Late Breaking News
- Appeals Court Finds Lack of Jurisdiction in Mental Health Lawsuit Against VA
- DoD Releases Sexual Assault Report
- Homeless Veterans' Lawsuit Against VA In West Los Angeles Moves Forward
- Advocates Call For Support for TBI Act
- DoD Plan Calls For Changes to MHS Structure
- VA-Prescribed Antipsychotic Has No Effect on PTSD
2011 Compendium
Current Issue
Mental-Health Screenings Questioned After Shooting
WASHINGTON — In the wake of a killing spree that left 17 Afghan civilians dead last month, questions were raised about whether the U.S. military is effectively diagnosing neurological and psychiatric problems that can become ticking time bombs in war zones.
While the mass killing dominated headlines, the Army also was grappling with a controversy over possible underdiagnosis of behavioral health problems at military facilities and an unprecedented suicide rate that underscored the difficulty of containing these issues. Read More
From the Editor-in-Chief
“Today we have 260 million guinea pigs for the dietary supplement industry.” — William T. Jarvis, PhD.
William T. Jarvis, PhD, is a retired public health and preventive medicine professor at Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California and president of the National Council Against Health Care Fraud. He has been an outspoken critic of the nutritional supplement industry for decades. In his 1998 article, “Both Buyers and Sellers Should Be Wary of Multilevel Marketing” Jarvis lists these general “buyer beware” guidelines. Read More
VA Neurologist Promotes Routine Use of Screening Tool to Earlier Identify Patients with Dementia
Minneapolis – A routine primary-care visit typically includes weighing-in, blood-pressure monitoring and a body-temperature check. In some cases, the physician may also listen to patients’ heart and breathing rhythms, look down their throats or check their ears.
Please read this article and participate in this month's online opinion poll: Should cognitive screening become part of a routine primary-care office visit at VA?
VA's Difficulty in Estimating Cost-Savings Could Mean Shortfalls and Cuts to Services
WASHINGTON — Will VA’s inability to correctly estimate savings from cost-cutting measures mean the agency ultimately will have to make difficult trade-offs? And will those trafe-offs include fewer financial resources than anticipated for healthcare services? Those are frequently expressed concerns for legislators and veteran service organizations (VSOs) as VA’s FY 2013 and advance FY 2014 budget proposals are shopped around Capitol Hill. Such worries are backed up by a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
DoD Moves Toward More Joint Medical Services While Avoiding a Unified Command
WASHINGTON — Faced with growing pressure to consolidate medical services to control skyrocketing costs, DoD has endorsed a middle-ground measure that moves the department toward greater consolidation without dramatically changing the structure within the military services.
Physician Creates Safe Place for Female Veterans in Emergency Area
NEW YORK – Recognizing the growing number of female veterans and their unique medical needs, a physician at VA New York Harbor Healthcare Center has created a “women-only” examination and treatment room in the emergency department (ED). She also is putting together a multidisciplinary team to help female patients once their emergency needs are met.
Advocates say 40 percent of Vets Seek Counseling From Clergy and VA Partnership Could Help
WASHINGTON — According to VA statistics, four out of 10 veterans with mental-health challenges seek assistance from clergy — more than all other types of mental-health providers combined.
VA Patients with Certain Types of Cancer Survive Longer
The survival rate for older men receiving colon cancer care and some types of lung cancer in VA was better than similar fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries, according to a study out of Harvard Medical School. 1
Survey
Should cognitive screening become part of a routine primary-care office visit at VA?





