About a third, 34%, of veterans 28% of military healthcare beneficiaries are considered obese.
Metformin Appears Underused for T2D in Veterans
About 80 million prescriptions are written in the United States each year for metformin.
Sedative Selection Led to More Brain Dysfunction in COVID-19 ICU Patients
Whether because of drug shortages or other challenges, many hospital intensive care units apparently reverted to older protocols in treating early COVID-19 patients.
GAO Finds Problems With Oversight of Community Healthcare Providers
MISSION Act critics have raised alarms about the legislation consolidating and expanding VA’s community care program– that healthcare provided by non-VA providers would fail to meet VA’s standards.
“Meditation is allowing what is.”
“Meditation is allowing what is.” —Victor Davich
Indulge me for a moment. Move to a space where you are alone and can be comfortable. Close the door to the room you are in and turn off any nearby electronic devices that might command your attention. Do not worry; this will only occupy a few minutes of your time. Pick an object in the room and focus on it while taking two or three deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Then, gently close your eyes and focus your mind on the sensation of breathing.
VA Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Veterans With COPD
There’s some good news for veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Servicemembers With Asthma Can Breathe Easier About Deployment Risks
A significant number of servicemembers deployed to southwest Asia report an increase in respiratory symptoms during and after their tours of duty
Team Trains VA Health Professionals to Provide Better LGBT Care
As VA conducts a department-wide assessment of how it serves its LGBT veterans, agency leaders will likely discover what Jillian Shipherd, PhD, and Michael Kauth, PhD, have understood for years
Union Survey: VA Staff Not Adequately Protected Against COVID-19
From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, VA staff have complained about shortages of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect against the virus.
FDA Updates Covid-19 Vaccine Label to Urge Use of ‘Sixth Dose’
The Food and Drug Administration has approved an updated label for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, urging that the sixth dose in vaccine vials be used.
COVID-19 Mortality Increased at VA When ICUs Were Most Slammed
Strain on intensive care units at the VA during the COVID-19 pandemic appeared to increase patient mortality.
VA Emergency Care, Urgent Care Units Challenged by the Pandemic
Every aspect of VA hospitals has been affected by the ongoing pandemic, but emergency care and urgent care have been disproportionately challenged, according to a VA Office of the Inspector General report.
VA Hospitals Grapple with COVID-19 Readmissions, Post-Discharge Deaths
Two approved vaccines and a drop in cases and hospitalizations in late January provided a spot of light after a year of grim news on the COVID-19 front.
Trump Administration’s Last-Minute Attempt to Fire USU President Went Nowhere
DoD officials advocated for the firing of Richard Thomas, MD, DDS, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
Metabolic Changes Over Time Lead to RA
Rheumatoid arthritis tends to develop slowly over years. To better understand the process, a study looked at metabolic changes prior to RA onset using a large nontargeted metabolomics platform to identify novel pathways.
Depression Exacerbates Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis patients often suffer from depression which exacerbates disease activity and can decrease response to first-line disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.
More RA Disease Activity Linked to Higher Diabetes Risk
Considering that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a higher risk of diabetes mellitus, a new study sought to determine associations between inflammatory disease activity and incident DM.
Pharmacists Play Critical Role in VA’s Dual Missions with COVID-19 Vaccination
Throughout the pandemic, VA’s healthcare professionals have risen to the challenge of meeting two of the department’s missions: providing healthcare to veterans and improving the nation’s preparedness to national emergencies.