VISN 2: Volunteer News Spring 2007

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VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York - VISN 2

Message from the Network Director

Volunteers are so very much appreciated and needed in VA hospitals

	Voluntary Service Newsletter
Editorial Board Stephen Lemons, Ed.D., Network Director Linda Weiss, Chief Operating Officer Kathleen Hider, Network Communications Manager Heather Schrader, Editor Kathleen Laughlin, Design/Layout Web Site VISN 2 Volunteering
The VAVS newsletter has been created for all volunteers and potential volunteers of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York. This publication is meant to showcase the wonderful work all of our volunteers contribute to VA. Produced by Network 2 Communications Department. Printed by veterans in the Pre-Vocational Apprenticeship Program, Bath VAMC. We Want to Hear from You! If you have any comments, questions, story ideas, etc. contact: Network 2 Communications Rochester VA Outpatient Clinic 465 Westfall Road, Rochester, NY 14620 (585) 463-2663 Heather.Schrader@va.gov

I’ve been visiting and touring each of our Medical Centers in upstate New York. This has given me the opportunity to learn more about what we are offering veterans and to hear firsthand from patients about how we’re doing in meeting their needs. During my visits, I’m talking with medical center staff and leadership to ensure the health care needs of all our veterans are being addressed — from the newest veterans just returning from Iraq and Afghanistan to the veterans we’ve been serving for years. My medical center tours are also giving me the chance to see our volunteers in action, assisting patients and supporting important volunteer programs like DAV transportation, companion therapy, patient reminder phone calls, and pet therapy programs with both their time and donations.

I am also seeing some of the newest programs and technology being offered to veterans in our region. I hope you will help us tell veterans about these new programs in our health care network of which I am most proud:

The Albany Stratton VA Medical Center is the first VA to offer TomoTherapy radiation treatment. TomoTherapy targets radiation therapy directly to the patient’s tumor and limits the damage to surrounding healthy tissues. Veterans suffering from prostate, head, neck, lung and brain tumors will benefit tremendously from this new cancer treatment.

The Polytrauma Team at the Syracuse VA is helping to rehabilitate veterans who’ve recently suffered two or more injuries to their body. The center’s spinal cord injury unit is also being renovated and expanded.

The Buffalo VA is piloting the national initiative to eradicate methicillinresistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a rapidly growing healthcare associated infection, which is responsible for more than 100,000 hospitalizations each year. This initiative will enhance patient safety by reducing MRSA-related infections.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs has named the Canandaigua VA one of the three centers of excellence in the country that will focus on mental health and posttraumatic stress disorder. As a center of excellence for mental health, the Canandaigua VA will provide clinical treatment, research, training and establish “best practices” in the care of veterans with mental illness.

And in our continuing efforts to partner with other health and human service agencies to improve health care access to veterans – in January, the Bath VA and DePaul Addiction Services started to collaborate to provide detoxification services to veterans in the southern tier.

On my visits to our medical centers, I also observed some of the issues facing our medical centers including access to care, parking and program space. I want to assure you that these issues are being addressed both organizationally and financially in 2007. I look forward to providing you an update on our improvements in the next issue of the Voluntary Service Newsletter.

Sincerely,

STEPHEN L. LEMONS, Ed.D.
Network Director

Reviewed/Updated Date: February 6, 2008