Press Release:

A local non-profit organization, Bunkers In Baghdad, is donating golf equipment to VA Western New York
 
Healthcare System, Recreational Therapy program, 3495 Bailey Avenue. The organization’s President, Joe Hanna, will present the equipment to Interim Director, David J. West and veterans, Wednesday, March 18 at  10 a.m. in Veterans Park; rain location room 301.  In addition,

Veterans will have the opportunity to try the equipment during a lesson being presented at the donation site by local golf professional, Chuck Antonuccio. 
 
Good nutrition and exercise is an integral part of good health. VA encourages Veterans to keep active for prevention of disease and maintaining optimal health.

From the VA Healthcare System:

Nationwide, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities use the creative arts as one form of rehabilitative treatment to help Veterans recover from and cope with physical and emotional disabilities. Across the country each year, Veterans treated at VA medical centers compete in local creative arts contests. This competition includes 50 art categories, ranging from oil painting to leatherwork to paint-by-number kits. In addition, there are 120 categories pertaining to all aspects of music, dance, drama and creative writing. The creative writing division is a more recent addition to the competition and includes original works in poetry, essay, short story, and personal experience writing.

VA Western New York Healthcare System’s Buffalo site, 3495 Bailey Avenue, will host the local Veterans Creative Arts Festival on Thursday, February 26 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Freedom Hall (Room 301).  The public is invited to attend the local festival and enjoy a wide variety of creative art forms displayed by local Veterans.

The winning entries will be sent to be judged by a national selection committee, which chooses first, second and third place winners among all of the entries. Select winners are invited to attend the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, taking place in San Antonio, Texas, October 5-11.

In 2008, 3100 Veterans from 113 VA facilities entered the contest nationwide, with nearly 150 of the medal-winning Veterans earning an invitation to participate.  The National Veterans Creative Arts Festival is a week of learning, exploring, fellowship and celebration of the healing power of the arts.

From the VA Healthcare System:

On Wednesday, February 25, 2009, veterans with disabilities will be treated to a day of skiing hosted by the Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program at Holiday Valley Ski Resort in Ellicottville, New York.   Several local veterans will use this opportunity to warm up for the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, taking place March 29 – April 3, 2009 at Snowmass, Colorado.

At the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, veterans who have spinal cord injuries, amputations, are visually impaired, or have other physical disabilities are given instruction in adaptive Alpine and Nordic skiing, and introduced to a number of other adaptive recreational activities and sports. For many newly injured Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom military service men and women, the Clinic offers their first experience in winter sports and gives them the inspiration to take their rehabilitation to a higher level.

Each year, The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) sponsors six national events for U.S. military veterans served by VA medical facilities nationwide. Each program enhances the physical, social, and emotional well-being of the veterans who participate. Other events include the National Veterans Wheelchair Games, National Veterans Golden Age Games, and National Veterans Creative Arts Festival, National Veterans Tee Tournament and National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.  Anyone interested in donating to this worthy cause for our nation’s local heroes should contact the Voluntary Service Office at VA Western New York Healthcare System at 862-8667.

From the VA Healthcare System:

Beginning Monday, March 2, 2009, VA Western New York Healthcare System’s Jamestown community based out-patient clinic will be moving to a new location; 610 3rd Street.  The clinic, under a new contract with Sterling Medical Corporation will be serving Veterans only at this location.  Hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. with free parking. Veterans have had the opportunity to get VA health care in Jamestown since 1995, the first of seven community based outpatient clinics under VA Western New York Healthcare System.

Primary care, behavioral health services and on-site laboratory services will continue to be available at the new site.  In addition, nutritional counseling, social work, and urgent care services will be available with prescriptions to be mailed directly to Veterans’ homes.  “We want Veterans to stay healthy and encourage them to receive VA care available in Chautauqua county.  It is an opportunity to be a provider of choice for almost 2,000 Veterans in Jamestown last year and we look forward to serving more,“ said Dr. Bradford Mersereau, Primary Care Service Chief.

To enroll in VA health care call 1-888-823-9656 and to make an appointment at the Jamestown clinic, call 716-338-1511 after February 23. 

Last year VA Western New York Healthcare System provided care to more than 40,000 veterans at medical centers in Buffalo and Batavia as well as community-based outpatient clinics in Niagara Falls, Lockport, Lackawanna, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Olean, and Warsaw.

From the VA Healthcare System:

Over twenty different sponsors that included several Veteran organizations, community businesses, as well as individual Veterans throughout Western New York helped to purchase new vans for the Disabled American Veterans Volunteer Transportation Network at VA Western New York Healthcare System. The vans will be put into use after a ceremony at the medical center, 3495 Bailey Avenue, Tuesday, February 24 at 9 a.m. in Freedom Hall, room 301.

Overall, $15,000 were raised along with matching contributions from Colorado Trust in cooperation with the National Disabled American Veterans Organization to purchase the two new vans. “These donations allow us to continue to expand and replace vans to transport our Veterans to necessary medical appointments.  Without this support, this would not be possible,” stated Richard Kloc, DAV Van Transportation Coordinator. During the last reporting period, 62 volunteer van drivers donated over 22,800 hours of their time. Volunteer drivers and donations are always needed; call the VA Volunteer Program Office at 862-8667.

Last year VA Western New York Healthcare System provided care to more than 40,000 Veterans at medical centers in Buffalo and Batavia as well as community-based outpatient clinics in Niagara Falls, Lockport, Lackawanna, Dunkirk, Jamestown, Olean, and Warsaw.

From the VA Healthcare System:

In observance of Black History month, VA Western New York Healthcare System will celebrate events in Freedom Hall, room 301. African American Business Day will take place at 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, February 11. Cultural wares will be available. “Taste of Soul” will take place on Friday, February 20 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. African American dishes such as collard greens, sweet potatoes, pig’s feet, and much more will be served.

Take the journey of “Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad” with Joy O’Banion and Yvonne Harris, where they will share the struggles of Tubman’s journey to free the slaves scheduled Friday, February 27 at noon. All events are open to the public.

From the VA Medical Center:

Veterans in Lockport and surrounding areas can learn about their VA health care and other veterans benefits at an event being held at the VA clinic in Lockport, 5883 Snyder Drive, Saturday, February 21 from 10am to 1pm. Staff and veterans benefits counselors will assist veterans with eligibility for VA health care, and other state and federal benefits that veterans may have coming to them that often go unused. Benefits have recently been extended for veterans returning from combat that includes five years of free medical care for most conditions from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The five year window is also open to activated Reservists and members of the National Guard, if they served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998 and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. The five year limit has no effect upon veterans with medical conditions related to their military service. Veterans may apply at any time after their discharge from the military, even decades later for medical care for service-connected health problems.
 
Representatives from the VA Lockport Clinic, NY State Division of Veterans Affairs, Niagara County Veterans Service Office and VA Western New York Healthcare System will be available to answer questions. Bring discharge papers and financial records for accurate benefits counseling. For more information, you may contact the VA clinic in Lockport at 438-3890.

From the VA Medical Center:

VA Western New York Healthcare System invites the public to participate in open-house activities Feb. 8-14 during the National Salute to Veterans.

"The National Salute to Veterans gives everyone a chance to let those who have given so much to our nation know that they are not forgotten," said David J. West  Interim Medical Center Director "We've invited local celebrities, elected officials, school children and other groups to visit during the week.  We want people of all ages to bring Valentine’s Day cheer to our patients.”  West said he hopes visitors will also learn more about the important roles volunteers play at the medical center throughout the year and perhaps pursue volunteer opportunities.  "Over 600 volunteers are an important part of our health care team in Buffalo and Batavia, and the National Salute program is a great way for people to learn more about helping the Veterans we serve," West said.  “Visitors are often surprised at how varied our volunteer opportunities are.”  Citizens, young and old, are once again sending Valentine’s Day cards and letters to VA medical centers simply addressed “Dear Veteran.” West said they are being distributed to patients throughout the medical center.

VA Western New York Healthcare System’s National Salute Week schedule includes an open house Friday, February 13 at 1:00 p.m. in Freedom Hall, room 301. Additional activities are included below.

Individuals or groups wishing to participate in the medical center program should call the Voluntary Service office, in Buffalo at 716-862-8671 and in Batavia at 585-297-1196.

Please click here to download the complete schedule of events.

From the Batavia VA Medical Center:

Veterans in Dunkirk and surrounding areas can learn about their VA health care and other veterans benefits at an event being held at the VA clinic in Dunkirk, 166 East Fourth Street, Saturday, January 24 from 10am to 1pm. Staff and veterans benefits counselors will assist veterans with eligibility for VA health care, and other state and federal benefits that veterans may have coming to them that often go unused. Benefits have recently been extended for veterans returning from combat that includes five years of free medical care for most conditions from the Department of Veterans Affairs.  The five year window is also open to activated Reservists and members of the National Guard, if they served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998 and were discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. The five year limit has no effect upon veterans with medical conditions related to their military service. Veterans may apply at any time after their discharge from the military, even decades later for medical care for service-connected health problems.

Representatives from the VA Dunkirk Clinic, NY State Division of Veterans Affairs, Chautauqua County Veterans Service Office and VA Western New York Healthcare System will be available to answer questions. Photo identification cards will be provided to eligible veterans.  Bring discharge papers and financial records for accurate benefits counseling.  For more information, you may contact the VA clinic in Dunkirk at 203-6474.

From the VA Medical Center:

Local Hispanic business owner, Santiago Masferrer will speak about this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month theme, “Getting Involved; Our Family, Our Community, Our Nation” to veterans, employees and the community, Thursday, October 9 at VA Western New York Healthcare System, 3495 Bailey Avenue in Buffalo. The presentation will begin at noon in Freedom Hall/room 301 with wares displayed until 4 p.m. The presentation will also take place at the Batavia facility, 222 Richmond Avenue in the Auditorium on Friday, October 10, at 10 a.m. and wares displayed until 2 p.m.

We received this press release from the VA Medical Center:

Veterans will have the opportunity to receive assistance filing a claim for the economic stimulus payment at VA Western New York Healthcare System, 3495 Bailey Avenue, Tuesday, September 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and Wednesday, October 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the skills center, room 309A. Veterans who last year received disability compensation, pensions or survivor’s benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) may be entitled to an economic stimulus payment of at least $300. To qualify, veterans must file a tax return for 2007, even if they aren’t normally required to file. Bring photo identification and pension, social security and/or service connected disability information.

For eligible veterans who do not normally file a tax return, information about claiming the economic stimulus payment is available in “Package 1040A-3,” available from IRS offices or on the Internet.

Veterans care has rightfully got much attention over the past several years, especially after the news broke last year of the squalid conditions and patient neglect at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Not all the news about treatment of veterans is negative, however. In fact, congratulations are in order for the upstate VA medical Centers, including ours here in Batavia.

From the press release:

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York, which comprises the Albany, Bath, Buffalo, Canandaigua and Syracuse VA Medical Centers and twenty-nine community based outpatient clinics, is the recipient of the 2008 Kenneth Kizer Quality Award.  The Kizer award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for outstanding patient care results based on performance measures. The award is open to each of the 21 VA Networks and is based upon the Malcolm Baldrige criteria, the world's foremost standards for running an effective organization.

[...]

One of the most compelling aspects of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York’s Kizer application was the ability of the Network to significantly surpass private sector performance for a wide array of patient satisfaction, cancer screening, heart disease and diabetes management and behavioral health measures. This award is a tribute to more than 6,000 employees who provide quality of care for veteran patients.

VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York was the recipient of this award in 1999, 2001 and 2003.

Daily News reporter Matt Surtel was on the scene at the VA Medical Center when 85-year old Clifford E. Williams received "nine long-overdue medals in a ceremony attended by family and friends." Williams was due the medals when he got out of World War II 64 years ago, but for whatever reason, they were never delivered.

Williams fought in France in 1944, when he was 22-years-old. He rescued a fellow soldier who was wounded in an ambush, literally dragging the man to safety. Later, writes Surtel, "Williams was himself badly wounded ... caught in a shellburst." He was discharged, honorably.

Among the honors bestowed on Williams Saturday were the Purple Heart and the American Campaign Medal decorated with three bronze stars.

Twelve-year-old Mike Vogel won the first-ever Spirit of Michael Award at the Michael Napoleone memorial Foundation's youth baseball tournament Saturday. Michael Napoleone was 8 years old when he died in 2006 from an aggressive leukemia. "His family set up the foundation to support families undergoing similar cancer crises, and supporting research into pediatric blood cancers," writes Surtel.

As always, we encourage you to pick up a copy of the Daily News wherever the paper is sold. Or, better yet, subscribe at BataviaNews.com.

Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste spoke at the VA Medical Center Saturday during the two-day veterans celebration this past weekend. The Daily News was there to cover the event. "The rest of the people of Batavia should be here," Batiste told the crowd of about 150 people. "We're in a war." Reporter Tom Rivers writes:

Batiste said the country has failed to mobilize, to rally its citizens, behind the war in Iraq, where 4,079 Americans have died since March 2003.

[He] called on the community to support the veterans and their families by insisting on speedy processing of vet claims, and fully-funded health care, including services for post traumatic stress disorder, which affects 30 percent of soldiers.

Batiste urged the Genesee County community to create a Veterans Outreach Center, similar to one in Rochester that links veterans to agencies for support.

The volunteer-run outreach centers can serve the veterans better than government, with its layers of bureaucracy, Batiste said.

When I read that, I thought of the Genesee County Veterans Service Agency, run by Hal Kreter. Hal's been especially busy these days as the liaison between the other area veterans groups, along with planning Memorial Day services. Nevertheless, he spared a few minutes to sit down with me about two weeks ago to tell me a bit about what the agency does for its local veterans. While it does not offer the more personal assistance a veteran could get from an outreach center, Hal stressed, the agency does help make the bureaucracy a little less intimidating.

"We handle the files," he says. "We file claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs for compensation and insurance... We're basically going over the benefits for veterans. An outreach center is a place where veterans can go and talk to people, associate with them."

I told Hal that Batavia already seemed to have many resources available to veterans to help ease the transition from military to civilian life and to engage them throughout their life back home: his own agency, the VA Medical Center (including its PTSD clinic), the American Legion, the VFW. True, he said, and all of those groups are "great at what they do," but an oureach center would provide that added service that veterans could really use, another place they could go to find people there for them, even if just to talk.

From the Daily News (Monday):

• A driving lane on Clinton Street between East Main Street and East Avenue will be closed most of the day Tuesday due to water line repairs, according to the city Water Bureau.

• More such closures and traffic patern changes are in store as summer construction season gets underway. Here are some to look out for:

• County sign improvements all over Genesee County will start in July and mean intermittent shoulder closures in work areas.
• Repair and replacement work on the Route 33 Bridge over Black Creek in Batavia will begin in August. That means daily or short-term lane closures.
• Paving projects: Route 77 to Orleans County line; Route 63 from north of the village of Oakfield to Route 77; Route 19 from the village of LeRoy to the Thruway; Route 20 from Tonawanda Creek to Route 63; I-490 from Genesee County to Route 33A. Expect alternating one-way traffic during those projects.

• The Genesee County Office for the Aging will hold a Medicare information program from 1:00 to 5:00pm Thursday at the offices at 2 Bank St. in Batavia. Those interested in attending must bring "proof of income for 2007 and 2008, including bank statements from the last three months and/or last three pay stubs, a form of identification, Medicare card and proof of health insurance premium." The program will be followed by a presentation at 5:30pm: "Welcome to Medicare." No appointment is necessary to attend.

• Former Genesee Community College official Glenn DuBois — now the chancellor of the Virginia Community College System — gave the commencement address at the school's graduation ceremony Sunday. Jack Andrews "received the college's Alpha Medal of Service for his 20 years of leadership with the GCC Foundation," writes reporter Tom Rivers. Andrews told the 762 graduates: "The community needs your help. Don't just sit there and complain about it. Get out and do something about it." Sound advice.

For the complete stories, the Daily News is available on local newsstands, or you can subscribe on BataviaNews.com.

Head down to Center Street for a Block Party, starting at 6:00pm on May 16 — the first night of the Genesee County Veterans Appreciation Weekend. Stay for the food and music... But not too late as the festivities contintue Saturday morning (May 17) at 9:00am. That's when registration opens for the Motorcycle Run that starts at Stan's Harley Davidson on Saile Drive and heads through the city to end at the VA Medical Center. Then, at noon, veterans and their families will tour the VA grounds in an honor walk, followed by food and music.

Speakers will take the mic at various events througout the weekend to talk about services for veterans and their familes. Call (585) 344-2611 for more information.

Well, the thunderheads that rode my back all afternoon finally broke and clapped out a fine downpour that soaked me through and through as I jogged from the old county courthouse to my car. It was an apt climax to an ominous day that smelled alternately of manure, garlic bread and peonies.

Not much to report as the day has been spent more in preparation than any actual news gathering. In characteristic style, I made my introductions by getting lost all over the place. Lost in the tunnels of the VA Medical Center. Lost in its auditorium. Lost in both courthouses (old and new), in the county office building and in a parking lot — don't ask.

I met some more great folks indoors and out. Paul Figelow stopped by Main Street Coffee to say hello. He's the owner of a sort of video production company: theinfochannel.us. Dan Jones introduced himself via Instant Message. Dan seems like a fellow who has a lot to say, so, hopefully, we'll see some more of him on here. He heads up a Young Democrats group in Batavia.

There were others as well. Maybe they will come by and introduce themselves.

I'm off to continue my urban wanderings, maybe make a few phonecalls. None yet returned today — it's Friday. If I don't see you back here today, have a fine weekend.