DoD officials advocated for the firing of Richard Thomas, MD, DDS, president of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
News
Denis McDonough Gets Bipartisan Confirmation as New VA Secretary
After what was a relatively easy, bipartisan confirmation process, Denis McDonough, President Joe Biden’s pick for VA secretary, is expected to be sworn in by early February.
Gen. Lloyd Austin Becomes First African American Defense Secretary
Lloyd J. Austin III made history when the retired four-star general was confirmed as the first African American Secretary of Defense last month.
Current Issue
VA Expands COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility to Veterans With COPD
There’s some good news for veterans with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Technology Helps Veterans Better Manage Diabetes During Pandemic Restrictions
Across the country, diabetes patients have faced extraordinary challenges throughout the pandemic.
New Veterans Health Care Act Seeks to Improve Women’s Healthcare at VA
One of the last pieces of legislation to make it through the 116th Congress was the Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, MD Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020.
COVID-19
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.
Editor-In-Chief, Chester “Trip” Buckenmaier III, MD, COL (ret.), MC, USA
“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.
Statins Are Protective Against Some Cancers in HIV+ Patients
Do statins help decrease cancer, especially non-Hodgkin lymphoma and mortality risk in persons with HIV (PWH) and uninfected people?
IBD Drugs Linked to Increased Leukemia Risk
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are rare myeloid clonal disorders that commonly affect the elderly population and have poor prognosis.
VA Patients With New Anemia Are Under-Evaluated
Anemia occurs frequently, and clinicians often underappreciate its importance, even though up to 10% of adults with incident iron deficiency anemia (IDA) could have gastrointestinal cancer, according to a new study.
Military Sexual Assaults Lead to Voluntary Separations; Affect Force Readiness
In addition to the extreme trauma it causes victims, military sexual assault also makes it much more difficult for the U.S. military to retain good personnel, according to a new report.
Rising T2D Rates Increase VA’s Lower Extremity Amputations
Incidence rates of lower extremity amputation increased at the VA between 2008 and 2018, and burgeoning rates of diabetes played a role in the trend.
Uncontrolled Diabetes Limits Bariatric Surgery Benefits
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.
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.
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
A Third of Military Healthcare Beneficiaries Refuse COVID-19 Vaccine
About one-third of military servicemembers, civilian contractors and military family members are declining to be vaccinated for COVID-19, and that has DoD officials concerned.
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.
“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.
Younger, Not Older, Veterans With Epilepsy Tend to Have Lower Quality of Life
For veterans with epilepsy, quality of life is most negatively impacted by frequency of seizures, according to a new study. And that, plus some other factors, usually means that younger veterans have a tougher time with epilepsy than older ones.
Cognitive Disorders Common in Older Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients
Cognitive impairment can be a typical comorbidity in epilepsy, appearing in a significant number of older adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), the most common form of focal epilepsy, according to a new study.
Home Videos Help VA Physicians Accurately Diagnosis Epilepsy
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented new challenges for VA healthcare delivery, although access to care has always been difficult for veterans who either live in remote areas or have conditions that require specialist care.
GAO Reports Calls for Suspension of VA EHR Rollout to Resolve Problems
The VA should consider pausing the rollout of its new electronic health record system until problems discovered during earlier deployment stages are addressed