VA needs to do more to ensure workforce equity, inclusion and diversity, especially in its senior leadership roles, according to legislators and employee advocates.
News
Infrastructure Costs to Modernize VA Could Cost Billions Extra
VA might have underestimated the physical infrastructure costs related to its electronic health record modernization effort by billions according to a VA Inspector General report analyzing the project costs.
Legislators Question VA’s Significantly Increased Budget Request
In its FY 2022 budget proposal, VA is asking Congress to provide the department with a 10% increase over 2021 funding levels.
Current Issue
Military Survey Shows Preferences for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery
Use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent human immunodeficiency virus transmission remains relatively low for U.S. military servicemembers. New research suggests, however, that better understanding their treatment preferences could increase uptake.
VA Begins Process to Offer Gender Confirming Surgery to Transgender Veterans
With VA’s announcement that it will begin initiating the process to offer gender confirmation surgery to transgender veterans.
COVID-19
WRAIR Tests Vaccine for COVID-19—and Future Pathogens
At Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, flexibility has been the watchword of the last 18 months. The team at WRAIR pivoted quickly from other work to focus on developing a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 as soon as the scientific community had access to the full genome in January 2020.
VA Emergency Medicine Chief Used Videocast to Share Ideas During Pandemic
As VA’s National Emergency Medicine chief, Chad Kessler, MD, appreciates the importance that communication plays in seeing people through a crisis.
Veterans Study Provides More Information on COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthroughs
More than 144 million people in the United States had been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-June, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA
“Fair winds and following seas”
On May 30, 2021, my eldest daughter, Susan, married Dan Hoffman at Kent Manor Inn. For everyone involved, this was the event marking our emergence from the past 14 months of pandemic delight.
Legislators Disagree on When, How VA Should Deal With Aging Facilities
The average age of VA’s healthcare facilities is now more than 50 years old. As those buildings have aged, the cost of maintaining them has risen, and VA has not always been able to keep up.
Best Strategies Determined for Stage 1 NSCLC in Veterans
What is the best strategy for managing veterans with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer with co-morbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronary artery disease?
Metformin Shows Promise in Treating Asthma-COPD Combination
A common diabetes drug has been shown to improve respiratory outcomes in asthma but its effects on COPD and the combination of asthma and COPD remained unknown.
Veterans With HIV Are Diagnosed With Heart Failure Earlier Than Those Without
Individuals infected with HIV have up to twice the risk of cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of heart failure (HF) compared to those without HIV
No Racial Disparity in Multiple Myeloma Treatment at VA
While recent studies have identified a significant and increasing disparity in survival among African American and Caucasian patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the United States, that does not appear to be the case at the VA.
Red Blood Cell Changes and Exercise in Veterans with GWI
Some types of altered red blood cells can affect patients’ ability to safely exert themselves. It has been unknown, however, whether that was the case with altered red blood cell (RBC) deformability reported in veterans with Gulf War Illness (GWI).
Nationwide VA Study Shows Disparities in Cardiovascular Care for Female Veterans
Women veterans with early-onset coronary artery disease are significantly less likely than men to receive medications that can prevent stroke, heart attack or peripheral arterial disease progression, according to a new nationwide study.
New Guidelines Emphasize Importance of Pinpointing Causes Of Transient Ischemic Attacks, Other Stroke Precursors
While it is well known that a stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) signals higher risk for stroke in the future, a new guideline emphasizes that identifying the cause of the initial event can better guide specific prevention strategies to reduce the risk of additional strokes.
OIG Finds That VA’s Computer Systems Remain Vulnerable to Cyberattacks
Although no data was stolen from VA’s computer systems during the 2020’s SolarWinds hack, cybersecurity remains a long-standing material weakness for the VA, agency overseers pointed out.
Oral Cavity Cancer Increasing in Military Men Compared to Civilians
Men in the active-duty military population differ somewhat from the United States’ general population in rates of oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer incidence, according to a recent study.
VA Recharges Efforts to Tackle In-House Equity, Inclusion, Diversity Issues
VA needs to do more to ensure workforce equity, inclusion and diversity, especially in its senior leadership roles, according to legislators and employee advocates.
Infrastructure Costs to Modernize VA Could Cost Billions Extra
VA might have underestimated the physical infrastructure costs related to its electronic health record modernization effort by billions according to a VA Inspector General report analyzing the project costs.
“Fair winds and following seas”
On May 30, 2021, my eldest daughter, Susan, married Dan Hoffman at Kent Manor Inn. For everyone involved, this was the event marking our emergence from the past 14 months of pandemic delight.
Legislators Disagree on When, How VA Should Deal With Aging Facilities
The average age of VA’s healthcare facilities is now more than 50 years old. As those buildings have aged, the cost of maintaining them has risen, and VA has not always been able to keep up.
Best Strategies Determined for Stage 1 NSCLC in Veterans
What is the best strategy for managing veterans with stage 1 non-small cell lung cancer with co-morbid chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or coronary artery disease?
Metformin Shows Promise in Treating Asthma-COPD Combination
A common diabetes drug has been shown to improve respiratory outcomes in asthma but its effects on COPD and the combination of asthma and COPD remained unknown.
Veterans With HIV Are Diagnosed With Heart Failure Earlier Than Those Without
Individuals infected with HIV have up to twice the risk of cardiovascular disease and an increased risk of heart failure (HF) compared to those without HIV