VAnguard
September/October 2007 1
outlook
September/October 2007
Using Art as TherapyA Lifeline for Veterans in Crisis
Changing Lives
Making the Spiritual Rounds
Using Art as TherapyA Lifeline for Veterans in Crisis
Changing Lives
Making the Spiritual Rounds
VAnguard
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Features
A Lifeline for Veterans in Crisis 6Suicide Prevention Hotline is working to help save the lives of veteransGiving Back to Those Who Gave So Much 8VA employees volunteer to help WWII veterans visit their memorialChanging Lives 10Vocational rehabilitation counselors help veterans make the transitionUsing Art as Therapy 18Applying paint to canvas helps veterans learn about themselvesMaking the Spiritual Rounds 22A day in the life of a VA chaplainNo Longer at Rock Bottom 24VA Palo Altos William Meyers has left his troubled past behindSammie Medal Winner 25Tampa VAs Dr. David Vesely is honored for his 25-year research career
Departments
3 From the Secretary 32 Have You Heard5 Outlook 34 Honors26 Around Headquarters 35 Heroes30 Introducing 36 Veterans Day 200731 Medical Advances
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VAnguardVAs Employee MagazineSeptember/October 2007Vol. LIII, No. 5
Printed on 50% recycled paper
Editor: Lisa Respess-GaeglerAssistant Editor/Senior Writer: Renee McElveenPhoto Editor: Robert TurtilPhotographer: Art GardinerWriter: Amanda Hester
Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D)
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs810 Vermont Ave., N.W.Washington, D.C. 20420(202) 273-5746E-mail: [email protected]/opa/feature/vanguard
On the coverDr. Mark Heuser stops in during art therapygroup to visit with veteran John Wright, whois working on a new acrylic painting. Wrighthas multiple sclerosis and is a current resi-dent of the Baltimore VA Rehabilitation &Extended Care Center. Heuser is director ofthe Geriatrics & Long Term Care ClinicalCenter for the VA Maryland Health CareSystem. photo by Art Gardiner
http://www.va.gov/opa/feature/vanguard
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September/October 2007 3
from the secretary
VA Employees Delivered in Executing Our Noble MissionJim NicholsonSecretary of Veterans Affairs
Tremendous pride, accom-plishment and respecttheseonly begin to describe mystrong feelings as I leave theDepartment of Veterans Af-fairs.
Overriding all those emo-tions is my sense of deep grati-tudegratitude to those weserve, our veterans; gratitudefor the opportunity to lead VAin carrying out its noble mis-sion; and gratitude to youall 244,000 VA employeeswho have supported me, in-spired me and rarely failed toexceed my expectations.
You have lived up to farmore than just my expecta-tions. The expectations ofCongress, the Americanpeople and our veterans de-mand excellence in everythingwe do each and every day. Youdeliver under tremendouspressure and public scrutiny.
You delivered in establish-ing new polytrauma units tomeet the complex medical andrehabilitation needs of seri-ously injured combat veterans.You delivered in making surepriority care and service for re-turning Operation Iraqi Free-dom and Enduring Freedomveterans became standard op-erating procedure throughoutVA. You delivered in treatingmore than 1 million veterans aweek for their health needs.
I dont have to tell youthat VAs mission, noble as itis, is also one of the most chal-lenging in government. Wemeasure our work in mil-lions of veterans and bil-lions of dollars, but the truemeasure of our success rests inthe mind of that individualveteran as he or she calls a VA
facility, submits a benefits ap-plication, or waits to see a VAdoctor. We strive hard to meetevery veterans expectations ofus.
Our mission was frontand center during HurricaneKatrina and its aftermath. VAsvaunted electronic medicalrecords system proved itselfagain, assuring veterans conti-nuity of care even thoughtheir hospitals and clinics wereflooded. VA volunteers fromaround the country staffedemergency medical receptioncenters for the storm refugees.
But most telling were theselfless acts of VA staff at theNew Orleans medical centerwho stayed with their patientsthrough grim and dangerousdays until evacuation was pos-sible, while their loved onesand property were at thefloods mercy. Thats awe-in-spiringthats VA!
Much has been done, butmuch remains. The backlogand turnaround time for dis-ability claims is a challenge.We are working with Con-gress, the Department of De-fense and veterans service or-ganizations to shorten the de-cision time. The Veterans Ben-efits Administration is com-mitted to overcoming thatchallenge and we are addingemployees.
I am optimistic a govern-ment-wide approach to sys-temic change, as reflected inrecommendations by PresidentBushs Commission on Carefor Americas Wounded War-riors and the Presidents TaskForce on Returning War onTerror Heroes, which I washonored to chair, will result in
a fairer, more efficient andspeedier benefits adjudicationprocess. VA is ready and will-ing to work in new ways toserve veterans.
Many of those ideas willcome from the new AdvisoryCommittee on OIF/OEF Vet-erans and Families I created,and from the 25 other VA ad-visory groups that bring out-side expertise, experience andwisdom to bear on VA policyand practice. The OIF/OEFcommittee members have metwith me and are holding pub-lic meetings around the coun-try. Their unique insights andthe information they gatherand present to our leadershipwill help focus our strengthsand increase our sensitivity tothe new generation of war vet-erans entering the VA system.
As I left Rome three yearsago, where I served as U.S.Ambassador to the Holy See,the Pope asked me what wasAmericas vision for its future?I was able to tell him thatAmerica wanted to enhancethe human condition world-wide by striving for freedomand dignity for all people. Itold him that includes howAmerica wants to care forthose brave souls who havefought for and achieved free-dom for us and so many otherpeople in the world.
After my service with youas your Secretary of VeteransAffairs, I know that there isnothing in the world remotelyclose to VA or to the wonder-ful, caring professionals whocarry out its mission. Thankyou, and goodbye.
Deputy Secretary Gordon H. Mansfield became ActingSecretary following the resignation of Secretary JimNicholson. Nicholson tendered his resignation to Presi-dent Bush on July 17, to be effective no later than Oct. 1.
Mansfield assumed the roleon Oct. 1 and will serve as ActingSecretary until the next nomineeof the President is confirmed bythe Senate. Appointed DeputySecretary by President Bush inNovember 2003, Mansfield hadpreviously served as VA AssistantSecretary for Congressional andLegislative Affairs since Aug. 1,2001.
Prior to joining VA, Mansfield had served as execu-tive director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA)since April 1993. He previously held a number of positionsat PVA from 1981 to 1989.
Mansfield Named Acting Secretary
Gordon H. Mansfield
VAnguardfrom the secretary
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Saying Goodbyeto Secretary
Jim Nicholson
Clockwise from top left: President Bush announces his nominationof Jim Nicholson as Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the White Housein December 2004.
Secretary Nicholson visits members of the 116th Armored CavalryBrigade of the Idaho National Guard in Kirkuk, Iraq, in May 2005.
In September 2005, Secretary Nicholson surveys the damage fromHurricane Katrina to the Gulfport campus of the VA Gulf CoastHealth Care System with VISN 16 Director Robert Lynch, M.D.
Flanked by veterans organization leaders, Secretary Nicholson an-nounces the launch of the Veterans Pride Initiative, intended to en-courage veterans to wear their military medals on patriotic holi-days, at a news conference in VA headquarters in October 2006.
Secretary Nicholson presents a bouquet to his wife, Suzanne, duringhis farewell reception in September.
WHITE HOUSE
MICHAEL L. MOORE
ROBERT TURTIL
TARYN ALVARADO
TOM BOWMAN
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September/October 2007 5
outlook
more than $385 million tohomeless service providers.The grants have been used tofund such things as transi-tional housing, storefront ben-efits and community drop-incenters, clinics and mobilemedical units, and the pur-chase of a van to provide cli-ents a way to access otheravailable services.
VA has expanded pro-grams so that there are com-munity-operated programs ap-proved in every state, PuertoRico, and several programs ontribal lands. A series of No-tices of Funding Availabilitypublished in the Federal Reg-ister requested proposals fromcommunity providers to createa funding opportunity todouble our services for specialneeds programs for homelesswomen veterans with children,
frail elderly, terminally ill andchronically mentally ill underthe Homeless Providers Grantand Per Diem Program.
VA is hosting the largestnational conference on home-less veterans Oct. 18-19 inSan Diego. The goal is tobring together VA clinicalstaff, community service pro-viders, representatives of fed-eral partners and academics toboth celebrate past successincluding a significant reduc-tion in the numbers of home-less veteransand to developa path to end chronic home-lessness among veterans.
Working to End Chronic Homelessness Among VeteransPete DoughertyDirector of Homeless Veterans Programs
The truth is that most of them exist quietly, almostinvisibly, trying to cope in an environment as hostile andtough as they faced while
