November/December 2010
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November/December 2010 Executive Job Shadowing Engaging With the Public First VA/DoD Health Care Center Rural Health Initiative Features A.O. Miner: Speeding Benefits to Vietnam Vets 6 New tool embodies VA’s transformation into a 21st-century organization Engaging With the Public 8 VA increases its social media presence 14 A Blending of Missions 10 Nation’s first VA/DoD federal health care center launches in Illinois A New Home for the Bloedner Monument 12 Nation’s oldest existing Civil War memorial is relocated A Hero’s Welcome for a Fallen Warrior 14 A Vietnam veteran is finally laid to rest in Oklahoma Making Waves in San Diego 16 Newly injured, disabled veterans learn skills at the Summer Sports Clinic Slipping the Surly Bonds of Earth 18 16 San Juan engineer pursues his lifelong dream to become an astronaut Living the Life of a Busy Executive 20 Field CIOs witness change in the making through job shadowing Taking Roads Less Traveled to Bring Care to Vets 22 Rural Health Initiative takes hold in North Carolina and Virginia Back in Service: The Phoenix Rises Again 24 Forgotten patch is resurrected at Indianapolis VA Medical Center It’s About Time at Togus National Cemetery 25 19th-century artifacts found during monument restoration 24 Departments VAnguard 3 Outlook 33 Have You Heard VA’s Employee Magazine 4 News You Can Use 36 Honors November/December 2010 26 Around Headquarters 39 Heroes Vol. LVI, No. 5 30 Introducing 40 Veterans Day 31 Medical Advances Editor: Lisa Gaegler Assistant Editor/Senior Writer: Gary Hicks On the cover Photo Editor: Robert Turtil Damian Zebrosky, left, a network chief Staff Writer: Amanda Hester information officer based at the St. Paul (Minn.) VA Regional Office, spent two weeks Published by the Office of Public Affairs (80D) at VA Central Office shadowing Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Roger Baker, right. The shadowing program 810 Vermont Ave., N.W. concept developed out of Baker’s desire Washington, D.C. 20420 to fully understand the opportunities and (202) 461-7427 challenges the 210 facility and network CIOs E-mail: [email protected] in OI&T face every day. Participating CIOs www.va.gov/opa/publications/vanguard.asp experience the professional life of VA’s top CIO. photo by Emerson Sanders 2 VAnguard • November/December 2010 FEEDBACKOUTLOOKOUTLOOK ‘Greening’ VA: Serving Veterans Sustainably James M. Sullivan Director, Asset Enterprise Management In my capacity as VA’s senior portantly, for veterans. mental Design program and management; and GHG emis- sustainability officer and direc- The Department has set 21 through the Green Globes sions reduction, which cuts tor of Asset Enterprise Man- some ambitious greening goals program. As of 2009, all new across all program areas and agement—with the support of at the corporate level. We are major construction projects re- organizational elements. staff across the Department—I aiming for a 30 percent reduc- quire LEED silver certification These program areas rep- oversee VA’s large capital asset tion in our Scope 1 and Scope in project specifications. resent our corporate approach portfolio (buildings, land and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) To increase the energy to sustainability. Under the infrastructure) and promote emissions by 2020, and a 10 efficiency of our buildings, auspices of these programs, environmentally sustainable percent reduction in our Scope we are replacing windows, VA centrally administers and practices at every level of our 3 emissions. (Scope 1 and 2 roofs and other building com- coordinates Department-wide organization. In short, we emissions are those that result ponents with energy-saving policy and greening initiatives. work collectively and collab- directly or indirectly from VA products, and improving the Just as important as these oratively to “green” VA and activities; Scope 3 emissions existing energy infrastructure, large-scale measures is the maintain the Department’s are those that occur as a result including heating, cooling, grassroots approach to green- federal leadership role in sus- of agency activities, such as ventilation, steam and electri- ing VA promoted through the tainability. employee travel.) cal distribution systems. VA Green Routine initiative. Sustainability is the capac- To accomplish these has already reduced its energy This initiative harnesses ity to endure—to preserve the goals, we have developed a intensity by 12.3 percent since the participation of employees potential for long-term main- Strategic Sustainability Perfor- 2003, and we plan to achieve at all levels by promoting and tenance of health and well-be- mance Plan (available on our a further 3 percent reduction recognizing green practices in ing, which extends beyond our Web site, at www.green.va.gov) each year. daily actions and decisions. If physical infrastructures and that details the mission-specific We are also greening the Department’s approach environment to our way of challenges we face and our our fleet of motor vehicles. to sustainability were limited life. To promote sustainability is to actively choose to make To promote sustainability is to actively choose to make green practices part of our green practices part of our culture through our daily culture through our daily ac- tions and behavior—at work, actions and behavior—at work, at home, and everything at home, and everything we do we do in between. in between, from traveling and commuting to the purchases approach to addressing them. VA has already acquired 400 only to large-scale, highly vis- we make. On a larger scale, VA is install- hybrid sedans and nearly 150 ible projects such as solar panel VA has a clear, uncom- ing solar, wind, geothermal alternative-fuel vehicles. The and wind turbine installations, promising mission: to care for and other renewably fueled en- Veterans Health Administra- our greening efforts would be and provide quality benefits ergy systems on-site at facilities tion and National Cemetery incomplete and fall short of and services to veterans and nationwide—15 percent of the Administration are planning to our goals. their families. I believe incor- Department’s electricity con- substantially increase the use of Such simple steps as porating sustainability into sumption will be clean energy, electric vehicles at their facili- printing double-sided, turning our capital asset management fueled by renewable sources, ties. To meet the fueling needs off your PC monitor when not practices is simply a better by 2013. For a map and loca- of this green fleet, VA has in use, recycling, and purchas- approach to the stewardship tions of these renewable energy begun the installation of up to ing green products and energy- of the resources the American projects, visit our Web site. 91 ethanol-based fueling sta- efficient electronics contribute people have entrusted to us. VA is greening its build- tions at facilities nationwide. to VA’s sustainability goals. Going green means safeguard- ings, both new and existing, VA’s sustainability goals Remember, by helping ing our national security by with the goal of reaching a 15 are administered through the VA go green, you are helping reducing our reliance on fossil percent sustainable inventory Green Management Program, us do the right thing every fuels and, more basic than by 2015. Currently, 25 facili- which is comprised of five pro- day. We ask you to engage that, doing the right thing ev- ties have received independent, gram areas: energy and water with us in greening VA, and ery day—for the environment, third-party certification as management; environmental if you have suggestions, ideas the communities in which we green—four through the Lead- management; fleet manage- or questions, e-mail us at live and serve, and most im- ership in Energy and Environ- ment; sustainable buildings [email protected]. VAnguard • November/December 2010 3 NEWS YOU CAN USE Reaching Out to Veterans? Try Using a Phone-a-Thon In communications circles term “telethon” was not used this to help veterans get the have gone unanswered without these days, there’s a lot of talk because, for many, it implies care they deserve. I’d like to our staff members answering about social media, such as Fa- that the primary purpose is to get 50,000 new vets enrolled, the phones. cebook, Twitter and numerous raise money). and I’m willing to talk with “Our staff also coordi- other outlets, and the newest Local television stations any medical centers who want nated the timely enrollment of technologies available for use provided a 90-second segment to know how we did this.” eligible veterans, ensured expe- by those charged with reaching every half-hour throughout the More than 700 calls were dient appointment scheduling, out to their various customers day. The station sold the air- received, and more than 465 and directed questions outside or constituents. time to a commercial sponsor, applications were sent to the the scope of eligibility to the But it’s important to and the Syracuse VA received veterans who called that day. appropriate departments and remember that creative ap- the airtime at no charge. Hoffman took care of agencies for follow-up.” plication of some of the “old “Everyone was a winner,” the business side of the event, “The Syracuse phone-a- tools” on the communicator’s said Sclar. “The station sold scheduling employees to man thon was an excellent example workbench can be equally ef- the commercial time. The the phones, mailing the appli- of staff working together to fective. sponsor positioned itself as an cations, and the all-important recruit veterans to enroll in One day last December, entity that cares about veter- Gordon Sclar, the public af- ans, and the Syracuse VA was fairs officer at the Syracuse able to reach out to veterans (N.Y.) VA Medical Center, and their family members who read an e-mail item about a might not otherwise be aware unique media event held by of the VA health care mes- the VA Salt Lake City Health sage.” Care System.