WASHINGTON, DC—It can take upwards of 15 or 20 years to develop an evidence-based therapy, clinically prove its effectiveness, and then disseminate pertinent information across the population of patients that need it. When that population involves the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, which serves four million veterans throughout hundreds of facilities, it might be expected that dissemination of information could take much longer.

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WASHINGTON, DC—The ancient Greeks called it fear-shedding. In the Civil War it was known as Soldier’s Heart. In the first World War, it was shell-shock. After Vietnam, it was combat fatigue. And after the Gulf War, it was known first as post-traumatic stress syndrome, and then PTSD, explained Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the kick-off to the joint VA/DoD mental health summit held here last month.

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BETHESDA, MD—The National Institutes of Health kicked off the month of October by announcing that $5 billion in Recovery Act funds have been allocated to research in the form of about 12,000 grants. Funding is being channeled into research devoted to autism, cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart disease and other high priority areas. The $5 billion being dispersed is a portion of the total $10.4 billion that NIH will receive through the Act over the course of two years. That, in turn, is part of $100 billion included in the Recovery Act for investment in science and technology.

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NATIONAL NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER—Smoke fills the hallways as emergency responders move quickly to rescue the bloody victims who lay lifelessly on the floor in a damaged building. While the scenario is treated with the seriousness of a real event, it is a simulated mass casualty drill held by the Bethesda Hospitals’ Emergency Preparedness Partnership.

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WASHINGTON—Like health officials in the general public, military health officials are burdened with the toll that smoking takes on its beneficiaries. An Institute of Medicine study released in June of this year reported that fewer than one in five Americans uses tobacco, but more than 30% of active-duty military personnel and about 22% of veterans use tobacco.

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Traditionally during a foreign conflict, the National Guard and Army Reserve operate domestically, while active duty service members are almost solely responsible for deploying to theatre. However, at the onset of the 1990-1991 Gulf War, this practice changed. The Reserve component was called up to comprise roughly 17% of the total deployed force.

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The NIH is investing a portion of its Recovery Act funding to support research to better understand the human immune response to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including those that may be introduced into a community through acts of bioterrorism.

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Report Shows Many Substance Abuse Treatment Referrals Come From Criminal Justice System

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued its latest Treatment Episode Data set report last month. According to the report, the criminal justice system was the largest single source of referrals to substance abuse treatment programs, accounting for 37% of all admissions (approximately 671,000 of the 1.8 million admissions).

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THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS KICKED OFF a “Green Routine” campaign to commemorate Energy Awareness Month. The campaign is designed to increase the awareness among VA employees of their environmental impact as individuals and as members of the federal government. The campaign includes VA’s new “Green Routine” Web site devoted to helpful environmental tips, ( www.va.gov/greenroutine), release of a video featuring the VA Chief of Staff educating employees on how to “green” their workplace, and a toolkit designed to help VA employees implement the Green Routine.

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WASHINGTON, DC—The majority of VA facilities are up to code on colonoscopy reprocessing procedures, according to a recent investigation by the VA Office of the Inspector General. The investigation of 129 VA facilities was initiated after an unannounced inspection of 42 facilities in June revealed serious deficiencies in endoscopy procedures at those sites. Full Article