardfeatured an interviewwith the then newlyappointed Secretary ofVeterans Affairs JimNicholson. In this issue,the Secretary reflects onthe accomplishments andchallenges of his firstfull year in office, andlooks ahead to what hewill focus on in thecoming year.

Checking InWith the Secretary

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What inspires you and gives you the energy to workthe long hours you do to lead VA?One of the biggest inspirations I get is from the 235,000employees of the VA. We have a tremendous team ofpeople here at the VA, from those here in VA CentralOffice to those out in the hospitals and the regional of-fices and the cemeteries. They are a committed group ofpeople. And as I move around and visit them, I am in-spired every day by their dedication and their commit-ment. I have the privilege of being the leader of thisgreat agency, so it’s a wonderful thing to be able to getup every morning and go out and serve veterans.

Looking ahead, what goals do you have for VA in thecoming year and are there any special initiatives youare going to pursue?First of all, we want to continue to do things as well aswe are doing them now. We also have some very excit-ing things going on in research. We are working on avaccination for shingles. We are working on an artificialcornea implant. We have some very exciting researchgoing on in Parkinson’s disease. And we are close in theclinical tests with some of those.

We want to perfect our seamless transition effortsfor our folks coming home from the combat arena.

And we want to help veterans and their familieslead healthier lives. Our studies show that veterans areparticularly susceptible to diabetes, one of the majorcomplications associated with being overweight. That’swhy I joined Secretary of Health and Human ServicesMike Leavitt recently in announcing a new VA-HHSprogram called HealthierUS Veterans. It’s a campaign topromote healthy eating and exercise among veterans,their families and their communities. Our medical cen-ters will be educating veterans about diabetes and obe-sity, providing diet advisories and walking prescriptionsand getting them to spread what they learn to theirfamilies and communities.

We also are still in the midst of our 75th anniver-sary year. I think it’s important that Americans knowmore about the VA. I gave a speech in Arizona when Ifirst started this job and a guy wrote me a letter and saidthe VA is the greatest story never told. I find there istruth in that statement. We are the second-largestagency in government. Our budget for the current fiscalyear is over $70 billion. That’s more than the budgets of24 states combined. Our budget proposal for ’07 calls forover $80 billion, a record budget for the VA, and I wantAmericans to know that we are providing world-classcare and services to our veterans.

Most importantly, we just want to keep doing a

good job in fulfilling our basic mission of providinghealth care and benefits and dignified burials for veter-ans.

You mentioned taking particular care of our newestgeneration of veterans coming back from the wars inIraq and Afghanistan. What can military memberscoming back today expect from the VA?World-class health care and compassionate treatment.All of them, whether they are reservists or National

Top: Secretary Nicholson visits Idaho National Guard troops in Iraq lastspring; above: The Secretary reviews a map while touring the oldFitzsimmons Army Medical Center campus in Denver last summer. Withhim are, left to right: Judy Guy, program coordinator for the VA EasternColorado Health Care System; Andy Love, counselor to the Secretary; andBennie Milliner, with the office of Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO).

PAUL SHERBO

Left: Nicholson gives a state of the VA speech at the National PressClub in Washington, D.C. Photo by Robert Turtil

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8 March/April 2006

Guard members or separating active force, can come infor VA health care services. They are eligible, regardlessof whether they have a service-connected disability ornot, for a period of 24 months. And if they have anyservice-connected problems we’ll continue to treatthose indefinitely.

We also are working to give them transition physi-cals even before they leave active duty. So if they havean impairment it is noted in their records while they arestill on active duty, and when they come into the VAsystem they are immediately eligible for evaluation forany disability claims they may have and of course forthe health care system.

Last year everyone in the country was shocked byHurricanes Katrina and Rita and the damage theycaused. The facilities and people in the Gulf Coastarea suffered tremendously. What was your take onhow VA responded to that crisis?I recently awarded over 70 commendations to peoplewho worked for VA in the devastated area. These arereal significant acknowledgments of their heroic efforts.We had people in the New Orleans hospital that hadbeen in there for days that were looking out the windowat their own homes and all they could see were the roofsand the chimneys. They didn’t know where their fami-lies were. They knew their house and all of their per-sonal possessions had been destroyed.

the kind of selfless, committed service that our peoplegive to our veterans, and that is what went on duringKatrina where we evacuated hundreds and hundreds ofpatients. We saved countless lives, and they are heroes.

The U.S. Senate and American Legion agree. TheSenate passed a resolution in October commending VAemployees and volunteers who risked life and limb toassist veterans affected by Hurricane Katrina. And justrecently, I accepted the American Legion’s Public SpiritAward on behalf of the entire VA for its effective andcompassionate response to the hurricane relief effort.

What kind of future can Gulf Coast veterans look for-ward to in terms of VA support in the months andyears ahead?That is an important question because our hospital inGulfport was destroyed. We had to evacuate our hospi-tal in New Orleans and probably will not be able to usethat hospital again because it was flooded and has somemajor problems. So we are in a study mode to figure outwhat to do and where and what size to be in the NewOrleans area.

We’d like to collaborate with the other hospitals inthe area. What are they going to do? What is the popu-lation of New Orleans going to be? What is the veteranpopulation of New Orleans going to be?

These are still unanswered questions, but I think it’sfair to say we will have an acute-care medical facility inthe New Orleans area as we have had for a long time. Ijust can’t tell you where or quite yet when we will com-mence construction of it.

But we have restored health care to veterans inNew Orleans. Last December we opened a primary careclinic in a building adjacent to the closed New Orleans

Yet they stayed with their patients and treated andevacuated them. They went with the patients, got onairplanes and flew out of New Orleans not even know-ing where they were going. And that is representative of

Secretary Nicholson, accompanied by VA Under Secretary for Health Dr.Jonathan Perlin, far left, hears from employees of the VA Gulf Coast VeteransHealth Care System in Biloxi, Miss., during a post-Katrina visit to the region.

At DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., last July, Nicholson confers withstaff and others involved in planning the kick-off ceremony for VA’s 75th anni-versary held there.

ROBERT TURTIL

GARY MODICK

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Behind the Scenes of VET IT

medical center. In March, the ninth floor of the medicalcenter opened to provide some specialty care. We nowserve New Orleans area veterans through the newlynamed Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care Sys-tem, composed of six outpatient clinics and our down-town clinics.

In the Gulfport area we are going to expand ourhospital at Biloxi, which is just eight miles away, and weare going to work closely with Keesler Air Force Base,which is adjacent to it. And I might add that we havesupplemented the area with additional community-based outpatient clinics, so for primary care there isgood access for our veterans who are still there. Thosethat need acute care we move to hospitals that arenearby such as Alexandria, Louisiana.

You mentioned the 75th anniversary of VA, a mile-stone that we have been celebrating since the kick-offceremony held at DAR Constitution Hall here inWashington last July. Do you have any special plansfor activities and recognition during the second half ofour anniversary year?We are going to have an event in the Capitol Building,in the Rotunda or Statuary Hall, with members of Con-gress, who are VA’s partners in caring for our veterans.

We will continue to have activities throughout thecountry. We have created a beautiful display, a continu-ous feed video presentation that we are going to put inthe halls of the congressional buildings on the Hill formembers and their staffs to see, on both the Senate side

The Secretary rings the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange during aFebruary visit to the city.

NYSE PHOTO

and the House side.We have smaller displays to go on the road to en-

rich people’s understanding and appreciation of the his-tory of the VA and the contributions of the VA to ourveterans and the country as a whole.

How can VA’s 235,000 employees be better advocatesfor the department so our story does not go untold?The best way for them to be advocates is to keep doingwhat they are doing, which is to do their jobs well.There’s no better way to honor and promulgate theawareness of the VA than by doing a good job and hav-ing others recognize us for doing that job. And so to ourVA employees I say, “kudos.” I travel all of the timearound the country visiting with them. They are doing aterrific job and they believe in what they are doing.They are taking care of veterans, a very prized, valuedgroup of people in our society today.

That has not always been the case. I am a veteranof Vietnam, and when I came back the Army sent meto graduate school at Columbia University in New YorkCity. Four days after I got there, student anti-war pro-testers took over the college and closed it down, butgraduate classes still met. I was wearing civilian clothesso we stepped around them to go to class. But if I’d hadmy uniform on they would have spit on me.

That is not the case today. America is very gratefulfor the service of its veterans. Some disagree about thewar but not about the warrior. And our job, all of us onthis great team at the VA, is to take care of those war-riors when they return. I think we’re doing a magnifi-cent job of that and that is the best thing that any VAemployee can do.

Frequent visits with the wounded from Operation Iraqi Freedom and OperationEnduring Freedom at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.,and National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., have been a hallmark ofthe Secretary’s first year in office. Here, he checks in with Lt. Col. BarbaraSpringer, chief of physical therapy at Walter Reed.

ROBERT TURTIL

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Just outside the Starbucks coffeeshop, a handful of veterans arechecking e-mail while sippingmocha lattes. On the patio, a

group of medical stu-dents are clickingaway on their laptopswhile munching onpaninis.

No, this isn’t somestuffy bistro on RodeoDrive. This is theCyber Cafe, part ofthe canteen service atthe Greater Los Ange-les VA HealthcareSystem on WilshireBoulevard.

Clearly this isn’tyour father’s canteen.“Not even close,” saidRobert J. Abbott,chief of the canteen atthe Los Angeles VA.

The Cyber Cafehas three computerterminals for veteransas well as a wirelessnetwork that allows upto 200 users to accessthe Internet throughtheir own laptops,

PDAs and other devices. When itopened in May 2005, it was the firstof its kind at VA medical facilities.

Abbott started the project to

enhance services for his canteencustomers. So far, he’s been pleasedwith the outcome. “Every time I goby there, it’s full,” he said. He is now

Veterans Canteen Service: 1946-2006

As the Veterans Canteen Service prepares for its 60th anniversarythis summer, VAnguard takes a closer look at how it has evolvedover the years to meet the needs of veterans and VA employees.

Robert J. Abbott, chief of the canteen at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, started a Cyber Cafe to en-hance services for canteen customers. It has three computer terminals for veterans and a wireless network that allowsup to 200 users to access the Internet.

PAULA BERGER

Keeping Pace WithCustomer Expectations

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ROBERT TURTIL

planning to add three or four morecomputers for employees to shoponline at www.vacanteen.va.gov andtake training courses at www.vcampus.com/valo/index.html.

Abbott’s canteen isn’t the onlyone undergoing changes. Over thelast few years, canteens at VA facili-ties across the country have begunoffering special order sales programs,healthy dining options and otherinitiatives designed to make can-teens more appealing to employeesand veterans.

Keeping pace with customer ex-pectations has been a hallmark ofthe canteen service’s 60-year history,according to James B. Donahoe,who has directed the canteen ser-vice since 1991. “In this line ofwork, you can never stop improv-ing,” he said. “Customers have ex-pectations and if we don’t meetthem, they’ll go elsewhere.”

Donahoe described the canteenservice’s history and pivotal mo-ments that illustrate the evolvingnature of canteen operations.

Congress formed the VeteransCanteen Service on Aug. 8, 1946, atthe request of VA AdministratorOmar Bradley, who was hearingcomplaints from veterans about poorservice and price gouging at VAhospital concession stands operatedby private contractors. The idea was

for canteens to become the VAcompany store—a self-sustaining or-ganization that would provide qual-ity, service and value for veteransand employees.

In the early days, canteens con-sisted of dime stores and lunchcounters serving 15-cent tuna sand-wiches and soda pops for a nickel.By the 1970s, they had grown in sizeand scope, particularly in the dining

operation, where the lunch countergave way to a full-service cafeteria.Over time, the cafeteria layoutevolved into the food court, whichoffered customers a variety of menuoptions and shorter waiting lines.But something was missing.

Donahoe thought the food

court venues—from Country Cook-ing to the Fifth Avenue Deli—lacked a quality image. “We neededto jump-start our operations, and wefelt a brand name could do that,” hesaid. In 1993, he contracted withBurger King to place kiosks in vari-ous canteens. They were an instanthit and ended up in 38 locations.

Though they offered a brandname, the kiosks lacked the options

of a full-service venue. After about adecade of use, the kiosks’ luster be-gan to fade. Customers wanted morevariety and healthier choices.Donahoe let the Burger King con-tract expire in 2005 and introducedthe Fresh Choices Bistro, whichtouted healthier options like freshfruit, omelets made with Egg Beatersand fries cooked in canola oil.

One of the biggest tests in thecanteen’s history came not in thefood service, but in the retail storesand their decision to stop sellingcigarettes. With their high profitmargins, cigarettes were big business.Yet, as awareness of the dangers ofsmoking became widespread in the’80s, a decision was made to elimi-nate cigarette sales at VA hospitals.

Quitting such a profitable mar-ket wasn’t going to be easy, accord-ing to Donahoe. “We had to findanother way to be self-sustaining,and many people didn’t think we

In the early days, canteens consisted of dime stores and lunch counters like this one.

COURTESY OF VETERANS CANTEEN SERVICE

“It makes you feel real good to be a vitalpart of the team.”

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12 March/April 2006

would survive,” he said.Stamping out cigarettes was one

of Donahoe’s first tests when hejoined the service. His strategy to re-place lost revenue would help trans-form the canteens into what theyare today. “We were losing a very

More than 3,000 employees work for the Veterans Canteen Service at 180 lo-cations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Their mission is to provide qual-ity, service, value and convenience to veterans and VA employees. August 8marks the canteen service’s 60th anniversary. Veterans Canteen Service Di-rector James B. Donahoe plans to celebrate with a big summer sale.

Today’s canteens offer more than mini-marts and food courts. There arevending machines stocked with everything from snacks and canned bever-ages to hot coffee, tea and specialty drinks like cappuccino, espresso andlatte, and hot and cold entrees. Special order call centers offer a wide rangeof items, including exercise equipment, large household appliances, finechina and jewelry, with no shipping or handling charges. Barbershops, beautysalons, floral services and laundry and dry cleaning services round out can-teen operations.

Keeping up with all these services can be tough, but it’s a challenge em-ployees readily accept. Cici Holt, assistant canteen chief at the Columbia,S.C., VA Medical Center, said she feels privileged to serve her customers—veterans, their families and the VA employees who care for them. “Havingcome from another country where we did not have the opportunities andfreedoms that are sometimes taken for granted here, I can say that I reallyappreciate what has been done to make my life better and I feel very goodabout serving those who have served us,” she said.

profitable item, so to remain self-suf-ficient we had to increase total salesand that meant expanding our retailand dining operations,” he said.

Today the retail stores no longerresemble the dingy hospital giftshops of yesteryear. They are mod-

ern, brightly lit and well stocked,and range in size from the average1,800-square-foot operation to themassive 7,000-square-foot store atthe VA hospital in Richmond, Va.And sales—once thought to be injeopardy—are at an all-time high.

That’s not to suggest canteensare awash in cash. The food ven-ues—considered a benefit for veter-ans and employees—operate at noprofit margin, and the retail storespump earnings back into the VAsystem.

In a recent interview with theindustry magazine Exchange andCommissary News, Dr. JonathanPerlin, Under Secretary for Health,spoke about the service’s contribu-tion to the VA mission. “I’m realproud of the fact that the VeteransCanteen Service returns every singledollar it earns to VA and VA pro-grams, and its promotional fundsprogram returns earnings to medicalcenters and is an incredible con-tributor to morale,” Perlin said.

The figures are impressive. In2006, the canteen service will do-nate more than $300,000 to VA’sNational Rehabilitation TherapySpecial Events, which include theWheelchair Games, Winter SportsClinic, Golden Age Games andCreative Arts Festival. Last year theservice donated more than $100,000in coupon books to families whowere visiting OIF/OEF inpatients inVA facilities, primarily at the majorpolytrauma centers, while theirloved ones were receiving care andrehabilitation.

Giving back is what makesworking for the canteen service sorewarding, according to PeterRichardson, who directs the canteenat the San Diego VA Medical Cen-ter and has been with the servicesince 1967. “It makes you feel realgood to be a vital part of the team,”he said.

Cici Holt (in blue hairnet), assistant canteen chief at the Columbia, S.C., VA MedicalCenter, learns to make a panini, one of many updated food choices offered at today’sVA canteens.

Canteen Services at a Glance

KEN HOLT

By Matt Bristol

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March/April 2006 13

feature

As the Department of Veter-ans Affairs celebrates 75 yearsof service to America’s veter-

ans and their families, several indi-vidual VA medical facilities are alsomarking the milestone with theirown 75th anniversaries.

These hospitals trace their ori-gins to a period of growth followingWorld War I, when about 50 VAhospitals were constructed using thesame floor plan, structural layoutand overall health care design strat-egy. Visit www.va.gov/facmgt/historicfor more on the rich history of thesefacilities, often referred to as VA’s“Architectural Set.”

In this special installment,VAnguard profiles one VA hospitalthat has already celebrated its 75thanniversary and another that is

planning its observance for this sum-mer.

Lyons, New Jersey: ‘Unsung Heroes’The Lyons Campus of the VA

New Jersey Health Care System cel-

ebrated its 75th anniversary on Nov.22, 2005. Hundreds of employees,volunteers, retirees and veterans at-tended the event, which included aribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicatea new $22.6 million ambulatory care

Commemorating 75 Years of Service: Pivotal Moments in VA History

VA Hospitals: Marking aMilestone of Their Own

building on the hospital grounds.After the ribbon cutting, VA

Secretary Jim Nicholson praised thestaff for their abiding commitmentto fulfilling the promise of a gratefulnation. “Wars have beginnings andendings, but our responsibility tocare for those who fought themnever ends,” he said.

Several veterans in the audi-ence echoed the Secretary’s praise.“When you come here, the peopletreat you like a member of the fam-ily,” World War II veteran AlbertStraka told the Newark Star-Ledger.Fellow World War II veteran Lester

Below: The Lyons hospital accepted its firstpatients on Nov. 12, 1930; right: the newambulatory care building dedicated as partof its 75th anniversary celebration.

SCOTT SNELL

COURTESY OF DANNER PERRY

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14 March/April 2006

Gale said the new building was nice,but it wouldn’t mean a thing with-out the caring staff. “The building isgorgeous, but it’s the people in thebuilding that matter,” he told theCourier News.

Gale’s comments weren’t lost onKenneth H. Mizrach,director of the VANew Jersey HealthCare System, who saidhe feels fortunate tolead such a great groupof employees. “Thereare a lot of unsung he-roes here and it’s a realprivilege to be theirdirector … and I sin-cerely mean that.”

Planning for the75th anniversary took10 months, accordingto the facility’s publicaffairs officer, SandraWarren, who co-chaired the planningcommittee. All the ef-fort was well worththe outcome, though.

“Everyone was so excited to havethe Secretary come visit us and toshowcase our beautiful grounds andthe outstanding services that weprovide for New Jersey’s veterans,”she said.

The original Lyons hospital wasbuilt to care for about 400 long-term

patients, with the first admissionstransferred from the Montrose, N.Y.,VA Medical Center on Nov. 12,1930. Within a decade, the hospitalgrounds covered 864 acres and in-cluded a working farm, vast fields ofcrops and fruit orchards. Workingthe farm was a common form oftherapy in the days before drugtreatments, according to Warren.

In 1996, Lyons integrated withthe East Orange VA Medical Centerto become the VA New JerseyHealth Care System.

Lexington, Kentucky: ‘Walking BackThrough Time’

The Leestown Division of theLexington VA Medical Center willmark its 75th anniversary this sum-mer. Kentucky native HeatherFrench Henry, who championedveterans’ issues during her reign asMiss America in 2000, is tentativelyscheduled to emcee the observance.

Though the final plans are stillbeing worked out, several activitiesare already on the agenda, includinga “Juke Box Daze” ice cream socialand a musical concert by employeesperforming hits from the 1930s, ’40sand beyond.

“Wars have beginnings and endings, but our responsibility to care for those who fought them neverends,” Secretary Nicholson said during the dedication ceremony for the $22.6 million ambulatory carebuilding at the Lyons Campus.

The Leestown Division of the Lexington, Ky., VA Medical Center in April 1961.

SCOTT SNELL

COURTESY OF LEXINGTON VAMC MEDICAL MEDIA

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March/April 2006 15

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For the observance, Jonathan L.Lewis, a sign painter who hasworked at the facility since 1978,volunteered to paint four 11-by-11foot murals in the main auditorium.Each will depict a scene of how thefacility looked in the 1930s. “It’ll beas if you were walking back throughtime,” said Lewis. He is also paintinga collage with up to 100 portraits ofemployees who served in the mili-tary and their loved ones. “I’ve beena painter most of my life, so this wasjust my contribution,” he said.

Much of the anniversary’s focuswill be on employees and the veter-ans they serve, according to Sandy J.Nielsen, the medical center’s direc-tor. “This will very much be a cel-ebration of our employees and all oftheir contributions to our success.Seventy-five years is quite a mile-stone and we owe it to our veteransand our employees to take the timeto celebrate,” she said.

The history of the Leestown Di-vision can be traced to the purchaseof 291 acres for a veterans’ hospitalon April 19, 1929. The first patientwas admitted on April 1, 1931. Atthat time, the hospital consisted offive buildings and had about 350beds.

In addition to its medical mis-sion, the hospital played a majorrole in the community, according toDesti Stimes, the facility’s public af-fairs officer. “This place was like asocial club, with baseball games,dances, outings. It was really theplace to be when you came backfrom the war and needed to recuper-ate,” she said.

Today, the serene setting andairy tranquility make Leestown wellsuited for its role as a nursing homewith hospice and respite services, aninpatient PTSD treatment unit anda substance abuse program. Its sisterfacility, Cooper Drive, is located ad-jacent to the University of KentuckyMedical Center and provides acutemedical, neurological, surgical andpsychiatric inpatient services.

Diamond Jubilee

Left: JonathanLewis, who hasworked at theLexington VAMCsince 1978, vol-unteered to paintfour murals de-picting the facil-ity in the 1930s;below left: thelogo for Lexing-ton VAMC’s 75thanniversary cel-ebration de-signed by Lewis.

By Matt Bristol

Several other VA medical centers have recently celebrated 75th anniversa-ries. Among them are:■ Alexandria, La., VA Medical Center – Staff celebrated their 75th anniver-sary with special events throughout 2004 and held a rededication ceremonyin January 2005.■ Coatesville, Pa., VA Medical Center – Employees kicked off their 75th anni-versary observance on June 2, 2005, with an all-employee picnic. They also

held a series ofspecial eventssuch as an icecream socialand five-kilo-meter run/walk. The anni-versary obser-vance culmi-nated on Nov.12, 2005.■ Lincoln Divi-sion of the VA

Nebraska Western Iowa Health Care System – Employees at the Lincoln VAcelebrated their 75th anniversary last year. During the observance, they heldseveral special events, including a contest to design an anniversary logo anda community open house. The observance concluded in December 2005 withan employee luncheon.

THOMAS C. MARTIN

COURTESY OF DANNER PERRY

VAnguardcover story

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National Salute to HNational Salute to HEach year during the week of Valentine’s Day, thehalls of VA medical facilities all over the countryfill with schoolchildren, celebrities, political andsports figures, all there to honor veterans.

This page, clockwise from bottom left: Steamer,the Altoona Curve baseball team mascot, visitsAltoona, Pa., VA Medical Center nursing homeresident Blaine Szwast; Washington, D.C., VAMedical Center patients (left to right) HarryJames, Alyce Dixon and Robert Harkins enjoy Ca-sino Day in the facility’s auditorium. Local militarypersonnel manned the blackjack, poker and rou-lette tables; Clowns from SouthernCare Hospice’sAmbassadors of Goodwill program entertain vet-eran Michael Agee in an outpatient waiting roomat the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center inWichita, Kan.; Miss USA 2005 Chelsea Cooley, ofNorth Carolina, and students from PS 14 of Bronx,N.Y., greet veteran Edward DeMeo during theirvisit to the Bronx VA Medical Center; Studentsfrom Trail, Ore., arrive to deliver valentines to pa-tients at the VA Southern Oregon RehabilitationCenter & Clinics in White City.

JAMES R. CUNNINGHAM

CURTIS TASSET

WILLIAM JUNIPHER

CYNTHIA LUBERT-CROUCH

HARRY PULSCHEN

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March/April 2006 17

cover storyHospitalized VeteransHospitalized Veterans

This page, clockwise from bottom left: Maryssa Rosado, a third-grader at Holloway Elementary School in Tucson, Ariz., handsa valentine card she made to Virginia Brennan, a patient at theSouthern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Southwestern BlindRehabilitation Center; At the Sheridan, Wyo., VA Medical Cen-ter, third-graders handed out valentines and sang songs fornursing home residents; Veteran Ron Blihar is surrounded bystate pageant winners of all ages as he opens a valentine cardat the John L. McClellan VA Medical Center in Little Rock, Ark.;Keesler Air Force Base personnel handed out valentines tonursing home residents, including Edward Sellard Jr., at the VAGulf Coast Veterans Health Care System; Pennsylvania Gover-nor Ed Rendell greets nursing home resident James Banner dur-ing his visit to the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.JACKLYN K. VANMARK

ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

GARY MODICK

GARRY MORRISJACK WIDMAIER

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In 2001, President Bush issuedExecutive Order 13148, a policyintended to improve federal

agencies’ management of environ-mental programs, reducing the tolltheir operations take on the envi-ronment. The order, Greening theGovernment Through Leadershipin Environmental Management,contains many environmental re-quirements, but nonemore important thanthe order that federalfacilities develop andimplement environ-mental managementsystems by Dec. 31,2005.

An environmentalmanagement system isa management tool, anorganizational struc-ture, a system for ex-amining and addressingan organization’s im-pact on the environ-ment. How do VAfunctions impact theenvironment? As oneof the largest public orprivate entities in theworld, VA’s need forland, buildings and in-frastructure, energy,water, paper, furniture,computers, consumergoods, fuels and indus-

VA’s approach to reducing the toll federal agencies’ operations take onthe environment is winning accolades from the federal community.

trial chemicals, fertilizer and pesti-cides is nothing less than enormous.Each of these necessary products hasthe potential to despoil the environ-ment through production, use, stor-age or disposal. And it’s the VA em-ployee who orders, uses, stores ordisposes of these products who holdsthe key to environmental manage-ment.

The Veterans Health Adminis-tration’s response to the executiveorder was to create the Green Envi-ronmental Management System, orGEMS, program. The “Green” wasadded to differentiate it from otherVA programs and services.

From the start, GEMS programdevelopment was a collaborative ef-fort. Arnold Bierenbaum, director of

Members of VA’s “Green Team” include (left to right) Freddy Martinez, Barbara Matos, Arnold Bierenbaum and JackStaudt.

ROBERT TURTIL

the GovernmentGreening

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March/April 2006 19

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Safety and Technical Services inVHA’s Office of the Deputy UnderSecretary for Health for Operationsand Management, led a ProfessionalAdvisory Group consisting of repre-sentatives from VA Central Office,the Center for Engineering & Occu-pational Safety and Health, Veter-ans Integrated Service Networks,VA medical centers, the NationalCemetery Administration, and theOffice of Acquisition and MaterielManagement, which has depart-ment-level responsibility for EO13148. Additionally, experts fromthe Environmental ProtectionAgency played a key partnershiprole in assisting VA staff with de-veloping GEMS technical guid-ance.

To prepare for the developmentof environmental management sys-tems at VA’s 154 medical centersand more than 800 clinics, EPA wasasked to conduct environmentalmanagement reviews at 17 facilities.“These environmental managementreviews helped show where theregulatory risks were. They differedfrom facility to facility, illustratingthe need for flexibility throughoutthe system,” Bierenbaum said. “Wesaw that local GEMS committees atmedical centers and VISNs wouldneed the ability to set their own pri-orities and objectives.”

With environmental challengesidentified, VHA developed twoguidebooks to provide direction tofield facilities in meeting the re-quirements of the executive order.The Environmental ComplianceGuidebook is a ready reference withdetailed information on environ-mental requirements and regulationsfor the operation of a VAMC. TheGEMS guidebook is, as Bierenbaumdescribes it, “a collection of bestpractices” that medical centers canuse to identify strengths, weaknessesand gaps in their existing environ-mental programs, and it providesproven improvement strategies.

Most significantly, the GEMSguidebook addresses EO 13148 di-rectly, providing detailed guidanceon how to build and implement aGEMS program, laying out a nine-step process for each facility: 1) Ap-point a GEMS coordinator and forma GEMS committee; 2) Train themembers of the GEMS committee;3) Conduct a GEMS gap analysis; 4)Identify significant environmentalaspects; 5) Establish operationalcontrols; 6) Set objectives and tar-gets; 7) Train staff on GEMS poli-cies and standard operating proce-dures; 8) Conduct environmentalcompliance baseline and periodicfollow-up audits; and 9) Issue an an-nual program effectiveness reviewand report.

This nine-step GEMS processemphasizes the “Plan-Do-Check-

Act” model, focusing on continualimprovement; pollution prevention;employee involvement; top manage-ment visibility and leadership; andthe integration of environmentalconsideration in day-to-day opera-tions and long-term decision-mak-ing processes.

Jack Staudt, a VHA environ-mental engineer and member of theGEMS Professional Advisory Group,says that this is a familiar approachfor VAMC employees, since it isused by all health care facilities inmaintaining compliance with JointCommission on Accreditation ofHealthcare Organizations require-ments. “We felt it best to create acookbook approach to the system,one that employees could get theirarms around.”

To facilitate communication

among facility GEMS coordinators,Bob Matthes, VHA’s nationalGEMS program manager, estab-lished an e-mail distribution groupand holds monthly GEMS confer-ence calls. Freddy Martinez, chief ofmateriel policy, training and opera-tions staff with the Office of Acqui-sition and Materiel Management,and Barbara Matos, who managesthat office’s Environmental AffairsProgram, use these calls to conveydepartment-level policies and guid-ance.

The two have discussed hazard-ous waste and green purchasing is-sues during the calls. According toMartinez, “There are so many prod-ucts where life cycle analysis showsthat buying the cheapest item islikely to cost you the most with dis-posal. We talk about product com-

parisons, costs over product lifetime,recycling and disposal fee issues.”

Matos is enthusiastic about theforum and credits the GEMS coordi-nators with blazing the trail for VA’senvironmental programs. “GEMScoordinators must be leaders as wellas team players and think outsidethe box,” she says. “They work top-down, bottom-up and sideways toensure that all VA services, pro-grams and activities consider theirimpact on the environment.”

Training is another key elementin a successful GEMS program, andresources are specifically outlined inthe GEMS guidebook. Many facili-ties have used the GEMS brochure,Nine Steps to a Successful Green Envi-ronmental Management System(GEMS), and the GEMS awarenessPowerPoint training presentation

“GEMS coordinators work top-down,bottom-up and sideways to ensure that all VAservices, programs and activities considertheir impact on the environment.”

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20 March/April 2006

for the development of their localenvironmental efforts.

The VHA Employee EducationSystem has produced and broadcasta number of training videos on theVA Knowledge Network, includingthe GEMS Briefing for VAMC TopManagement, and GEMS Implemen-tation, a course designed to train VAstaff responsible for the deploymentof the GEMS program using casestudies and exercises.

For a complete list of GEMS-re-lated Web sites, links and trainingmaterials, contact the Center forEngineering & Occupational Safetyand Health at 314-543-6700, or goto their Web site at vaww.ceosh.med.va.gov.

GEMS progress is being mea-sured in several ways. Matthes coor-dinates monthly GEMS ProgramTracking Reports, and sends resultsto VHA senior managers for review

and action. In addition, VHA hasdeveloped an annual environmentalsurvey administered by the VHAHealthcare Analysis and Informa-tion Group. The survey serves mul-tiple purposes, including as a datasource for the annual EO 13148progress report.

Successful GEMS implementa-tion depends on top to bottom own-ership throughout a facility. Eachemployee must be aware that theiractions have an impact on the envi-ronment. The GEMS programs atfacilities are very local programsdealing with very local environmen-tal concerns, requiring individual-ized priority and goal setting. Col-lective assessment and decision-making is the recognized route tosuccess.

Edward Piñero, the WhiteHouse Federal Environmental Ex-ecutive, recognizes the role of senior

management in GEMS success. “Toplevel management commitment setsthe tone for implementation and useof the environmental managementsystem,” he said. “Success dependson the ability of senior managementto communicate support for thegoals of the EMS, and maintain theorganization’s focus during theimplementation process.”

The VHA GEMS Program hasearned both VA’s top environmentalaward and accolades from the fed-eral community. At a ceremony heldin conjunction with the VACO cel-ebration of Earth Day in April 2005,the GEMS Professional AdvisoryGroup was recognized for their ini-tiative and leadership efforts with a2005 VA Environmental ExcellenceAward in the Environmental Man-agement Systems category.

To be successful, GEMS coordinators “must be leaders as well as team players,” says Matos.

ROBERT TURTIL

By Robert Turtil

VAnguard

March/April 2006 21

feature

Abetter test for prostate can-cer. An easier way to handlecaskets at graveside. The in-

genuity of VA employees is as variedas the VA mission, and the depart-ment is making a concerted effort toput the life- and labor-saving inven-tions of employees to work not onlyfor veterans, but for the public, andmake a profit, too.

VA’s technology transfer pro-gram brings together the technical,legal and business talent of the de-partment to support the innovativespirit and entrepreneurial interestsof VA employees. The VeteransHealth Administration TechnologyTransfer Program within the Officeof Research and Development trans-lates VA research discoveries intoclinical applications. The programevaluates findings and inventions,works with the Office of GeneralCounsel on obtaining patents, fos-ters collaborative agreements withthe parties involved and supportscommercialization of new technol-ogy to bring it to the marketplace.

A method devised by a BayPines, Fla., VA Medical Center re-search chemist to measure levels of aprotein that can signal prostate can-cer led to VA licensing the protocolsto a company that will market a newtest kit. The National CemeteryAdministration has applied for apatent on a carrier developed at the

Rock Island, Ill., National Cemeterythat eases the movement of a casketfrom the committal shelter to agravesite.

VA considers such workplaceinnovation as intellectual propertyand is asserting its right to “own”employee inventions. Toprotect employee innova-tion from outside expropria-tion, the department seekspatents that can lead to li-censing and possible royal-ties from future sales. Pro-tection of VA and em-ployee rights to VA work isthe immediate goal; royal-ties are a long-term possibil-ity. Three VA medical in-ventions have been li-censed thus far with nocommercial products yetdeveloped, according to Jef-frey Moore, Ph.D., a pro-gram analyst with the tech-nology transfer program inVHA, but if and whenproducts are developed andsold, VA will benefit.

The technology trans-fer process begins when VAemployees disclose inven-tions conceived and devel-oped during VA work timeas required by regulation.VHA reviews medical inno-vations for scientific merit,

relevance to VA health care andcommercial value. The technologytransfer office then recommendswhether or not to assert VA’s rightto an interest in the invention tothe Office of General Counsel. Gen-eral Counsel decides if the inventor

Bringing EmployeeIngenuity to the Marketplace

Through technology transfer, life- and labor-saving employee inventionscan be developed as commercial products, reaping financial rewards forboth employee inventors and the department.

A biotechnology company in Maryland signed an agreement withVA to develop and market a test invented by Dr. Katherine Meyer-Siegler that can help diagnose prostate cancer.

LUANA MAHONE

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22 March/April 2006

should retain value, if it should go toVA or if the inventor should retaintitle with VA getting a non-exclu-sive license to use the invention.

Though VA can assert owner-ship rights for inventions of its em-ployees, it works closely with educa-tional institutions that may be in-volved when the VA inventor holdsdual appointment with an affiliateduniversity. The VA CooperativeTechnology Administration Agree-ment recognizes both VA and uni-versity interests in jointly developedintellectual property. The agreementallows ownership to remain with VAwhile giving the university patent-ing and marketing authority.

After VA or an affiliate securesa patent, the marketing process be-gins. VA technology transfer staffcontact companies that might be in-terested in licensing the VA patent.If there is interest, licensing negotia-tions determine the royalties VAand the inventors receive from fu-ture sales.

In the case of the Bay Pines re-search, VA licensed the right to de-velop technology invented byKatherine Meyer-Siegler, Ph.D., to aMaryland-based biotech company,Global Therapy, LLC. The re-searcher created the protocol (steps)to measure macrophage migrationinhibitory factor (MIF), an inflam-mation-promoting protein associ-ated with several diseases.

Using MIF along with measure-ment of prostate-specific antigen(PSA) and other risk factors canhelp to quickly identify patientswith aggressive prostate cancers andreduce the need for biopsies. Meyer-Siegler is optimistic about her in-vention. “Serum MIF is elevated inmany cancers,” she says, “so it mayend up part of routine health screen-ings.”

The National Cemetery Ad-ministration has applied for a patentwith joint ownership by VA and asmall fabricating firm, hoping for

commercialization of an inventionby Rick Anderson, former directorof the Rock Island National Cem-etery, aided by Lester White, care-taker supervisor. The “swivel hearse”is a covered casket carrier with roll-ers that the driver of a light utilityvehicle pivots to maneuver aroundheadstones and to easily and safelymove a casket from a vehicle onto alowering device over a gravesite.

“We designed the casket carrierto minimize the labor intensity oftransferring a casket to a grave,” ex-plained Anderson, who said all ofhis field staff presented ideas for theproduct. “Two people can handlethe casket rather than the four or sixwe needed in the past.”

Turning the carrier to line it upwith a grave makes it easier to liftand lower the casket. The size andmaneuverability of the carrier allowit to move between headstones, re-ducing damage to the stones andcemetery turf.

NCA has another patent appli-cation under review by the U.S.Patent and Trademark Office on anemployee invention to reduce thetime and labor needed to trim turfaround headstones. Several yearsago, the maintenance staff at theCalverton National Cemetery inNew York modified a riding lawnmower to cut and trim turf simulta-neously, substantially reducing thenumber of hours spent in routinetrimming. Ron Cheich, who handlestechnology transfer in NCA’s Busi-ness Process Improvement Service,is working with a lawn equipmentmanufacturing company to perfectthe machine and make it market-able for the company and one dayavailable for NCA to purchase fornationwide use.

Most VA inventions are early-stage technologies not ready formanufacture, which explains why itmay take years before a commercialpartner can bring the patentableproduct to market.

When that does happen, saysJanet Lemons, a VA General Coun-sel attorney who handles negotia-tions and legal review of contractsrelated to technology transfer, “It’swonderful to work for the federalgovernment because the employeeinventor can reap financial rewardswhen VA begins to get royaltiesfrom the product’s sales. In the pri-vate sector an employee hired toconduct research typically does notshare in royalties.”

When an invention is co-ownedwith an affiliated university, the uni-versity distributes royalties accordingto its policy and forwards VA’s por-tion to the VHA Technology Trans-fer Program. If an invention is solelyowned by VA, the employee inven-tor receives the first $2,000 thatcomes to VA and 35 percent of anyadditional royalties up to $150,000 ayear—the federal cap. The majorityof the remaining royalties (85 per-cent) is distributed to the inventor’sVA medical center: 50 percent tothe inventor’s laboratory, 25 percentto the facility research budget and10 percent to the medical center.The Technology Transfer Programreceives up to a maximum of 15 per-cent to cover any administrativecosts.

The VHA Technology TransferProgram Web site at www.research.va.gov/programs/tech_transfer/default.cfm lists VA medical technologies inearly research stages that requiremore development before beingready for the marketplace. VA issearching for companies that mightbe interested in licensing and fur-ther developing these technologiesthrough Cooperative Research andDevelopment Agreements with thegoal of one day transforming theseinitiatives to commercial productsavailable to benefit veterans andothers, and perhaps help fund futureresearch.

By Jo Schuda

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March/April 2006 23

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Paralympic athlete Chris Devlin-Young thrives on suc- cess. He has won two goldmedals and one silver in Paralympiccompetition, and in March addedanother silver medal at the 2006Paralympic Winter Games inTorino, Italy.

Despite his numerous achieve-ments in competition, Devlin-Youngsaid the greatest honor was being se-lected to carry the flag representingthe United States team. “Being cho-sen as flag bearer is an honor I neverexpected and didn’t even dream of,”he said. “I represented my countryin the purest form. This experiencehas been more special than just win-ning a medal.” The Coast Guardveteran was chosen for the honor bythe team captains of the winterParalympic sports because of his ex-ceptional leadership.

Injured in a 1982 plane crash

that left him paralyzed from theknees down, Devlin-Young struggledwith his disability, feeling, as he putit, “like half a man.” Now, he saysthat skiing helped lessen his disabil-ity in his own eyes.

He was introduced to skiing andracing at the very first National Dis-abled Veterans Winter Sports Clinicin 1987. He recalls that one day,while watching TV in a lounge atthe VA Palo Alto Health Care Sys-

From Novice Skier to Paralympic MedalistVeteran who learned to ski at the first Winter Sports Clinic is selectedas flag bearer for the 2006 Winter Paralympics.

tem, a chance meeting with a recre-ation therapist changed everything.The therapist invited him to partici-pate in the Winter Sports Clinicand, although Devlin-Young hadnever skied, he gave it a try. By hisown admission, he was hooked onhis very first run with a sit-ski.

This year, he was back at the20th Clinic in April as part of anew program developed by VA andthe U.S. Olympic Committee thatprovides formal race training anddevelopment for disabled skiers.Those successful in the programcould be candidates for the U.S.Disabled Ski Team, of whichDevlin-Young has been a memberfor 14 years.

To many Clinic participants,Devlin-Young is not only a world-class athlete, but also an innovatorin disabled ski equipment andwheelchair accessible furniture.“Chris has shown a tireless dedica-tion to the advancement of mono-skiing and the continual improve-ment of his own racing,” said SandyTrombetta, director of the Clinic.“He really wants to give back andmake it easier and better for vetswho will come after him.”

Devlin-Young’s Accomplishments■ First U.S. athlete to win gold medals in two disability categories■ Ski Racing magazine’s 2003 Disabled Athlete of the Year■ Three-time Paralympian (1994, 2002 and 2006)■ Four-time Paralympic medalist (two gold, two silver)■ Flag bearer for 2006 U.S. Paralympic team during the Opening Ceremony ofthe IX Paralympic Winter Games■ 2005 World Cup Super-G champion■ 2005 World Cup Grand Slalom runner-up■ 2005 X Games Sit-Skier Mono-Cross champion

Chris Devlin-Young, center, was awarded the “Downhill Ski Instructor Extraordinaire”award during the closing ceremonies at the 2006 National Disabled Veterans Winter SportsClinic held April 2-7 in Snowmass Village, Colo. At left is DAV National Commander PaulW. Jackson; at right is VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield.

By Lana Shuman

GENE DAVIES

VAnguardaround headquarters

24 March/April 2006

With deadly diabetes andobesity at significantly higherlevels among America’s veter-ans, VA and the Departmentof Health and Human Ser-vices are teaming up to edu-cate veterans and their fami-lies about how to combatthese health issues.

“Inactive lifestyles andunhealthy eating habits cancause needless suffering forAmerica’s veterans,” said VASecretary Jim Nicholson.“Diabetes and obesity aremajor threats to the healthand lifestyles of our veterans,deserving a robust campaignto better educate them onhealthy habits.”

Veterans are more likelythan the general populationto have diabetes, one of themajor complications associ-ated with being overweight.According to the AmericanDiabetes Association, 7 per-cent of the U.S. population

has diabetes, and the rate in-creases with age. Among vet-erans receiving VA healthcare, who are on averageolder than the general popu-lation, the rate is 20 percent.

“Central to our goal ofcontrolling the cost of heathcare is the promotion ofwellness, fitness and the pre-vention of chronic disease.We are working to encourageAmericans to adopt a healthylifestyle and to take responsi-bility for making wisechoices to improve their fit-ness and health,” said HHSSecretary Mike Leavitt.

At a news conference atthe National Press Club inWashington, D.C., on Feb.27, Secretary Nicholson, Sec-retary Leavitt, Surgeon Gen-eral Dr. Richard H.Carmona and VA Under Sec-retary for Health Dr.Jonathan B. Perlin an-nounced the launch of a

VA and HHS Target Diabetes, Obesity Among American Veterans

campaign called HealthierUSVeterans—a multi-prongededucational effort to spurhealthy eating and physicalactivity among veterans, theirfamilies and their communi-ties.

VA medical centers willpromote nutrition and exer-cise with local groups in 40communities that receivegrants from HHS through aprogram called Steps to aHealthierUS.

“Our servicemen andwomen are known for theirextraordinarily high levels offitness,” said Perlin. “Wewant our veterans to be iden-tified the same way.”

Overweight patients re-ceiving VA health care mayparticipate in weight lossprograms tailored to theirneeds. They may also receivepedometers, diet advisoriesand “prescriptions” suggest-ing how much to walk, or, in

the case of wheelchair users,how much to roll.

The two secretaries alsoplan to kick off regional edu-cational campaigns thisspring in four cities whereVA and HHS Steps programscollaborate. Local celebritiesand members of veterans ser-vice organizations will be in-vited to participate.

In May, the HealthierUS Veterans program willparticipate with the Presi-dent’s Council on PhysicalFitness in the council’s an-nual rally in Washington.

The efforts of VA employeesin the wake of HurricanesKatrina and Rita were recog-nized Feb. 27 when the de-partment received the presti-gious Public Spirit Awardfrom the American LegionAuxiliary.

“My VA colleagues re-sponded to that epic tragedywith selflessness and hero-ism,” said VA Secretary JimNicholson, who accepted theaward on behalf of the de-partment. “VA employeesacted heroically even in theface of catastrophic personalloss.”

The Public Spirit Awardis traditionally given to indi-viduals, but American LegionAuxiliary National PresidentCarol Van Kirk nominatedthe entire department for be-ing what she called “an ex-ample of a true successstory.”

Past recipients of theaward include RonaldReagan, Madeleine Albrightand Colin Powell.

American LegionAuxiliary HonorsVA for Katrina Aid

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson speaks at the news conference announcing the launch of the HealthierUSVeterans campaign. Joining him are, from left, VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Jonathan Perlin,Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, and Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona.

ROBERT TURTIL

VAnguard

March/April 2006 25

around headquarters

For five years, VA’s Centerfor Veterans Enterprise hasbeen going to bat for veter-ans who want to be their

own bosses. The center hashelped thousands of veteransstart or grow small businessesand secure government con-

tracts. It has also helped fed-eral agencies meet goals forawarding contracts to busi-nesses owned by service-dis-

abled veterans.“We have a whole array

of services,” said ScottDenniston, the center’s direc-tor. “We understood fromthe very beginning that wecouldn’t do business develop-ment from Washington, sowe have engaged a wholenetwork of partners aroundthe country that can helpveterans grow small busi-nesses, get financing or workwith the federal govern-ment.”

The center’s staff cel-ebrated the milestone onMarch 14 by hosting anopen house at VA CentralOffice. Veteran entrepreneurslike Danny M. Cobb werethere to find out more aboutservices the center offers. TheMarine Corps veteran startedhis Maryland-based business,Meridian Solutions, in Feb-ruary.

For more informationabout the center, go towww.vetbiz.gov.

Center for Veterans Enterprise Celebrates 5th Anniversary

Scott Denniston, left, director of VA’s Center for Veterans Enterprise, talks with Danny Cobb, a MarineCorps veteran who recently started his own business in Frederick, Md., at the center’s open househeld in VA Central Office on March 14.

ROBERT TURTIL

Looking for a summerschool program for the kids,a fitness program for you,adult day care for an agingparent? Help is a mouse clickor phone call away thanks toWorkLife4You, the employeesupport service sponsored bythe VA Office of Human Re-sources Management and La-bor Relations. This em-ployer-paid benefit, availableto VA organizations thatchoose to participate, pro-vides comprehensive educa-tional materials, personalizedreferrals and an interactiveWeb site to assist employeeswith work and life responsi-bilities.

WorkLife4You is avail-able 24/7 by telephone (800-222-0364) and the Web(www.worklife4you.com) toassist you with the followingissues:■ child care and parenting –care options, centers, in-home care, child safety,parenting resources, etc.■ adult care and aging –short- and long-term care op-tions, caregiving resources,retirement, etc.■ daily needs – home im-provement, pet care, reloca-tion, travel, time/stress man-agement, etc.■ pregnancy and adoption –prenatal care, birthing op-

tions, breastfeeding, domesticand international adoptionresources, etc.■ health and wellness – exer-cise programs, weight loss,nutrition, safety, etc.■ education – pre-K to col-lege, financial aid and schol-arships, special needs pro-grams, etc.■ financial/legal – free con-sultations with financialcounselors (for credit repair/debt management) and freeattorney consultations on upto three new legal topics peryear.

Management officialsinterested in obtaining fur-ther information or having

their organizations partici-pate in the WorkLife4YouProgram should contactWorklife and Benefits ServiceDirector Maxcine Sterling at202-273-9924 or by e-mailat Maxcine.Sterling@va.gov.

Participating employeessimply log on to the WorkLife4You Web site at www.worklife4you.com or call 800-222-0364 (TTY 888-262-7848) to personally discusstheir needs with a WorkLife4You specialist. New usersneed only enter the followingregistration code: dva. Ques-tions about access to the site?Call the help desk at 888-604-9565.

WorkLife4You: Help is a Mouse Click or a Phone Call Away

VAnguardaround headquarters

26 March/April 2006

Monday, May 29, at 3 p.m. local time, Major League Base-ball games will stop, Amtrak train whistles will blast acrossthe nation and hundreds of other nationwide participants willask Americans to pause for the Memorial Day National Mo-ment of Remembrance. The “Moment” was established by anact of Congress to honor those who died in service to ourcountry.

Other participants include military installations, veteransservice organizations, schools, hospitals, shopping malls, na-

tional parks, airports and buslines.

All citizens, alone or withfamily and friends, whereverthey happen to be at 3 p.m.that day, are asked to pause fora moment of reflection and re-dedication to give somethingback to the country inmemory of the nation’s fallen.The goal is to put “Memorial”back into Memorial Day. AGallup poll revealed that only28 percent of Americans knowthe meaning of the holiday.

“We want Americans to contemplate those things thatbind us together. The legacy of those who died to make thiscountry better—from the Revolutionary War to thepresent—is something that strengthens and unites us. Wewant every child to say, ‘I know why I am free and I knowwho died for my freedom,’” said Carmella LaSpada, directorof the White House Commission on Remembrance.

Congress passed Public Law 106-579 in 2000, establish-

Americans Asked to Unite in Remembrance on Memorial Day

On the eve of Memorial Day, an annual tradition honorsthe bravery and sacrifice of America’s servicemen andwomen. The National Memorial Day Concert, broadcastlive on PBS from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, isdedicated to all Americans who have served or madethe ultimate sacrifice for their country.

This year’s concert, airing May 28 at 8 p.m. EasternTime, will focus on two major themes: honoring thecontributions of the citizen soldiers serving in the Na-tional Guard, and paying tribute to the brave pilotswho flew with the Air Force during World War II—in-cluding the more than 90,000 combat casualties andmore than 30,000 men who lost their lives

Co-hosted by actors Gary Sinise and JoeMantegna, the concert will feature performances byactors Charles Durning, Peter Gallagher and DianneWiest; country singers Big & Rich and Lee AnnWomack; and opera singer Frederica von Stade, whowill be joined by the National Symphony Orchestra un-der the direction of maestro Erich Kunzel.

National Memorial Day Concert

ing the White House Commission on Remembrance. Its pur-pose is to promote the “Moment” and the values of MemorialDay through acts of remembrance throughout the year. VA isa partner with the commission in this cause.

The continuing success of itsindustry-leading electronicmedical records system hasearned VA a prestigious na-tional award in informationtechnology.

The award cites VA’scollaboration with the De-partment of Defense onshared electronic medicalrecords for patients receivingcare from both departments.The award was given by theAmerican Council for Tech-nology, an organization of in-dustry and government ex-ecutives who work togetherto improve the government’s

computerized programs.“VA patients see the

benefits of our electronic pa-tient records every time a labtest isn’t repeated because theresults were lost, when healthcare professionals can see X-rays on their laptops, whenpharmacy prescriptions don’tconflict with other medica-tions,” said VA Secretary JimNicholson. “The VA-DoDpartnership will provide thesame high-quality records forall the patients treated byboth departments.”

Called the BidirectionalHealth Information Ex-

VA Receives Major Award for Electronic Information Sharing

change, the VA-DoD systempermits the secure exchangeof medical records, therebyavoiding duplicate testing oreven surgeries. Currently,nine military medical centersare able to accept data fromVA. All VA facilities can re-ceive the military’s healthcare information electroni-cally. The kinds of data ex-changed so far include demo-graphic information on pa-tients, outpatient pharmaceu-ticals, laboratory and radiol-ogy test results and drug andfood allergies.

“An integrated health

technology system that al-lows for the real-time transferof patient information is thefuture of medicine,” said VAUnder Secretary for HealthDr. Jonathan B. Perlin. “Wewill continue to collaboratewith DoD and all our federalhealth care partners until thatfuture becomes reality.”

The Excellence.Govaward is for collaborativetechnologies proven effectivein meeting objectives in busi-ness and service improve-ments and using acceptedbest standards and practicesfor shared information.

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March/April 2006 27

around headquarters

When the phrase “cream ofthe crop” comes up in federalrecruitment discussions, thePresidential ManagementFellows Program is usuallypart of the conversation.

After 27 years, this pro-gram still attracts outstand-ing young men and womenfrom a variety of academicdisciplines to federal employ-ment by providing a directpath from academic achieve-ment to a federal manage-ment career.

Each year the Office ofPersonnel Management(OPM) determines the num-ber that will be accepted intothe program. Graduate stu-dents are nominated by ac-credited colleges and univer-

sities for a fellowship thatpromises “a rigorous two-yearpaid program, including upto 80 hours of classroomtraining per year, challengingassignments, accelerated pro-motions, developmentallearning and networking op-portunities” with a federalagency that can select themon-the-spot without job an-nouncements, ratings, regis-ters and long waits. Aftersuccessful completion of thetwo-year fellowship, the fel-low can convert to federal ca-reer status, giving the fellowa promising career and VA afuture leader.

VA has hired more than100 fellows through the yearsand many are now successful

senior executives within thedepartment. The programhelps VA meet workforce andsuccession planning needs byproviding a source of emerg-ing leaders in all functionalmanagement areas. Facilitieslike the Pittsburgh VA Medi-cal Center incorporate theprogram into their formalsuccession and recruitmentplans.

Instant access to out-standing graduate studentsfrom diverse social and cul-tural backgrounds is theprogram’s primary appeal tofederal agencies hungry fortalent. OPM makes it eveneasier for agency recruiters byholding an annual PMF jobfair in Washington, D.C.

The job fair offers agenciesthe opportunity to meet andinterview PMFs interested intheir missions and careerfields.

Job fair PMFs are pre-screened and qualified byOPM at the GS-9 level. Anagency may appoint at theGS-9 level, and if qualified, afellow may be appointed atthe GS-11 or GS-12 levels.Prequalification means man-agers can hire fellows imme-diately, but employers havethe opportunity to hire fel-lows up to one year afterthey have been selected as aPMF finalist.

So, for those who were

VA and the National GuardBureau have teamed up toensure Guard members re-turning from active-duty de-ployments are aware of thebenefits available to them.

The Guard has hired re-cently returned combat veter-ans to work as State BenefitsAdvisors in each state andterritory. The 54 new SBAsare graduates of a specialtraining program conductedin February at the VeteransBenefits Academy in Balti-more to increase their knowl-edge of VA benefits and ser-vices.

The training focused onpreparing them to assist theirfellow returning combat vet-erans and building coalitionsamong state veterans affairsoffices, veterans service orga-nizations, VA and commu-nity groups.

VA Teams With National Guardto Train State Benefits Advisors

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson signs a plan to reorganize thedepartment’s information technology management in his of-fice on March 22. Looking on are (from left) Deputy Secre-tary Gordon Mansfield, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secre-tary Robert Howard, Chief of Staff Tom Bowman and Assis-tant Secretary for Information and Technology RobertMcFarland. The reorganization is aimed at streamlining andmodernizing the IT environment throughout VA by bringing ITresources under more centralized control. The new federatedIT system model will place VA’s IT budget, along with IT pro-fessionals involved in operations and maintenance, directlyunder the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology.IT workers involved in system development will remain un-der their respective administrations and staff offices.

“As advocates for veter-ans, these new advisors willease the transition for newlydischarged veterans back totheir home communities,”said VA Secretary JimNicholson.

“We’re proud to haveour newest generation of he-roes join with VA to helptheir fellow combat veter-ans.”

In addition to advisingtheir state’s adjutant generaland governor, the SBAs willserve as statewide points ofcontact for Guard membersand their families, employersupport groups and militarypersonnel. They will also par-ticipate in the mobilizationand demobilization processfor Guard and Reserve unitsin their state, providing in-formation materials on VAbenefits and services.

PMF Program Helps VA Recruit Potential Future Leaders

(continued on p. 28)

IT Reorganization LaunchedEMERSON SANDERS

VAnguardintroducing

28 March/April 2006

not able to participate in thisyear’s job fair April 10-12,there is still time. Just checkwith the VA Office of Hu-man Resources Marketingand Veterans EmploymentOutreach Service.

In that office the PMFcoordinator is responsible forthe recruitment and hiring ofPMFs, and serves as a pointof contact with OPM. Theoffice works with VA’s three

administrations and staff of-fices to determine how manyPMFs the department willbring on board each year.

The Human ResourcesDevelopment Service (HRD)provides program guidancefor PMFs and PMF supervi-sors about their roles and re-sponsibilities, and supportfor leadership development,orientation and mentoring.HRD staff monitor fellows’

progress in meeting programcompletion requirements, re-view the Individual Develop-ment Plans and performanceplans, and manage the certi-fication process for VA’s Ex-ecutive Development Com-mittee.

For more informationabout the PMF Program,contact Debra Walker atdebra.walker@va.gov or 202-273-8922 or Janice Lucas at

PMF cont. from page 27

Craig Fishbein

janice.lucas@va.gov or 202-273-9819 in Marketing andVeterans Outreach, orCynthia Leach at cynthia.leach@va.gov or 202-273-9761 or Anna Doroshawanna.doroshaw@va.gov or202-273-9466 in HumanResources Development.

Complete details aboutthe PMF program are avail-able on the OPM Web atwww.pmf.opm.gov.

“I live on the road,” CraigFishbein says while rotatingstock at the Fort Wayne,Ind., VA Medical Centercanteen store. Or is he 85miles away at the BattleCreek, Mich., VAMC? Helooks around and laughs athis own confusion. It’s un-derstandable; Fishbein calcu-lates he’s on travel 80 percentof the time.

This dual assignment inthe nation’s upper Midwestfollows a one-month detail tothe Memphis, Tenn., VAMedical Center canteen. He’sbeen hopping between sites“fixing things,” as he puts it.

There are 181 VeteransCanteen Service (VCS) caf-eterias and retail sites at VAfacilities nationwide, sup-ported by some 3,000 em-ployees. When challengescrop up at any location, can-teen service managers turn toFishbein.

Michael Rabdau, VCSWashington liaison officer,says Fishbein goes whereverhe’s needed as a goodwill am-bassador and fix-it man. “Inthe past few years, he’s man-aged more operations thananyone else in the service.We’ve seen legendary im-provements in operations”thanks to his efforts.

“I never know what I’llbe doing until I get to a loca-tion,” says Fishbein, 41,whose responsibilities run thegamut of the retail world,from opening cafeterias andcanteens to general opera-tions management, trainingnew managers, procurement,computer automation sys-tems, re-stocking shelves,baking bread and manningthe food line.

Fishbein’s bachelor’s de-gree in hotel and restaurantmanagement from WidenerUniversity in Chester, Pa.,led to accounting and man-agement positions with Holi-day Inn, IHOP, Denny’s andPhiladelphia’s Wanamaker’sdepartment store.

He came to theTuscaloosa, Ala., VAMC 11years ago as a certified di-etary manager. “It was totalculture shock for me,”Fishbein says. “I’d heard ofgrits, but I’d never seenthem, never ate them. Ididn’t know a black-eyed peafrom a crowder pea, wasn’tsure if a rutabaga was fruit,vegetable or animal.”

For the next six years hesoaked up experience as amanagement trainee, cafete-ria assistant chief, associatecanteen chief and office man-

ager.Travel began to be part

of the job in 1996 when hemoved from Tuscaloosa tothe Birmingham VAMC.Then it was on to VA medi-cal centers in St. Louis,Shreveport, La., North LittleRock, Ark., and Waco, Texas.“I liked Waco, my first stopin Texas. I’m a Texan-by-transfer,” he laughs, betray-ing a slight Philly accent.Fishbein’s last permanentduty station was Houston,where he served as assistantchief, supervising 34 employ-ees, with average sales of$5,000 per day. He left thatsite as office manager.

Fishbein’s life on theroad started in earnest in Oc-tober 2003. First stop was

Brockton, Mass., for a five-week program that lasted ayear. “It’s November, I’m inthe Northeast, do I need tobuy a coat?” he recalls askinghimself at the time.

Brockton led to Pitts-burgh, then to Central Of-fice in Washington, D.C.Promoted to operations spe-cialist, his responsibilitieshave taken him to VA can-teen sites in ManchesterN.H., Albany N.Y., and 10other cities, with the nextscheduled stop inChillicothe, Ohio. “If Craigever makes it to your neck ofthe woods,” says Rabdau,“welcome him, greet himand thank him for the greatjob he’s doing for us.”

Fishbein

PATRICK GAULT

By Robert Turtil

VAnguard

March/April 2006 29

medical advances

stained from smoking for theprevious six months. Com-pared with the standard caregroup, those receiving phonecounseling were more likelyto use other techniques tostop smoking, includingsmoking cessation counselingprograms and medications.They also made more at-tempts to quit smoking thanthose in the control group.

“At a minimum, tele-phone care for smoking ces-sation should be made avail-able to veterans who are in-terested in stopping smok-ing,” concluded study leadLawrence C. An, M.D. Hesaid the study supports rec-ommendations for a nationalnetwork of “quitlines” thatwould make telephone coun-seling available to all tobaccousers in the U.S.

This study was reportedin the March 13 issue of Ar-chives of Internal Medicine.

Genomic MedicineInitiative UnderwayVA formally launched a newgenomic medicine initiativein March by naming an advi-sory panel composed of sci-entific and medical experts,ethicists and veterans serviceorganization representativesto help the department estab-lish policies for using geneticinformation to optimizemedical care of veterans andto enhance development oftests and treatments for dis-eases particularly relevant toveterans.

“VA is moving to amodel of care in which careis tailored specifically to theneeds and challenges of indi-vidual patients,” said VA Un-der Secretary for Health Dr.Jonathan Perlin. “Genomicmedicine will help us movefrom providing medicine thatis preventative to medicinethat is predictive.”

Pharmacogenomics, us-ing analysis of a patient’sDNA to customize drugtreatment, will be at the cen-ter of the new program.

Research shows thatvariations in a person’s DNAcan affect response to a par-ticular drug. A University ofWashington team showedlast year that variations in agene called VKORC1 canpredict, to a significant ex-tent, how a patient will re-spond to the anti-clottingdrug warfarin. Too little ofthe drug can result in clots,too much cause bleeding. Itcan sometimes take doctorsmonths to determine theideal dose for a patient. WithDNA testing, the right dosecould be set with one officevisit and complicationsavoided.

According to VA chiefresearch and development of-ficer Dr. Joel Kupersmith, ge-nomic data will be integrated

into VA’s electronic medicalrecords system.

“Starting a genomicmedicine program may bethe most significant initiativefor VA health care since thecomputerized medicalrecord,” he said. “And thiscan build on the success ofVA’s computerized medicalrecord, so this is a very excit-ing project.”

Kupersmith also notedthat discussions on ethics andprivacy issues will be an im-portant focus as the programbegins.

The Veterans HealthAdministration Office of Re-search and Development hasalready issued requests-for-proposals for a pharmaco-genomics analysis laboratoryto spearhead work on thisinitiative.

Pregnancy Complica-tions May Lead to HeartDisease, Early DeathAn analysis of health data onpregnant women by aDurham, N.C., VA MedicalCenter/Duke University re-search team indicates thatpregnant women who experi-ence numerous complica-tions, such as preeclampsia,gestational diabetes orpreterm birth, may also be atincreased risk of developingheart disease and early death.

The study associatedpregnancy complicationswith an independent 60 per-cent risk for development ofcardiovascular disease and amore than two-fold increasedrisk of death from any cause.The researchers also con-cluded that women who con-tinue to smoke during preg-nancy not only harm theirfetus, but more than doubletheir risk of all-cause deathand nearly triple their risk ofcardiac death. Smoking alsoalmost doubles a woman’s

risk of developing coronaryartery disease.

The study’s authornoted that pregnancy com-plications can have lasting ef-fects on the cardiovascularsystem and may be seen asearly warning signs of futureheart disease and mortalityrisk. The findings were pre-sented in March at a meetingof the American College ofCardiology in Atlanta.

Telephone CounselingHelps Smokers QuitSmokers who received tele-phone care and counselinghad higher rates of quittingthe habit than those who re-ceived routine smoking cessa-tion care by health care pro-viders, according to a studyconducted by a MinneapolisVA Medical Center/Univer-sity of Minnesota researchteam.

The researchers studied837 daily smokers who re-ceived care at five VA medi-cal centers. All participantscommitted to quit smokingwithin 30 days.

The 420 smokers in thestandard care group weremailed self-help materialsand had continued access tosmoking cessation servicesthrough their medical cen-ters. The 417 in the tele-phone care group receivedcounseling sessions using atelephone care protocol con-sisting of seven calls over atwo-month period, with ad-ditional calls at the counse-lor’s discretion.

After three months, 39.6percent of the telephone caregroup had not smoked in theprevious seven days, com-pared with 10.1 percent inthe standard care group. Atthe one-year mark, 13 per-cent of the telephone groupand 4.1 percent of the stan-dard care group had ab-

A study by Minneapolis VA Medical Centerand University of Minnesota researchersfound that smokers who received telephonecounseling had higher rates of quitting thehabit than those who got routine smokingcessation care.

ROBERT TURTIL

VAnguardhave you heard

30 March/April 2006

‘These heroes could be your neighbors’

Working at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center campus steeps employees in history. The buildings and mission of thecampus date to the end of the Civil War when President Lincoln signed the National Asylum for Disabled Volunteer Sol-diers Act. One of those original “asylums” was built inMilwaukee and became today’s VA medical center.

Inspired by their facility’s history, a group of Mil-waukee VAMC employees came together a few yearsago to research and recognize the contributions of Afri-can American volunteers who fought in the Union Armyduring the Civil War. They formed Company F, 29th In-fantry Regiment, United States Colored Troops, a unitoriginally composed of free black men from the upperMidwest.

Each June, Company F, outfitted in authentic-styleuniforms and equipment, march at the Reclaiming OurHeritage event on the medical center campus (to beheld June 3 and 4 this year). They show and tell theirstory at local schools, and perform in community pa-rades, reenactments and camp life portrayals through-out the area. VA Research Service employee JackTomlinson, co-founder of the historic unit, said, “One of our primary aims is to educate Americans that freedom is notfree. We must never forget the many battlefields that have been saturated with the blood of black American manhood.”

Steeped in history at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center

Milwaukee VA Medical Center EEO Manager Charles Wallace speaksto schoolchildren at Milwaukee’s Civil War School Day.

Two of the models for the mural, Sgt. Jackson Eversole andJoe Idol, share a moment after the dedication ceremony atthe Winston-Salem VA Regional Office.

The VA regional office in Winston-Salem, N.C., now has a large four-panel mural by local artist Patti Hricinak Sheetsentitled “Honor” dedicated to the men and women serving in the armed forces throughout the 20th century. A dedica-tion ceremony featuring the artist was held in March as part of the regional office’s VA 75th anniversary program. The

mural depicts veterans served by VA who defended the na-tion from World War I through Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The artwork focuses on faces of servicemembers pre-sented slightly larger than life size at eye level. “I wantedthis to be personal, to create an intimacy with the viewer,”said Sheets. “I focused on those who served in conflicts thiscentury, where the individuals or their spouses and childrenare still alive. These heroes could be your neighbors.”

Sheets approached the VA regional office in 2005 andasked to donate a mural for display in the building. She notonly donated her time over the last nine months, but alsomost of the materials. A few small businesses and some in-dividuals made donations to Sheets to cover part of her ex-penses.

“We were thrilled to be asked to host this mural,” saidJohn Montgomery, director of the Winston-Salem VA Re-gional Office. “We serve tens of thousands of veterans and

dependents every year through our various benefit programs at this office, but we try to never lose sight that each ofthem are individuals who have served their country. Patti’s mural really captures that spirit. It is a tribute to her patrio-tism.”

VINCE HANCOCK

ALEX SUKYS

VAnguard honors and awards

March/April 2006 31

to him at the VA medicalcenter in San Antonio. Thecitation reads, in part: “Forexceptionally meritoriousservice ... while serving inpositions of increasing re-sponsibility, culminating inhis assignment as BrigadeCommander, 130th FieldArtillery Brigade, KansasArmy National Guard ...”

Irene Trowell-Harris,above, director of the VACenter for Women Veter-ans and retired Air Force

David J. Casarett,M.D., left, a physi-cian at the Phila-delphia VA Medi-cal Center and as-sistant professor ofmedicine at theUniversity of Penn-sylvania School ofMedicine, is thefirst recipient ofthe William A.Nelson Award forExcellence in

Health Care Ethics. The award, sponsored by the VHANational Center for Ethics in Health Care, was estab-lished to recognize VHA employees whose careers ex-hibit the highest standards of excellence, dedicationand accomplishment in the field of health care ethics.Throughout his career, Casarett has promoted ethicalhealth care practices through his focus on end of lifecare issues. He was instrumental in developing a pallia-tive care program at the Philadelphia VAMC andworked to provide hospice services for veterans thereand throughout the VA health care system. The award,presented Feb. 14 by VA Under Secretary for HealthJonathan Perlin, M.D., is named in honor of a retired VAethics consultant and educator.

Kristin Nichol, M.D.,received the 2005 MinnesotaHospital Association’sCaregiver of the Year Award.Nichol is chief of medicine,director of the primary careand subspecialty medicineservice line at the Minneapo-lis VA Medical Center, and aprofessor in the Departmentof Medicine at the Universityof Minnesota. The awardrecognizes her contributionsin the delivery of patientcare, patient satisfaction, andcommunity health improve-ment efforts.

Nicholas Vano sharedthe Prudential Spirit ofCommunity Award as one oftwo top Arkansas state youth

Anthony Beazley, right, achaplain at the G.V.(Sonny) Montgomery VAMedical Center in Jack-son, Miss., who minis-tered to hundreds ofpeople affected by Hurri-cane Katrina, has beennamed a recipient of thisyear’s Distinguished Ser-vice Award from the Mili-tary Chaplains Associa-tion. Beazley was recog-nized for his tireless ef-forts and spiritual guid-ance in aiding employees,

A 21st century leader

Honoring ethics excellence

volunteers. The awards pro-gram, sponsored by Pruden-tial Financial and the Na-tional Association of Second-ary School Principals, recog-nizes a high school andmiddle school student fromeach state and the District ofColumbia for outstandingvolunteer work. The eighth-grader received his honor forvolunteering three days aweek at the John L.McClellan Memorial Veter-ans Hospital in Little Rock.He assisted veterans at theAdult Day Health Care Unit,escorting them to differentclinical units, deliveringmeals and helping with ac-tivities. The Central Arkansas

Veterans Healthcare Systemnominated Vano for thehonor.

South Texas VeteransHealth Care System Chiefof Social Work MiltonAyala was awarded the Le-gion of Merit for his servicein the Kansas Army Na-tional Guard. Two Guardofficials presented the award

veterans and family mem-bers who were displacedbecause of Katrina.

general, has been namedone of Women’s eNews’21 Leaders for the 21stCentury and will be hon-ored along with her 20 fel-low awardees at a galapresentation event at Tav-ern on the Green in NewYork City on May 16.Women’s eNews is an in-dependent news serviceusing the Internet to dis-tribute high-quality jour-nalism to other media out-lets and opinion leadersas well as to a general au-dience.

Aiding Katrina victims

VAnguardheroes

32 March/April 2006

Alert response saves a life

Pam Canter, R.N., right, home/telehealth care coordina-tor at the Mountain Home, Tenn., VA Medical Center,recently went to aveteran’s home to installequipment and orient thepatient to a telemessagingsystem. When she arrivedat his door, she could seehim sitting on the sofa, buthe didn’t respond to herknocks on the locked door.

Concerned, Canterconsidered using an axeshe found lying on thefront porch to breakthrough the glass door.The presence of two dogs on the porch dissuaded herfrom taking that action.

She tried dialing the veteran’s phone number, buther cell phone couldn’t connect. The veteran’s es-tranged wife arrived, and seeing that the man was un-responsive, she told Canter she would break throughthe back entrance with the axe.

Canter went back to her vehicle and called 911 us-ing her car’s “Onstar” system. That call was routed tothe appropriate authorities. The wife was able to gainaccess into the home and rushing in, Canter quickly as-certained that the veteran was in trouble, breathing justsix times per minute. Paramedics finally arrived at thescene and transported the man to the hospital, wherehe was treated and survived.

President’s Day Week-end took an interesting turnfor employees at the AtlantaVA Medical Center. EarlySaturday morning, a womandrove to the first hospital shecould find and gave birth toa healthy baby boy in thehallway of the VA. “I reallydidn’t have time to bescared,” said VA police of-ficer Quintin Dozier, whowas conducting her hospitalrounds when she heard aman yelling for help: “She’shaving a baby, and I thinkshe’s having it now.” Al-though the man spoke little

English, it was clear that thewoman with him was givingbirth at that very moment.Dozier instructed the womanto lie down as she helped de-liver the baby. “The baby wasalready born, so I just con-tinued to guide the babydown her leg and turned himover, which is when hestarted coughing and cryingon his own.” Medical staffrushed to the scene andtransported the woman andnewborn to the emergencyroom for evaluation. Motherand son were later transferredto Grady Hospital for follow-

up care. This was the firstbaby born at the Atlanta VAMedical Center since itopened some four decadesago.

Miami VA HealthcareSystem electrician JimmyFerguson was dirt bike ridingin the Everglades when hewitnessed an all-terrain ve-hicle flip, leaving a girl andher mother severely injured.He called 911, giving theirexact location miles from thenearest road. A helicopterwas dispatched and airliftedthe victims to the nearesthospital. Ferguson credits thelife safety skills learned dur-ing his 20 years at the VA forpreparing him for the situa-tion.

While on official travelto Washington, D.C., ChrisJones, an IT specialist at theAmarillo VA Health CareSystem, and Scott Ross, anelectronics technician, wit-nessed a pickup truck runinto safety barrels at an inter-state exit ramp. Within mo-ments, another car plowedinto the rear of a vehicle thathad slowed for the accident.Jones jumped from his ve-hicle to render aid to the ini-tial victim, while Ross called911 and checked the othercars for injured. Jones offeredaid to the first victim until apolice officer arrived. Jonescontinued to direct traffic,helping to prevent additionalaccidents until he was re-lieved by emergency services.

Marlon Harmon, a po-lice officer at the Michael E.DeBakey VA Medical Cen-ter in Houston, and EdnaMoreno-Vega, a registerednurse, were traveling sepa-rately when they witnessed atraffic accident, and both im-mediately went to assist.Harmon pulled over and ranto offer aid while his wifecalled 911. Moreno-Vega

stopped to assist the victimsas police and emergency per-sonnel arrived. Suddenly asecond accident occurred atthe scene when a van fatallystruck an aid provider, thencrashed into an ambulance.Emergency personnel andHarmon ran to those victimswhile Moreno-Vega stayedwith the injured passengersof the first crash. Passengersfrom the van were screamingand running into the high-way. Harmon helped graband get them to the safety ofthe shoulder. As EMS per-sonnel took care of the in-jured, Moreno-Vega andHarmon calmed several teen-age witnesses who were inemotional distress. In a situa-tion where chaos reigned, VAemployees teamed up to pro-vide life-saving assistance andemotional support.

Karen Scofield, a voca-tional rehabilitation counse-lor at the Indianapolis VARegional Office, had beenexchanging phone calls withone of her veterans, a BallState University student,concerning his program. Onemorning he called and left anincoherent message. Shecalled him back, but was un-able to get any lucid re-sponses from him. Notingthat he is service-connectedfor diabetes, she kept him onthe line and gave the phoneto a fellow employee, NancyBennington. Scofield thencalled the Ball State campuspolice and explained the situ-ation. They agreed to investi-gate. She returned to herphone and talked to the vet-eran until the police arrived.She spoke to the police of-ficer and explained that theveteran was not drunk or ondrugs, but was most likelyexperiencing insulin shock.The police took him to theemergency room.

DOUG ALLEN