BLISTERING REVIEW OF VA ... CONT.
months for medical care. She also accused others of
altering records after the scandal broke to try to hide
the deaths of at least seven veterans awaiting care.
Pauline DeWenter went public as a whistle-blower
Monday, saying she has spoken to investigators in
the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of Inspector General about the waiting list and her suspicions
of an orchestrated cover-up (Wagner, 6/24).
The Arizona Republic: Phoenix VA Officials Knew Of
False Data For 2 Years
The Department of Veterans Affairs has consistently
ignored whistle-blower warnings about dangerous
practices that jeopardize patient safety, according to
a scathing letter sent to President Barack Obama by
the Office of Special Counsel. The letter sent Monday by the independent federal investigative agency
says the failure of Phoenix VA officials to heed alerts
about fraudulent appointment scheduling is part of
a “troubling pattern” nationally where the VA investigated and verified complaints but did nothing to
correct problems. “The VA, and particularly the VA’s
Office of the Medical Inspector, has consistently used
a ‘harmless error’ defense, where the department acknowledges problems but claims patient care is unaffected,” says the letter (Wagner, 6/23).
The Boston Globe: Patients Neglected At Brockton VA
Facility, Officials Say
Two psychiatric patients at a veterans facility in
Brockton received no regular evaluations of their condition for years, part of a “troubling pattern of deficient patient care” that federal investigators say they
have confirmed at veterans health care facilities nationwide. One of the neglected patients at the Brockton Community Living Center who had been admitted
for “significant and chronic mental health issues” was
living in the 106-bed facility for eight years before he
received his first psychiatric evaluation, investigators
reported. The other unidentified patient, although he
was classified as 100 percent mentally disabled due
to his military service, had only a single “psychiatric
note” placed in his medical file between 2005 and
2013 (Bender, 6/24).
www.kaiserhealthnews.org
Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent
program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation,
a nonprofit, nonpartisan health policy research and
communication organization not affiliated with Kaiser
Permanente.
OPERATION HOMEFRONT CONT.
The specific needs makes it more personal for the donors to feel connected to their donation. Merriam
claims, “When people give to charity, they want to know
that their money is going to the right place.”
Last year alone, Operation Homefront provided 4.3 million in financial assistance to military service members,
their families, and wounded warriors across the United
States.
Operation Homefront is proud to show that 93% percent
of their funds go directly to their programs and the other
7% percent to fundraising and administration.
“Operation Homefront is helping military families on behalf of the American people, who really want to show
our service members how much we appreciate the sacrifices that they make. Operation Homefront is one of
the ways they can demonstrate that support in a very
tangible way.”
A current goal of Operation Homefront is to raise funds
to support their Back to School Program in July and
August, where they provide kids with backpacks and
school supplies. They hope to serve 2,300 children within Colorado and Wyoming.
“This helps military families spend less on preparing
their children to return to school and allows them to free
up that money for many other needed items like food
and electricity.”
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For more information on Operation Homefront assistance or how you can help, please visit their website at
www.operationhomefront.net.