Non-Pharmacologic Approaches Being Tested, More Data Gathered
PITTSBURGH - Antidepressants and antipsychotic medications are being overused or prescribed inappropriately for residents of VA Community Living Centers (CLCs), according to recent research.

WASHINGTON - The VA has been under pressure by Congress to reform management of its policy of appointing fiduciaries to oversee care for veterans unable to do it themselves.

WASHINGTON — A group of federal medical facilities has earned accolades this fall for “exemplary” performance in using evidence-based care processes.

CHICAGO - More than 160,000 veterans treated by VA are considered legally blind, and another million have low vision that challenges daily activities.

WASHINGTON — The use of trained dogs has been accepted therapy since the 1960s for persons with visual, hearing and mobility impairments. Only recently, however, have service dogs been trained to assist men and women suffering from mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

BOSTON - A compound approved for treating traumatic brain injury (TBI) in nearly 60 countries does not appear to approve function or cognitive status in patients, according to a new study.

Former Military Personnel at Higher Risk
BETHESDA, MD - In late 2005, Thomas J. Murphy, a veteran who served in the Marine Corps during the 1970s, heard a radio advertisement seeking volunteers who were former smokers to participate in a lung cancer early detection CT screening study.

CHICAGO - If VA and DoD expect to use the Lovell Federal Healthcare Center (FHCC) in Chicago as a blueprint for future joint facility integration projects, the departments will need to develop some kind of way to evaluate the success or failure at Lovell - something they have yet to do, according to an Institute of Medicine report.

BETHESDA, MD — It never occurred to Lt. Col. Eric Holt, DO, that he wouldn’t fully recover from the multiple injuries — including traumatic brain injury — he suffered when an IED hit his vehicle in Afghanistan. The blast ripped the vehicle apart and threw Holt into a compound wall.

WEST HAVEN, CT - The median age of the 24,000 veterans with HIV receiving care at the VA today is 53 — and many look and feel far older.