Foundation Receives Largest Donation Ever Page 12 COAUSPHS.ORG SALUS POPULI SUPREMA LEX ESTE VOLUME 56, ISSUE 2 | MARCH 2018 Giroir Confirmed as Assistant from the Executive Director Secretary for Health After spending the better part of a year in that special limbo occupied by nominees James T. (Jim) for Senate-confirmable offices whose Currie, Ph.D., confirmation has been delayed, Dr. Brett Colonel, USA Ret. Giroir was confirmed unanimously on 7 February. He was sworn in on 15 February in a private ceremony, with a public Presidential Budgets swearing-in at a later date. and Other Concerns Dr. Giroir is a Texas-based physician with terrific experience in both government and We were all taken aback the week academia. He served as Deputy Director of 12 February when President and then Director of the Defense Science Trump released his first budget, and Office of the Defense Advanced Research it contained this paragraph: Projects Agency (DARPA). He was Chief Modernizes How the Government Executive Officer of the Texas A&M Health Employs Public Health Science Center and was Vice Chancellor Professionals. Surgeon General of the Texas A&M University System. oversees the United States Public COA has had several conversations credentials; and asking all COA retiree Health Service Commissioned with Dr. Giroir and worked actively in members to contact their Senators on Corps (Corps), which consists of support of his confirmation, as it did Dr. Giroir’s behalf. COA does not know over 6,500 uniformed public health when Dr. Karen De Salvo was nominated whether any of these actions contributed professionals who work alongside to the same office during the Obama to the confirmation, but they might well their equivalent civilian counterparts administration. COA’s efforts on behalf of have done so. performing the same day jobs Dr. Giroir included sending letters to both but often receiving higher total the Republican and Democratic Senate COA looks forward to a fine relationship compensation. The Commissioned Leaders; sending a letter to Sen. Patty with the new “ASH,” as the position is Corps receives military-like benefits, Murray, Ranking Democrat on the Senate often called. Dr. Giroir has stated publicly but has not been incorporated Health, Education, Labor & Pensions that he will don the uniform and rank of into the Armed Forces since 1952 Committee; reaching out to Democratic a four-star USPHS admiral when he is and generally does not meet Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer’s legislative sworn in, making him the highest-ranking DOD’s criteria for the military assistant for health and touting Dr. Giroir’s officer in the Commissioned Corps. compensation system. Further, the Corps’ mission assignments and functions have not evolved see EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR on page 17 Like Follow Share Comment COA Member Benefits Capitol Hill Representation Efforts on Capitol Hill continually support all Commissioned Corps officers – active duty and retired Local Representation COA Local Branches provide venues for meeting fellow officers and a forum for the discussion of issues within the Commissioned Corps Legislative Update Newsletter reports on monthly activities and items of interest about the Corps & COA Whistleblower Protections Insurance Programs for PHS Low-cost insurance programs that may continue as long as your membership in COA remains current by Judy Rensberger COA staff pivoted to the next (unrelated) crisis. COA is stretched too thin to monitor closely the $7,500 for Online Degrees Six years ago, COA staff got wind of years of rulemaking often required to implement $7,500 scholarships to earn online Congressional proposals that would provide federal statutes at the agency and sub-agency degrees, which include: legal safeguards for active-duty military levels. Regarding whistleblowers, we are now personnel who could otherwise find themselves MPH@GW looking back and catching up. MHA@GW in big trouble for blowing the whistle on waste, HealthInformatics@GW fraud, and abuse at the Pentagon or within DHHS and the Office of the Surgeon General MBA@UNC each of the Armed Services. The idea was to explained how to implement the federal statute MBA@Simmons protect and encourage service members to in 2013, just a year after it was passed. They HealthcareMBA@Simmons speak up in the public interest without fear of revised and updated the document last year. It IRonline (American) retaliation. is Commissioned Corps Directive CCD 121.06, MBA@American which took effect on January 11, 2017. Its Military Whistleblower Law NYMC Online MPH purpose is to make clear how the Department 50 percent discount for the online As often happens, no one on Capitol Hill had must handle complaints from PHS officers MPH and certificate programs thought to mention the U.S. Public Health alleging whistleblower retaliation. Here is the link Service in these early legislative proposals. COA on the COA website: http://www.coausphs. Scholarship Program staff scrambled to get PHS officers included, org/media/1776/hhs-commissioned-corps- College scholarships for children and and we ultimately succeeded. Although I have directive-on-protected-communications- spouses of COA members long since discarded my notes on this intense whistleblowing-11-jan-2017.pdf effort, I do remember one thing clearly: the help Most of the directive (three pages plus a Ribbon of Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), Chair of the seven-page appendix) seems straightforward. Authorized to be worn on the PHS Senate Judiciary Committee, and his staff. I uniform by members in good standing It defines whistleblower. It defines protected doubt we could have succeeded without their when attending COA functions communications. It says that PHS officers are support. free to make protected communications, and The Military Whistleblower Protection Act they will be free from reprisals for having made OFFICER D S A is Public Law 112-144. It took effect on them. The standard of proof is a preponderance E S N S O IO July 9, 2012, and applies to disclosures of the evidence. The protections apply to all S C S I I A (whistleblowing) made after that date. The legal PHS officers, whether working within DHHS or T M I O M citation is 10 U.S.C. Sec. 1034. detailed to other executive branch agencies. N O C Officials responding to allegations of retaliation DHHS Implementation cannot drag things out; they face time limits. Once Congress approved the Military Responsibility for implementing the directive O . F C Whistleblower Act, with PHS officers covered, see continued on page 18 T IN LEGISLATIVE HE USPHS Walk & 5K To End HIV: USPHS Cares – Creating Opportunities to Serve by LCDRs Kristen Cole and Candice Cottle-Delisle For the past thirty years, the Annual Walk & 5K To End HIV is where thousands of people come together to walk or run to support people with HIV/AIDS and the Whitman-Walker Health’s mission. The event was held this year on Saturday, October 28, and started and finished at the Washington, D.C., Freedom Plaza. The Whitman-Walker Health’s Walk & 5K To End HIV is a fundraising walk and timed-run. This year was a huge success, with beautiful weather. According to Whitman-Walker Heath, Washington, D.C., is a city where three USPHS Cares” Team at the 2017 Walk & 5K To End HIV; Washington, D.C.; percent of adults knowingly have HIV, and an additional three percent October 28, 2017 are unknowingly infected with HIV. Photo: Courtesy of LCDR Jung Lee The “USPHS Cares” Committee has been participating in this Walker Health is to provide the highest quality of care and culturally event for the past eight years. The DC COA “USPHS Cares” Team competent community health, serving the diverse urban community participation and fundraising activities in the Walk & 5K To End of greater Washington, DC. It serves and offers care to individuals HIV not only promotes fitness and community contribution, but facing barriers to accessing care, with a special expertise in Lesbian, also increases USPHS officer visibility. The mission of Whitman- Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ), and HIV care. What Has COA Done for Me Lately? by James T. (Jim) Currie, Ph.D., Colonel, USA Ret. Disney World Tickets. It took us the better part of two years, but COA finally persuaded Disney to give you all—active and retired—the We occasionally get some variation on this title from someone who same discount they give to members of the U.S. military services. has been asked to re-join COA or to pay their dues for the current A family of five can realize savings of $1000 or more for a multi-day year. We do our best to keep our membership informed of our stay at the Orlando park. activities on behalf of the Commissioned Corps and public health, but it is clear that we do not reach everyone. It may be redundant for Recognition at Arlington National Cemetery Ceremonies. me to say so, but we use Frontline, our ten-times-a-year newsletter, COA, and COA alone, took steps to ensure that the PHS flag was as a primary means of communicating with our membership. It carried into the amphitheater at Arlington National Cemetery on is available on the COA website at http://www.coausphs.org/ Memorial Day and Veterans Day. COA also ensured that the PHS media/1715/2017-10_coa_newsletter_v4_digital.pdf . You can even March was played at ANC on Veterans Day. peruse back issues if you want to do so. Congressional Public Health Caucus. COA initiated the We maintain on the COA website a compilation of the letters and establishment of the Congressional Public Health Caucus on Capitol actions we have taken to represent you and to advance the cause Hill. COA manages the Caucus’ website.