MILITARY OFFICERS CALL

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America

P O Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571

Volume 33 Number 10 October 2016

OCTOBER SPEAKER

RADM Joseph Miller USNR (Ret)

RADM Miller USNR retired from the Navy Reserve in 1986 after 34 years and credited with nine years of active duty Since retirement with annual Permissive Orders he has had consecutive Navy Orders from 1952mdash2014 or for 62 years The Permissive Orders included informal visits to Navy hos-pitals RADM Miller had completed three years as the first reserv-ist to serve as a Deputy Surgeon General Pentagon and concurrently as Commander Naval Reserve Force Force Medical Officer 1983-1986 On active duty he served as Chief of Neurosurgery National Naval Medical Center and subsequently as Chief of Neurosurgery US Naval Hospital Da Nang Vietnam As a consultant to the Surgeon General RADM Miller chaired a committee of five prominent civilian leaders of neu-rosurgery to develop a Navy neurosurgical residency In the Pentagon with Dr Barry he wrote and staffed the directive for the establishment of Physician Reservists in Medical Uni-versities and Schools (PRIMUS) RADM Miller has been to Bethesda over 100 times Yokosuka Japan 40 times San Diego 24 times Pearl Harbor 22 times and every other Na-vy hospital in the world Among his many duty stations was a tour with the Com-mander in Chief Central Command MacDill Air Force Base December 1982 February 1983 and February 1984 In civilian life RADM Miller practiced Neurosurgery from 1960 through December 2000 and served as Chief of Neuro-surgery at Methodist University Hospital Memphis and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery University of Tennessee and University of Tennessee Training Director in Neurosurgery at the Methodist University Hospital (1983-2000) RADM Miller was Founder and Director of the Memphis Neurosciences Center at Methodist Hospital and the Univer-sity of Tennessee He developed an international academic interchange in Neurosurgery with 27 countries He is currently on the Voluntary Faculty of USF Medical School Tampa Florida He has researched and lectured on the lsquoPhilosophy of Warrsquo more than ninety times

Dear Colleagues What a great meeting after our summer break Kathryn Glynn gave a heartwarming talk about her experience her Kuwait visit honoring her son-in-law who was killed there We look forward to having RADM Joseph Miller as our guest speaker this month and will talk about the ldquoPhilosophy of Warrdquo Military Ball chairman John Glynn has said that there are only about four tables left so if you would like to attend give John a call Donrsquot forget our golf tournament on November 5 2016 at Freedom Fairways There is still time to get your foursome together for the tournament see Dave Murphy for details Jim Haney and his Membership Committee an-nounced at our September meeting a financial incen-tive of $10000 to the first five MOAA members who chose to become ldquoMOAA Life Membersrdquo see Jim or one of the team to sign up (see pg 4 Your nominating committee comprised of Jim War-chol Jerry Brockmeier Gordon Bassett and Lance Alderman submitted their recommendations for lead-ership positions to the Officers and Directors of our chapter at the monthly Board of Directors meeting on September 14th Their recommendations were ap-proved and are as follows President Charlie Conover 1st Vice President Benny Blackshire 2nd Vice President Jim Haney Secretary Ed Mooney Assistant Secretary Ferris Garrett Treasurer D Kay Benson Assistant Treasurer Kirk Faryniasz Director-Past President Thom Brown Director-News Letter Frank Kepley Director David Floyd Director-Auxiliary Doris Glass Director-Auxiliary Jane Foppe Director Sam Roer Continued on page 2

Presidentrsquos Message Charles Conover LTC USA

(Ret) October 2016

Continued from page 1 Director-Personal Affairs Ed Socha Historian Paul Wheat The slate will be presented to the membership at the Oc-tober luncheon voted on at the November luncheon and installed at the December luncheon Charlie Conover

Kathryn Glynn was the featured speaker at the Military Officers of America Association (MOAA) monthly meeting which was held in the Florida Room at the Sun City Center North Side Atrium Building on Sept 7th 2016 Kathryn gave a presentation on her experience with Op-eration Desert Peace in Kuwait Her daughterrsquos husband Lance Corporal Michael Linderman Jr was killed in action in the Gulf War Most Americans are unaware that Kuwait in 1993 brought family members of those killed in the Gulf War as guests to Kuwait to honor their loved ones and show their deep-seated gratitude Kathryn said that the people of Kuwait ldquowanted us to know that no life was lost in vain during the Gulf War and the names of all those who sacrificed are forever inscribed in the hearts of the Kuwaiti peoplerdquo She discussed her experience with the people of Kuwait and how they healed their hearts together Kuwaiti families told them of the atrocities committed against the Kuwaiti people by Saddam and his Iraqi soldiers occupying Kuwait and how brave Kuwaitis hid Americans from the Iraqis during the occupation

Chapter Officers

PRESIDENT LTC Charles Conover USA (Ret)helliphelliphellip260-3257 charlierconovergmailcom 1st VP LTC Benny Blackshire USA (Ret)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip260-3105 bwblacksaolcom 2nd VP MAJ James Haney USMC (Ret)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip642-0373 jhhaney1gmailcom SECRETARYTREASURER (Interim) D Kay Benson (Aux)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 938-3030 mamby45hotmailcom DIRECTOR LT Dave Floyd USN (Fmr) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip334-7797 davidfloyd2012yahoocom

DIRECTOR Doris Glass (Aux)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip642-0497 Luncheon Reservation Coordinator dobygljunocom DIRECTOR CAPT Frank Kepley USN (Ret) helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 642-0801 Public Affairs Officer Legislative Affairs PublisherEditor Officers Call Newsletter dkepleytampabayrrcom DIRECTOR Jane Foppe (Aux) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip541-2618 ljcfoppeaolcom PAST PRESIDENT LT Thom Brown USNR (Fmr)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip hellip634-7435 galenageneral1999gmailcom PERSONAL AFFAIRS CDR Ed Socha USN (Ret) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 634-4957 Proofreader ejsfalcon1frontiercom JROTC COORDINATOR CDR Gina Alderman USN (Ret)helliphelliphelliphellip331-3390 ginaalderman61gmailcom CHAPLAIN Lt Col Samuel Rorer USAF (Ret)helliphelliphelliphellip 260-3882 srorerhotmailcom LUNCHEON COORDINATOR LTC Frank Sanyour USA (Ret) helliphelliphelliphellip 642-9777 sanyourfrankaolcom

OCTOBER LUNCHEON diams(813) 642-0497diams

Wednesday Oct 5th 2016 (Florida Room) Salad Bar amp Fresh Fruit with Assorted Dressings

1 Bratwurst Gudenrsquos Mustard 2 Roast Pork with Sauerkraut

German Potato Salad amp Vegetable du Jour Dessert Bar Chefrsquos selected desserts

Decaf Coffee Iced Tea and Water

September luncheon meeting

MOAA President Charles Conover and Kathyrn Glynn

2

Continued from page 1 Director-Personal Affairs Ed Socha Historian Paul Wheat The slate will be presented to the membership at the Oc-tober luncheon voted on at the November luncheon and installed at the December luncheon Charlie Conover

Kathryn Glynn was the featured speaker at the Military Officers of America Association (MOAA) monthly meeting which was held in the Florida Room at the Sun City Center North Side Atrium Building on Sept 7th 2016 Kathryn gave a presentation on her experience with Op-eration Desert Peace in Kuwait Her daughterrsquos husband Lance Corporal Michael Linderman Jr was killed in action in the Gulf War Most Americans are unaware that Kuwait in 1993 brought family members of those killed in the Gulf War as guests to Kuwait to honor their loved ones and show their deep-seated gratitude Kathryn said that the people of Kuwait ldquowanted us to know that no life was lost in vain during the Gulf War and the names of all those who sacrificed are forever inscribed in the hearts of the Kuwaiti peoplerdquo She discussed her experience with the people of Kuwait and how they healed their hearts together Kuwaiti families told them of the atrocities committed against the Kuwaiti people by Saddam and his Iraqi soldiers occupying Kuwait and how brave Kuwaitis hid Americans from the Iraqis during the occupation

Chapter Officers

PRESIDENT LTC Charles Conover USA (Ret)helliphelliphellip260-3257 charlierconovergmailcom 1st VP LTC Benny Blackshire USA (Ret)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip260-3105 bwblacksaolcom 2nd VP MAJ James Haney USMC (Ret)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip642-0373 jhhaney1gmailcom SECRETARYTREASURER (Interim) D Kay Benson (Aux)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 938-3030 mamby45hotmailcom DIRECTOR LT Dave Floyd USN (Fmr) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip334-7797 davidfloyd2012yahoocom

DIRECTOR Doris Glass (Aux)helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip642-0497 Luncheon Reservation Coordinator dobygljunocom DIRECTOR CAPT Frank Kepley USN (Ret) helliphelliphelliphelliphellip 642-0801 Public Affairs Officer Legislative Affairs PublisherEditor Officers Call Newsletter dkepleytampabayrrcom DIRECTOR Jane Foppe (Aux) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip541-2618 ljcfoppeaolcom PAST PRESIDENT LT Thom Brown USNR (Fmr)helliphelliphelliphelliphellip hellip634-7435 galenageneral1999gmailcom PERSONAL AFFAIRS CDR Ed Socha USN (Ret) helliphelliphelliphelliphelliphellip 634-4957 Proofreader ejsfalcon1frontiercom JROTC COORDINATOR CDR Gina Alderman USN (Ret)helliphelliphelliphellip331-3390 ginaalderman61gmailcom CHAPLAIN Lt Col Samuel Rorer USAF (Ret)helliphelliphelliphellip 260-3882 srorerhotmailcom LUNCHEON COORDINATOR LTC Frank Sanyour USA (Ret) helliphelliphelliphellip 642-9777 sanyourfrankaolcom

OCTOBER LUNCHEON diams(813) 642-0497diams

Wednesday Oct 5th 2016 (Florida Room) Salad Bar amp Fresh Fruit with Assorted Dressings

1 Bratwurst Gudenrsquos Mustard 2 Roast Pork with Sauerkraut

German Potato Salad amp Vegetable du Jour Dessert Bar Chefrsquos selected desserts

Decaf Coffee Iced Tea and Water

September luncheon meeting

MOAA President Charles Conover and Kathyrn Glynn

2

David J Gauthier

Certified Public AccountantmdashSun City Accounting Sun City Center Florida 33573

(813) 634-9500 (813)642-8112-Fax

Income Tax Preparation

Corporate and Business Taxes Accounting and Bookkeeping

Financial and Investment Planning Planning for Freedom Plaza Entrance Fees

bull Financial Assistance in critical times of need

bull PAWS for Patriots through Southeastern Guide Dogs MFST supports three blind veterans per year at a cost of $5000 per veteran

bull Service Dogs for veterans with PTSD and other traumatic injuries

bull Homeless Prevention for Women Veterans help with rent child care and licensing training

bull Operation Warm Heart administered by the1st Sargeants Group at MacDill AFB who provide commissary vouchers for soldiers in need

in Tampa

bull Scholarships and Leadership Pro-grams for students from military families

bull Operation Helping Hand monthly support for military families of wound-ed servicemen and women at the James A Haley VA Hospital

3

4

In the wake of scandal Wounded Warrior Pro-ject outlines significant overhaul (update)

Wounded Warrior Project officials are firing half of their executives closing nine offices and redi-recting millions in spending to mental health care programs and partnerships as part of an organi-zation overhaul in the wake of spending scandals

earlier this year Mike Linnington a retired Army lieutenant general who took over as CEO of the embattled organization earlier this year said the moves arenrsquot an indictment of past practices at the charity but a recognition of changes needed to keep the group relevant and providing the best resources possi-ble to veterans ldquoThis is a case where the negative publicity have caused us to take an internal look at how to do things betterrdquo he said ldquoWhere Wounded Warrior Project came from to where we are now is a success story We have 90000 post-911 veterans wersquore helpingrdquo The moves come months after the 13-year-old organiza-tion came under attack for accusations of exorbitant staff salaries lavish corporate retreats and other reckless corpo-rate spending VA secretary We need action from Congress now Veterans Affairs officials are pleading with Capitol Hill leaders to pass their departmentrsquos fiscal 2017 budget re-form the benefit appeals process and tackle a host of oth-er top legislative priorities before time runs out on the cur-rent congressional session at the end of the year In a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Veteransrsquo Affairs committees on Tuesday VA Secretary Bob McDonald called adopting the veterans measures ldquoa moral imperativerdquo and added that lawmakersrsquo lack of pro-gress on the issues so far this year is hurting department reform efforts ldquoContinued inaction on these critically important initia-tives not only negatively impacts VArsquos transformation but more importantly is exceptionally damaging to VArsquos ability to provide necessary services to our nationrsquos veteransrdquo the letter stated ldquoSimply put the time for legislative action is overduerdquo

Sun City Center MOAA Website Donrsquot forget to visit our new website The link to the website is httpmoaaflorgchaptersSunCity You will find much membership information photos calendar of events past newsletters and more If you would like to

PublisherEditor CAPT Frank Kepley USN (Ret)

We need your input about member activities associ-ated with MOAA and articles of interest to the mili-tary community Contact Frank at dkepleytampabayrrcom 813-642-0801

MOAA

5 Star

Newsle er

Communica on

Rising oceans threaten to submerge 18 military bases report

Rising oceans will swallow parts of the worlds biggest naval base by the end of the century according to experts who warn that it will take billions of dollars in up-grades to prepare these facilities

Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and 17 other US mili-tary installations sitting on waterfront property are looking at hundreds of floods a year and in some cases could be mostly submerged by 2100 according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists Nine of those bases are major hubs for the Navy In ad-dition to Norfolk flooding threatens Naval Station Mayport Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia and the Na-val Academy in Maryland where 2003s Hurricane Isabel flooded classrooms dormitories and athletic facilities Its not just the Navy Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is at risk of being completely underwater All told three Marine Corps installations two joint bases an Air Force base and a Coast Guard Station are also at risk of daily flooding the report said They were surprised at how much permanent inundation occurs Originally they were focusing on hurricane storm surge When they decided to do tidal flooding thatrsquos when it hit them

SCC MOAA CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES During the 7 September 2016 Luncheon meeting the follow-ing initiatives were presented to the attendees 1 Chapter members that are not MOAA members should register as BASIC (free) MOAA members to qualify the Chapter for financial incentives from MOAA https eb-izmoaaorgPersonifyEbusinessDefaultaspx Ta-bId=153ampjoinmoaa=BASIC 2 Chapter Recruiting Challenge Cards inviting a prospec-tive Chapter member to a Luncheon meeting were distribut-ed to attendees and they were requested to present a card to a qualified prospect they might meet GET YOURS 3 Chapter members that are not MOAA LIFE members that upgrade to become a LIFE member will be rebated $100 of their LIFE dues by the Chapter This incentive is available to the first ten (10) Chapter members that upgrade httpsebizmoaaorgPersonifyEbusiness DefaultaspxTabId=153 For further information contact Jim Haney at jhhaney1gmailcom or 8132208758 cell

4

In the wake of scandal Wounded Warrior Pro-ject outlines significant overhaul (update)

Wounded Warrior Project officials are firing half of their executives closing nine offices and redi-recting millions in spending to mental health care programs and partnerships as part of an organi-zation overhaul in the wake of spending scandals

earlier this year Mike Linnington a retired Army lieutenant general who took over as CEO of the embattled organization earlier this year said the moves arenrsquot an indictment of past practices at the charity but a recognition of changes needed to keep the group relevant and providing the best resources possi-ble to veterans ldquoThis is a case where the negative publicity have caused us to take an internal look at how to do things betterrdquo he said ldquoWhere Wounded Warrior Project came from to where we are now is a success story We have 90000 post-911 veterans wersquore helpingrdquo The moves come months after the 13-year-old organiza-tion came under attack for accusations of exorbitant staff salaries lavish corporate retreats and other reckless corpo-rate spending VA secretary We need action from Congress now Veterans Affairs officials are pleading with Capitol Hill leaders to pass their departmentrsquos fiscal 2017 budget re-form the benefit appeals process and tackle a host of oth-er top legislative priorities before time runs out on the cur-rent congressional session at the end of the year In a letter to the leadership of the House and Senate Veteransrsquo Affairs committees on Tuesday VA Secretary Bob McDonald called adopting the veterans measures ldquoa moral imperativerdquo and added that lawmakersrsquo lack of pro-gress on the issues so far this year is hurting department reform efforts ldquoContinued inaction on these critically important initia-tives not only negatively impacts VArsquos transformation but more importantly is exceptionally damaging to VArsquos ability to provide necessary services to our nationrsquos veteransrdquo the letter stated ldquoSimply put the time for legislative action is overduerdquo

Sun City Center MOAA Website Donrsquot forget to visit our new website The link to the website is httpmoaaflorgchaptersSunCity You will find much membership information photos calendar of events past newsletters and more If you would like to

PublisherEditor CAPT Frank Kepley USN (Ret)

We need your input about member activities associ-ated with MOAA and articles of interest to the mili-tary community Contact Frank at dkepleytampabayrrcom 813-642-0801

MOAA

5 Star

Newsle er

Communica on

Rising oceans threaten to submerge 18 military bases report

Rising oceans will swallow parts of the worlds biggest naval base by the end of the century according to experts who warn that it will take billions of dollars in up-grades to prepare these facilities

Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and 17 other US mili-tary installations sitting on waterfront property are looking at hundreds of floods a year and in some cases could be mostly submerged by 2100 according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists Nine of those bases are major hubs for the Navy In ad-dition to Norfolk flooding threatens Naval Station Mayport Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia and the Na-val Academy in Maryland where 2003s Hurricane Isabel flooded classrooms dormitories and athletic facilities Its not just the Navy Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island is at risk of being completely underwater All told three Marine Corps installations two joint bases an Air Force base and a Coast Guard Station are also at risk of daily flooding the report said They were surprised at how much permanent inundation occurs Originally they were focusing on hurricane storm surge When they decided to do tidal flooding thatrsquos when it hit them

SCC MOAA CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP INITIATIVES During the 7 September 2016 Luncheon meeting the follow-ing initiatives were presented to the attendees 1 Chapter members that are not MOAA members should register as BASIC (free) MOAA members to qualify the Chapter for financial incentives from MOAA https eb-izmoaaorgPersonifyEbusinessDefaultaspx Ta-bId=153ampjoinmoaa=BASIC 2 Chapter Recruiting Challenge Cards inviting a prospec-tive Chapter member to a Luncheon meeting were distribut-ed to attendees and they were requested to present a card to a qualified prospect they might meet GET YOURS 3 Chapter members that are not MOAA LIFE members that upgrade to become a LIFE member will be rebated $100 of their LIFE dues by the Chapter This incentive is available to the first ten (10) Chapter members that upgrade httpsebizmoaaorgPersonifyEbusiness DefaultaspxTabId=153 For further information contact Jim Haney at jhhaney1gmailcom or 8132208758 cell

LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS Frank Kepley CAPT USN (Ret)

House approves measure to bar women from draft registration

The Republican-led House backed a measure Thursday that seeks to bar women from being required to register for a potential military draft a victory for social conservatives who fear that forc-

ing females to sign up is another step toward the blurring of gender lines By a vote of 217 to 203 lawmakers approved an amend-ment that would block the Selective Service System from using any money to alter draft registration requirements that currently apply only to men between the ages of 18 and 25 The amendment sponsored by Rep Warren Davidson R-Ohio was added to a financial services spending bill The House also approved an amendment by Rep Paul Gosar R-Ariz that would block any money in the bill from being used for sanctuary cities a term for jurisdictions that resist turning over immigrants to federal authorities Lawmakers push for a bigger military pay raise and 27000 more troops

Military Times - House lawmakers want a 21 percent military pay raise for next year and a force expansion totaling 27000 troops be-yond the Pentagons request according to

their first draft of the annual defense authorization bill re-leased Tuesday The legislation which features hundreds of defense spending priorities and policies for fiscal 2017 also includes an overhaul of military judicial rules but does not yet include any major military medical reform measures VA Schedules 2 Million Appointments Using Veterans Choice Program

Improvements made in increasing access to Community Care but more work to be done The Department of Veterans Af-

fairsrsquo (VA) Veterans Choice Program (VCP) has reached a key milestone in improving access to health care for Veter-ans More than two million appointments have been sched-uled through the program ldquoWhile two million appointments have been scheduled using the Choice Program and we are making progress we will not rest until all Veterans who choose VA to be their healthcare provider are receiving the care they need when they need itrdquo said VA Secretary Robert McDonald ldquoWe will continue to make strides towards an integrated care net-work and I urge Congress to enact our Plan to Consolidate Community Care so we can continue to build upon our

progressrdquo The Choice Act which included the VCP was passed in August 2014 to help Veterans access timely health care both within VA and the community VA was required to im-plement a new national program in just 90 days with new requirements that complicated the way VA provides com-munity care VA recognized many of these challenges very early in the implementation of the program and VA and all our stakeholders have been working together to make needed changes while implementing this new nationwide program VACAA terminatioin bill

Senator Sanders who played a key role in drafting the Veterans Access Choice and Accountability Act (VACAA) language at issue commented ldquoThis bill gives the Secretary of the VA the authority to immediately fire incompetent employees and those who have falsified or

manipulated data in terms of waiting periods Our legisla-tion differs from the House in that in order to prevent in my view the politicization of the VA or eliminate all due pro-cess it provides for a very expedited appeals process The VACAA was not intended to allow terminated Senior Executive Service (SES) members to engage in a months-long appellate process before this Courtrdquo Senator Vitter lamented ldquoWe have had so many protec-tions heaped on the civil service system over 100-plus years that it has become virtually impossible to fire or de-mote or punish someone who is deserving of that because of incompetence or worse We need to change that be-cause unless and until we do bureaucracies such as the VA will remain broken This bill has important provisions in that regardrdquo Senator Boozman likewise observed ldquoUnder current law senior VA employees are nearly untouchable That means the very people responsible for hiding the true extent of wait times for instance and other abuses cannot be fired That is incredible when you think about it We cannot tolerate bad actors who abuse their power and put our veterans in danger That is why a key component of this bill gives the Secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to fire or demote senior VA employees for poor performancerdquo Editorrsquos Note the reasoning given by the judge who ruled on the attempted firing of Helman (Phoenix VA director) was that in other like cases the people who committed sim-ilar misdeeds were not fired therefore Helman and other incompetent executives cannot be terminated either In-credible So I guess no one can be punished for establish-ing false waiting lists now or in the future A precedent has been established The Merit System Protection Board strikes again See McDonaldrsquos comments in following article VA Secretary Defends Improvements as Well Underway Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald made an im-passioned defense of the department and argued that its transformation was well underwayrdquo ldquoYouve heard many times that VA is broken McDonald said at the event in Charlotte North Carolina So Ill answer See VA improvements on next page

5

VA ImprovementsmdashContinued from previous page one question Can the Department of Veterans Affairs be fixed Can it be transformed The an-swer is yes Absolutely Not only can it be transformed transfor-mation is well underway -- and were already seeing resultsrdquo

For example McDonald said the number of homeless veterans nationwide has decreased by more than a third -- 36 percent -- since 2000 with two unnamed states effectively ending the problem and Los Angeles reporting particularly strong declines He didnt cite actual population figures though the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2015 reported some 48000 veterans across the country were homeless Similarly McDonald said the department has whittled down its one-time backlog of claims of 611000 almost 90 percent by increasing staff adjusting policies and imple-menting an automated filing system He also cited his fact-finding trips to VA medical centers in places like Phoenix where veterans were placed on secret wait lists to cover up delays in care McDonald said almost all appointments -- 97 percent -- are now completed within a month of a veterans preferred date and signaled a seemingly significant change slated to take effect later this year You should know that average wait time for primary care is around five days six days for specialty care and two days for mental health care he said And by December you can expect same day access in primary care and same day access in mental health care Some claim theres no accountability at VA he said They dont think we hold people accountable All told weve terminated over 3750 employees in two years During his speech McDonald also rapped House law-makers for failing to fully fund the VAs $183 billion budget request for fiscal 2017 beginning Oct 1 and the media for embellishing stories and who want to give veterans more choice in seeking private health care Editorrsquos Note As has been previously stated the veteranrsquos organizations are looking for fixes not more choices VA doubling back to resolve TBI claims denials

Veterans Affairs officials arent saying how 24000 veterans were diagnosed with trau-matic brain injury by VA physicians consid-ered unqualified to make such a determina-tion but on Wednesday told Congress the

department is working to resolve related disability claims problems Some veterans diagnosed with TBI from 2007 to 2015 were denied disability benefits because they were exam-ined by a VA health provider considered to be unqualified under VA policy After a media investigation by KARE 11 in Minneapolis found that as many as 300 veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center were denied benefits as a result the de-partment announced it would review all cases involving veterans with improper exams In June VA announced it would send letters to more than 24000 affected veterans offering new exams

Navy Human Error to Blame for Cable Break That Injured Eight Sailors

Navy investigators blamed human error and an improperly programmed valve for a March incident in which eight sailors were injured when a cable used to catch a landing E-2C Hawkeye snapped on the flight deck of the USS

Dwight D Eisenhower According to a Navy report obtained by The Virginian-Pilot through a Freedom of Information Act request maintenance personnel missed at least one and possibly two critical steps while working on an engine that helps operate the carrier flight decks cables which are called cross deck pendants after a previous landing As a result the engine failed to slow the aircraft instead causing the pendant to break at or near the Hawkeyes tailhook The Navy did not find evidence of willful dereliction of duty or negligence by the maintenance workers The report said that while there was a lack of procedural compliance while troubleshooting an error code from a previous arrest-ed landing the sailors involved reasonably believed they had properly and conscientiously completed the complicat-ed procedure Federal Long Term Care Insurance Premium Increases (See page 6 Cost skyrocket in Sept newsletter) MOAA is aware of the federal Long Term Care (LTC) in-surance premium increases If you would like to discuss available options to reduce the premium increase MOAA member service representatives can help explain your op-tions Please contact the MOAA Member Service Center at (800) 234-MOAA (6622)

Florida Council of Chapters Communiqueacute

August 2016 Issue See what the other Chapters are doing The Florida Coun-cil of Chapterrsquos newsletter the ldquoCommuniqueacuterdquo can be ac-cessed by clicking on the link below After you click the link and then click Allow it may take a minute or so for the newsletter to pop up It is worth the wait

Apr2014pd pwwwmoaaflorgcommunique

EditormdashMarty Brown Send articles and photos to wayneandmartybrowngmailcom

Wanted Ladies for golf tournament The Nov 5th MOAA Golf Committee is trying to es-tablish an all Ladies Division We will need 4 or 5 all ladies foursomes to create the division The Ladies will compete against themselves and not the Men The same awards will be won by both divi-sions If interested contact Dave Murphy at mardav3verizonnet or 633-0842

6

VA ImprovementsmdashContinued from previous page one question Can the Department of Veterans Affairs be fixed Can it be transformed The an-swer is yes Absolutely Not only can it be transformed transfor-mation is well underway -- and were already seeing resultsrdquo

For example McDonald said the number of homeless veterans nationwide has decreased by more than a third -- 36 percent -- since 2000 with two unnamed states effectively ending the problem and Los Angeles reporting particularly strong declines He didnt cite actual population figures though the US Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2015 reported some 48000 veterans across the country were homeless Similarly McDonald said the department has whittled down its one-time backlog of claims of 611000 almost 90 percent by increasing staff adjusting policies and imple-menting an automated filing system He also cited his fact-finding trips to VA medical centers in places like Phoenix where veterans were placed on secret wait lists to cover up delays in care McDonald said almost all appointments -- 97 percent -- are now completed within a month of a veterans preferred date and signaled a seemingly significant change slated to take effect later this year You should know that average wait time for primary care is around five days six days for specialty care and two days for mental health care he said And by December you can expect same day access in primary care and same day access in mental health care Some claim theres no accountability at VA he said They dont think we hold people accountable All told weve terminated over 3750 employees in two years During his speech McDonald also rapped House law-makers for failing to fully fund the VAs $183 billion budget request for fiscal 2017 beginning Oct 1 and the media for embellishing stories and who want to give veterans more choice in seeking private health care Editorrsquos Note As has been previously stated the veteranrsquos organizations are looking for fixes not more choices VA doubling back to resolve TBI claims denials

Veterans Affairs officials arent saying how 24000 veterans were diagnosed with trau-matic brain injury by VA physicians consid-ered unqualified to make such a determina-tion but on Wednesday told Congress the

department is working to resolve related disability claims problems Some veterans diagnosed with TBI from 2007 to 2015 were denied disability benefits because they were exam-ined by a VA health provider considered to be unqualified under VA policy After a media investigation by KARE 11 in Minneapolis found that as many as 300 veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center were denied benefits as a result the de-partment announced it would review all cases involving veterans with improper exams In June VA announced it would send letters to more than 24000 affected veterans offering new exams

Navy Human Error to Blame for Cable Break That Injured Eight Sailors

Navy investigators blamed human error and an improperly programmed valve for a March incident in which eight sailors were injured when a cable used to catch a landing E-2C Hawkeye snapped on the flight deck of the USS

Dwight D Eisenhower According to a Navy report obtained by The Virginian-Pilot through a Freedom of Information Act request maintenance personnel missed at least one and possibly two critical steps while working on an engine that helps operate the carrier flight decks cables which are called cross deck pendants after a previous landing As a result the engine failed to slow the aircraft instead causing the pendant to break at or near the Hawkeyes tailhook The Navy did not find evidence of willful dereliction of duty or negligence by the maintenance workers The report said that while there was a lack of procedural compliance while troubleshooting an error code from a previous arrest-ed landing the sailors involved reasonably believed they had properly and conscientiously completed the complicat-ed procedure Federal Long Term Care Insurance Premium Increases (See page 6 Cost skyrocket in Sept newsletter) MOAA is aware of the federal Long Term Care (LTC) in-surance premium increases If you would like to discuss available options to reduce the premium increase MOAA member service representatives can help explain your op-tions Please contact the MOAA Member Service Center at (800) 234-MOAA (6622)

Florida Council of Chapters Communiqueacute

August 2016 Issue See what the other Chapters are doing The Florida Coun-cil of Chapterrsquos newsletter the ldquoCommuniqueacuterdquo can be ac-cessed by clicking on the link below After you click the link and then click Allow it may take a minute or so for the newsletter to pop up It is worth the wait

Apr2014pd pwwwmoaaflorgcommunique

EditormdashMarty Brown Send articles and photos to wayneandmartybrowngmailcom

Wanted Ladies for golf tournament The Nov 5th MOAA Golf Committee is trying to es-tablish an all Ladies Division We will need 4 or 5 all ladies foursomes to create the division The Ladies will compete against themselves and not the Men The same awards will be won by both divi-sions If interested contact Dave Murphy at mardav3verizonnet or 633-0842

6

New system lets some civilian doctors see military health records

A new health records sharing program gives doctors in 10 civilian US health systems ac-cess to Defense Department medical records with more systems expected to join later this year The Pentagonrsquos Health Information Ex-change Initiative launched June 1 allows pri-

vate physicians and some government organizations to view medical records held by military hospitals or clinics if they are treating patients with such records The program should ease the need to hand-carry mili-tary health records or lab results between health care pro-viders participating in the exchange While the eHealth Exchange system is designed to make it easier for military beneficiaries to move between providers not all doctors who accept Tricare are in an approved network and none of Tricarersquos regional contrac-tors mdash United Health Military amp Veterans Humana Mili-tary and Health Net Federal Services mdash participate But Tricare providers who also are part of an approved exchange can view records June health care breaches affect 11 million patient records

There were 29 health care security breaches in June and the 23 for which data were available showed more than 11 million patient records were affected according to a report from Protenus and DataBreachesnet which launched the Healthcare Breach Barometer Data showed 24

health care providers accounted for 86 of breaches with three occurring at health plans and one at an NFL team ldquoThe number of business associates with access to pa-tient records via EHR systems increasingly creates new security complexities for health systems to managerdquo the report said VA plans massive expansion of cancer treat-ment options

The Department of Veterans Affairs could turn its entire medical system into a nationwide center for excellence for cancer treatment in the next few months

Thatrsquos the upshot of VAs role within the White Housersquos ldquomoonshotrdquo to eliminate cancer a $1 billion attempt to bring about a decadersquos worth of medical advances in half that time While other agencies will focus on research and clinical trials VA doctors will be putting those advances to work as soon as this fall in hopes of saving more vet-erans lives ldquoWersquore essentially taking expertise that exists in our high-end centers and making sure that it is available in even our most rural centersrdquo said Dr David Shulkin VAs undersecretary for health ldquoItrsquos going to result in different treatment options and better decisions and making sure every veteran is getting world-class cancer carerdquo

VA officials will team with the National Cancer Institute the Prostate Cancer Foundation and a host of federal agencies to support a series of new innovations through the system Second US Case of E coli Resistant to Last-Resort Antibiotic

Bacteria resistant to colistin an antibi-otic of last resort have been found in a second patient in the United States ac-cording to a study published today The finding raises concerns about the possi-ble emergence of bacteria resistant to

all existing antibiotics As previously reported by Medscape Medical News researchers reported the first case of colistin-resistant bacteria in the US in May That patient from Pennsylva-nia carried a colistin-resistant strain of Escherichia coli(E coli) bacteria Agent Orange exposure linked to bladder cancer hypothyroidism

A new review of Agent Orange re-search found hypothyroidism are more strongly linked to exposure to the herbicide than previously thought but the science does not support a previously held belief that spina bifida occurs in the offspring of exposed

veterans at higher rates A report released Thursday by the Institute of Medicine on the health effects of Agent Orange also recommended the Veterans Affairs Department grant service-connected presumption to veterans with ldquoParkinsonrsquos-like symp-tomsrdquo not just those diagnosed with Parkinsonrsquos disease related to Agent Orange exposure The decision on bladder cancer and hypothyroidism was tied to results of a large study of Korean War veter-ans who served in the Vietnam War suggested an associ-ation while the choice to downgrade spina bifida was based on a lack of data panel members said Study Text messages could reduce risk of repeat heart attacks

Australian researchers have found that patients recovering from a heart attack who received four text messages per week ask-ing about their health and giving health suggestions were more likely to have slow-er heart rates lower cholesterol levels and

less body fat and maintain lower blood pressure than the control group The findings based on 700 coronary heart disease patients also showed that those who received text messages had smaller waist sizes and were more likely to be active and quit smoking than the control group In the immediate aftermath of a heart attack ldquodoctors dump a lot of information onto patients in a few daysrdquo says Clara Chow leader of the study who is director of the cardiovascular division But after the initial flurry Dr Chow says there is often little follow-up to make sure the patients follow through on recommended practices

7

8

No fault found by 8th Army after Bible cere-mony at ball

The May 13 ball put on by the Adjutant Generals Corps Regimental Association in-cluded a Missing Man Table ceremony de-signed to honor prisoners of war and soldiers missing or killed in action Part of that ceremony involved a uniformed soldier placing a Bible on the table and dis-cussing its importance A soldier contacted

the Military Religious Freedom Foundation a group that has fought successfully to remove Bibles from similar dis-plays on federal installations MRFF founder MIkey Weinstein called the ceremony a violation of bedrock Constitutional law when it came to state-sponsored faith but the 8th Army Inspector Generals office disagreed As the Ball was an unofficial activity the individuals who participated in the Ball have the right to express themselves as US Citizens under the First Amendment Weinstein said the MRFF plans to exhaust all administra-tive avenues available to press the issue including pushing possible IG or equal employment opportunity discrimination complaints on behalf of the groups clients Editors Note You can rest assured that there will be a Bi-ble on the ldquoMissing Man Tablerdquo at the upcoming Military Ball on November 12 Navy to put armed sailors at recruiting sta-tions

The Navy is moving to place armed watch-standers at recruiting stations nation-wide a move that comes a year after shoot-ings at a recruiting station and a reserve center in Chattanooga Tennessee claimed

the lives of four Marines and a sailor The decision is the result of a broad investigation of the security of Navy buildings outside major bases such as reserve centers and recruiting stations that are often open to the public and prior to the shooting did not have armed guards It is going to be a system put in place to arm personnel that are there for deterrent value and to provide protection Police shootings touch nerve among military veterans

Back-to-back attacks on police in Texas and Louisiana by former military men have touched a nerve among vet-erans who traditionally share a close bond with law enforcement Veterans and active-duty troops start-ed posting messages on social media

almost immediately after the news broke that a masked for-mer Marine had ambushed law enforcement along a busy highway killing three officers mdash including a fellow former Marine Seeing one Marine kill another Marine after both had re-turned home safely from the battlefield in Iraq has been es-pecially painful for the militarys smallest branch which con-siders service life-long membership among a force whose

official motto is Semper Fidelis or Always Faithful In the Marine community we dont believe in ex-Marines However that is not the case when one decides to break the moral and ethical values we hold dear The ex-Marine that opened fire on officers is everything we swear to protect our Nation from Marine Cpl Eric Trichel wrote on a Facebook page with about 25000 mostly Marine members Physician says Itrsquos time to make PTSD patients eligible for the Purple Heart

Over the last decade a controversial question has surrounded the Purple Heart do veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve it The Pentagon currently does not award Purple Hearts to veterans suffering from

PTSD Supporters of this policy argue physical wounds have always determined eligibility for the Purple Heart Some believe the science regarding PTSD is too primitive indeed symptoms can be difficult to diagnose and objective tests remain elusive There are concerns that some veter-ans might attempt to fake the diagnosis But critics say that denying Purple Hearts to these veter-ans reinforces the stigmatization of mental illnessmdashin other words that conditions of the mind are less real than condi-tions of the body Physicians who treat PTSD feel that the manifestations of this condition are very real Symptoms can include flashbacks paralyzing anxiety hypervigilance and self-harm Whether veterans with PTSD receive the Purple Heart has the potential to shape both the policies and the percep-tions surrounding mental health in this country According to the Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD afflicts up to one in five veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan in a given year and as many as one in three veterans from earlier conflicts like Vietnam during their lifetime As of 2013 roughly 400000 veterans affiliated with the VA car-ried this diagnosis These figures suggest psychological trauma is a staggering but often unrecognized burden on our troops

Luncheon Wednesday Oct 5th 2016 1100 am

Florida Room Board Meeting Wednesday Oct 12th 2016 1000 am

SunTrust Bank Membership Committee Mtg Trinity Baptist Church

3rd Wed at 1000 am (Oct 19th)

Monthly Member and Board Meetings

No deceased members to report for September

IN MEMORIAM

9

Killer Robot Used by Dallas Police Opens Ethical Debate

When Dallas police used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper they also kicked off an ethical debate about tech-nologys use as a crime-fighting weapon The strategy opens a new chapter in the escalating use of remote and semi-

autonomous devices to fight crime and protect lives It also raises new questions over when its appropriate to dispatch a robot to kill dangerous suspects instead of continuing to negotiate their surrender If lethally equipped robots can be used in this situation when else can they be used says Elizabeth Joh a Uni-versity of California at Davis law professor who has fol-lowed US law enforcements use of technology Extreme emergencies shouldnt define the scope of more ordinary situations where police may want to use robots that are capable of harm Dallas Police Chief David Brown defended his depart-ments decision Other options would have exposed our officers to great danger he said Editorrsquos Note Are you kidding me This was absolutely the best choice in this situation Five dead cops Active market for healthcare records looms as newest cyber threat

The addition of a new potential for profit-ing from hacking could increase the ldquodemandrdquo side of the equation for records increasing the likelihood of attacks and the need for healthcare organizations to stiffen defenses

In late June a hacker known as ldquoThe Dark Overlordrdquo re-ported the theft of nearly 10 million patient medical records from providers and a major insurer and put them on the Dark Web market where hackers conduct buy and sell data taken from a variety of sources As of this writing the rec-ords have not been sold and the seller may be having trouble selling the treasure trove of protected health infor-mation VA Workers Protest VA Medical Care Changes

Dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workers rallied July 1 outside the Fayetteville VA Medi-cal Center in Fayetteville NC pro-testing a proposed overhaul of veterans medical care The Com-mission on Care a panel created by Congress two years ago amid

concern over long wait times for care at VA centers nation-wide is expected to recommend soon privatizing care for millions of veterans The American Federation of Govern-ment Employees (AFGE) says the move would close 12 to 15 VA hospitals The AFGE has organized similar protests recently at VA centers across the country For more infor-mation visit the AFGE website and read the Opinion Page in the New York Times Editorrsquos Note This issue was also addressed on page 11 in the August issue

How a tablet-based system could speed stroke care

Computer tablets have the potential to speed stroke care while patients are being transported to a hospital by lev-eraging mobile videoconferencing ac-cording to researchers at the University of Virginia Health System The low-cost tablet-based system

enables neurologists to be in the ambulancemdashvirtually via wireless connectivitymdashto help diagnose patients in route to the hospital when time is of the essence The system includes a video consultation between a neurologist and the stroke patient as well as with the emergency medical services provider in the vehicle Initial feasibility testing found it to be just as accurate as a bedside assessment by a neurologist enabling paramed-ics to make more informed medical transport decisions and potentially leading to quicker treatment of the patient when they arrive at the hospital Treatments must be administered as soon as possible after the onset of the stroke to maximize the effectiveness of clinician action Part of the critical medical transport de-cisions that must be made in the ambulance is whether the patient should be brought to a tertiary center for special-ized care or taken to the nearest hospital VA Secretary vows same-day healthcare for veterans by December

CHARLOTTE NC mdash The head of the Veterans Affairs Department is making a bold promise Secretary Bob McDon-ald says veterans will have same-day access to mental health services and primary care appointments by Decem-ber McDonald made the promise at

the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Charlotte North Carolina According to a report in The Military Times veterans cur-rently wait an average of a five days for primary care two days for mental health services and six days for specialty care According to McDonald the VA has completed more than six million appointments since March 2014

LUNCHEON Wednesday Oct 5th 2016

diamsCall 642-0497diams Florida Room Atrium North Campus SCC

Reservations no later than 6 pm Sunday Oct 2nd 2016

Please give full names of members and guests total num-ber attending Cost is $1400 payable at the door in cash or check Social hour begins at 1100 am Business meeting at 1115 followed by lunch and a speaker Remember if you make a reservation and do not attend you are expected to pay

Fighting a Hospital Superbug Reveals an Un-expected Benefit

The new ldquosuperbugrdquo known as MCR has medical authorities wondering how to prevent it from spreading A new report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reveals that an infection-control program can reduce transmission of the gut bacte-

ria that can carry MCR by more than 40 percent The re-markable thing The program was designed to combat a different infectious threat Its intended target MRSA better known as drug-resistant staph The program at the Veterans Administra-tion Health Care System was created in 2007 at what may have been the height of concern over the presence of MRSA in the United States Enter the VA In October 2007 the health care system mandated that all of its 127 acute-care hospitals do four things Check all the patients being admitted to its hospital to see whether they carried MRSA (which can live quies-cently in the nostrils) isolate patients who carried the bac-terium and make sure that anyone who approached them wore gowns and gloves improve hand washing (and hand sanitizer use) The proposal was bold because it went further than most US hospitals had even tried And it worked Within five years the VA demonstrated that the program cut MRSA infections in intensive care units in its system by three-fourths and MRSA infections elsewhere in its hospitals by two-thirds But there was always a question Had the program only affected rates of MRSA or did it reduce the occurrence of other hospital infections too The new research published last week answers that question with a yes Over the VA programrsquos almost ten years serious hospital infections with Gram-negative bac-teria fell by 43 percent Privacy security concerns continue to cloud mHealthrsquos future

Mobile health apps are emerging as disruptive technologies with the poten-tial to shake up the healthcare industry with both benefits and risks for con-sumers But mHealth privacy and secu-rity safeguards must be addressed im-mediately

Thatrsquos the consensus of lawmakers and witnesses who appeared at a July 13 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce Manufacturing and Trade With about 165000 mHealth apps currently available on the market the data generated by these apps shows prom-ise in changing patient behaviors which could improve out-comes At the same time members of Congress contend that consumer information collected and shared through health apps carry with them inherent privacy and security risks According to recent public and private sector studies some of the most popular mobile health and fitness apps are sharing consumer data with third-party companies put-ting potentially sensitive information at risk Making matters

worse data brokers often obtain and share vast amounts of consumer information without the knowledge or consent of individuals VA and UL to collaborate on security stand-ards for connected health devices

The Veterans Affairs Department and Underwriters Laboratories have signed a cooperative research-and-development agreement for setting

cybersecurity standards and procedures for internet-connected medical devices under the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program Pacemakers monitors drug-delivery devices and other systems are increasingly connected directly or indirectly and can be compromised by malware or hacked says Anura Fernando principal engineer for medical software and systems interoperability at UL The Pentagon will spend at least $80 million to protect recruiters from terrorists

The Defense Department is pressing ahead with up to $80 million in physical security improvements to recruiting cen-ters after last yearrsquos fatal terror attack in Chattanooga mdash but frustrated military leaders say the new safety measures are

taking far too long More than a year after shootings at two military facilities there left a sailor and four Marines dead the military has begun buying bullet-proof glass and equipping security guards with better gear The Army Corps of Engineers is looking for a company to install cubical walls that provide ballistic protection in about 900 recruiting facilities across 70 metropolitan areas for all of the military services according to a federal notice to businesses The walls should provide Level 8 ballistic pro-tection according to the solicitation which is supposed to be able to stop five 762mm rounds The Navy is also moving to place armed sentries in all 71 of its Reserve centers where Navy and Marine reserv-ists train Navy personnel will go through anti-terrorism training geared for off-base facilities VA edges closer to rollout of new health record platform

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs expect to imple-ment the Enterprise Health Man-agement Platform a Web-based modular EHR platform at all VA facilities by the end of this summer to improve interoperability within

the VA and between the agency and the Defense Depart-ment The VA hopes the new platform will fully replace the agencys view-only Computerized Patient Record System by the end of 2018 said David Waltman chief information strategy officer at the VAs Veterans Health Administration

10

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America PO Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571-5693

Place Stamp

Here

Current Resident or

The sponsors that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or this affiliate mdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdash Membership All veteran and active duty commissioned officers of armed forces as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin Public Health and National Guard Reserve members and widows and widowers of former MOAA members _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sun City Center FL MOAA Newsletter is published by the Sun City Center Chapter which is an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are non-partisan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

UNITED STATES NAVY

241 YEARS OLD OCTOBER 13 1775

11

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

8

No fault found by 8th Army after Bible cere-mony at ball

The May 13 ball put on by the Adjutant Generals Corps Regimental Association in-cluded a Missing Man Table ceremony de-signed to honor prisoners of war and soldiers missing or killed in action Part of that ceremony involved a uniformed soldier placing a Bible on the table and dis-cussing its importance A soldier contacted

the Military Religious Freedom Foundation a group that has fought successfully to remove Bibles from similar dis-plays on federal installations MRFF founder MIkey Weinstein called the ceremony a violation of bedrock Constitutional law when it came to state-sponsored faith but the 8th Army Inspector Generals office disagreed As the Ball was an unofficial activity the individuals who participated in the Ball have the right to express themselves as US Citizens under the First Amendment Weinstein said the MRFF plans to exhaust all administra-tive avenues available to press the issue including pushing possible IG or equal employment opportunity discrimination complaints on behalf of the groups clients Editors Note You can rest assured that there will be a Bi-ble on the ldquoMissing Man Tablerdquo at the upcoming Military Ball on November 12 Navy to put armed sailors at recruiting sta-tions

The Navy is moving to place armed watch-standers at recruiting stations nation-wide a move that comes a year after shoot-ings at a recruiting station and a reserve center in Chattanooga Tennessee claimed

the lives of four Marines and a sailor The decision is the result of a broad investigation of the security of Navy buildings outside major bases such as reserve centers and recruiting stations that are often open to the public and prior to the shooting did not have armed guards It is going to be a system put in place to arm personnel that are there for deterrent value and to provide protection Police shootings touch nerve among military veterans

Back-to-back attacks on police in Texas and Louisiana by former military men have touched a nerve among vet-erans who traditionally share a close bond with law enforcement Veterans and active-duty troops start-ed posting messages on social media

almost immediately after the news broke that a masked for-mer Marine had ambushed law enforcement along a busy highway killing three officers mdash including a fellow former Marine Seeing one Marine kill another Marine after both had re-turned home safely from the battlefield in Iraq has been es-pecially painful for the militarys smallest branch which con-siders service life-long membership among a force whose

official motto is Semper Fidelis or Always Faithful In the Marine community we dont believe in ex-Marines However that is not the case when one decides to break the moral and ethical values we hold dear The ex-Marine that opened fire on officers is everything we swear to protect our Nation from Marine Cpl Eric Trichel wrote on a Facebook page with about 25000 mostly Marine members Physician says Itrsquos time to make PTSD patients eligible for the Purple Heart

Over the last decade a controversial question has surrounded the Purple Heart do veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder deserve it The Pentagon currently does not award Purple Hearts to veterans suffering from

PTSD Supporters of this policy argue physical wounds have always determined eligibility for the Purple Heart Some believe the science regarding PTSD is too primitive indeed symptoms can be difficult to diagnose and objective tests remain elusive There are concerns that some veter-ans might attempt to fake the diagnosis But critics say that denying Purple Hearts to these veter-ans reinforces the stigmatization of mental illnessmdashin other words that conditions of the mind are less real than condi-tions of the body Physicians who treat PTSD feel that the manifestations of this condition are very real Symptoms can include flashbacks paralyzing anxiety hypervigilance and self-harm Whether veterans with PTSD receive the Purple Heart has the potential to shape both the policies and the percep-tions surrounding mental health in this country According to the Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD afflicts up to one in five veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan in a given year and as many as one in three veterans from earlier conflicts like Vietnam during their lifetime As of 2013 roughly 400000 veterans affiliated with the VA car-ried this diagnosis These figures suggest psychological trauma is a staggering but often unrecognized burden on our troops

Luncheon Wednesday Oct 5th 2016 1100 am

Florida Room Board Meeting Wednesday Oct 12th 2016 1000 am

SunTrust Bank Membership Committee Mtg Trinity Baptist Church

3rd Wed at 1000 am (Oct 19th)

Monthly Member and Board Meetings

No deceased members to report for September

IN MEMORIAM

9

Killer Robot Used by Dallas Police Opens Ethical Debate

When Dallas police used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper they also kicked off an ethical debate about tech-nologys use as a crime-fighting weapon The strategy opens a new chapter in the escalating use of remote and semi-

autonomous devices to fight crime and protect lives It also raises new questions over when its appropriate to dispatch a robot to kill dangerous suspects instead of continuing to negotiate their surrender If lethally equipped robots can be used in this situation when else can they be used says Elizabeth Joh a Uni-versity of California at Davis law professor who has fol-lowed US law enforcements use of technology Extreme emergencies shouldnt define the scope of more ordinary situations where police may want to use robots that are capable of harm Dallas Police Chief David Brown defended his depart-ments decision Other options would have exposed our officers to great danger he said Editorrsquos Note Are you kidding me This was absolutely the best choice in this situation Five dead cops Active market for healthcare records looms as newest cyber threat

The addition of a new potential for profit-ing from hacking could increase the ldquodemandrdquo side of the equation for records increasing the likelihood of attacks and the need for healthcare organizations to stiffen defenses

In late June a hacker known as ldquoThe Dark Overlordrdquo re-ported the theft of nearly 10 million patient medical records from providers and a major insurer and put them on the Dark Web market where hackers conduct buy and sell data taken from a variety of sources As of this writing the rec-ords have not been sold and the seller may be having trouble selling the treasure trove of protected health infor-mation VA Workers Protest VA Medical Care Changes

Dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workers rallied July 1 outside the Fayetteville VA Medi-cal Center in Fayetteville NC pro-testing a proposed overhaul of veterans medical care The Com-mission on Care a panel created by Congress two years ago amid

concern over long wait times for care at VA centers nation-wide is expected to recommend soon privatizing care for millions of veterans The American Federation of Govern-ment Employees (AFGE) says the move would close 12 to 15 VA hospitals The AFGE has organized similar protests recently at VA centers across the country For more infor-mation visit the AFGE website and read the Opinion Page in the New York Times Editorrsquos Note This issue was also addressed on page 11 in the August issue

How a tablet-based system could speed stroke care

Computer tablets have the potential to speed stroke care while patients are being transported to a hospital by lev-eraging mobile videoconferencing ac-cording to researchers at the University of Virginia Health System The low-cost tablet-based system

enables neurologists to be in the ambulancemdashvirtually via wireless connectivitymdashto help diagnose patients in route to the hospital when time is of the essence The system includes a video consultation between a neurologist and the stroke patient as well as with the emergency medical services provider in the vehicle Initial feasibility testing found it to be just as accurate as a bedside assessment by a neurologist enabling paramed-ics to make more informed medical transport decisions and potentially leading to quicker treatment of the patient when they arrive at the hospital Treatments must be administered as soon as possible after the onset of the stroke to maximize the effectiveness of clinician action Part of the critical medical transport de-cisions that must be made in the ambulance is whether the patient should be brought to a tertiary center for special-ized care or taken to the nearest hospital VA Secretary vows same-day healthcare for veterans by December

CHARLOTTE NC mdash The head of the Veterans Affairs Department is making a bold promise Secretary Bob McDon-ald says veterans will have same-day access to mental health services and primary care appointments by Decem-ber McDonald made the promise at

the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Charlotte North Carolina According to a report in The Military Times veterans cur-rently wait an average of a five days for primary care two days for mental health services and six days for specialty care According to McDonald the VA has completed more than six million appointments since March 2014

LUNCHEON Wednesday Oct 5th 2016

diamsCall 642-0497diams Florida Room Atrium North Campus SCC

Reservations no later than 6 pm Sunday Oct 2nd 2016

Please give full names of members and guests total num-ber attending Cost is $1400 payable at the door in cash or check Social hour begins at 1100 am Business meeting at 1115 followed by lunch and a speaker Remember if you make a reservation and do not attend you are expected to pay

Fighting a Hospital Superbug Reveals an Un-expected Benefit

The new ldquosuperbugrdquo known as MCR has medical authorities wondering how to prevent it from spreading A new report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reveals that an infection-control program can reduce transmission of the gut bacte-

ria that can carry MCR by more than 40 percent The re-markable thing The program was designed to combat a different infectious threat Its intended target MRSA better known as drug-resistant staph The program at the Veterans Administra-tion Health Care System was created in 2007 at what may have been the height of concern over the presence of MRSA in the United States Enter the VA In October 2007 the health care system mandated that all of its 127 acute-care hospitals do four things Check all the patients being admitted to its hospital to see whether they carried MRSA (which can live quies-cently in the nostrils) isolate patients who carried the bac-terium and make sure that anyone who approached them wore gowns and gloves improve hand washing (and hand sanitizer use) The proposal was bold because it went further than most US hospitals had even tried And it worked Within five years the VA demonstrated that the program cut MRSA infections in intensive care units in its system by three-fourths and MRSA infections elsewhere in its hospitals by two-thirds But there was always a question Had the program only affected rates of MRSA or did it reduce the occurrence of other hospital infections too The new research published last week answers that question with a yes Over the VA programrsquos almost ten years serious hospital infections with Gram-negative bac-teria fell by 43 percent Privacy security concerns continue to cloud mHealthrsquos future

Mobile health apps are emerging as disruptive technologies with the poten-tial to shake up the healthcare industry with both benefits and risks for con-sumers But mHealth privacy and secu-rity safeguards must be addressed im-mediately

Thatrsquos the consensus of lawmakers and witnesses who appeared at a July 13 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce Manufacturing and Trade With about 165000 mHealth apps currently available on the market the data generated by these apps shows prom-ise in changing patient behaviors which could improve out-comes At the same time members of Congress contend that consumer information collected and shared through health apps carry with them inherent privacy and security risks According to recent public and private sector studies some of the most popular mobile health and fitness apps are sharing consumer data with third-party companies put-ting potentially sensitive information at risk Making matters

worse data brokers often obtain and share vast amounts of consumer information without the knowledge or consent of individuals VA and UL to collaborate on security stand-ards for connected health devices

The Veterans Affairs Department and Underwriters Laboratories have signed a cooperative research-and-development agreement for setting

cybersecurity standards and procedures for internet-connected medical devices under the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program Pacemakers monitors drug-delivery devices and other systems are increasingly connected directly or indirectly and can be compromised by malware or hacked says Anura Fernando principal engineer for medical software and systems interoperability at UL The Pentagon will spend at least $80 million to protect recruiters from terrorists

The Defense Department is pressing ahead with up to $80 million in physical security improvements to recruiting cen-ters after last yearrsquos fatal terror attack in Chattanooga mdash but frustrated military leaders say the new safety measures are

taking far too long More than a year after shootings at two military facilities there left a sailor and four Marines dead the military has begun buying bullet-proof glass and equipping security guards with better gear The Army Corps of Engineers is looking for a company to install cubical walls that provide ballistic protection in about 900 recruiting facilities across 70 metropolitan areas for all of the military services according to a federal notice to businesses The walls should provide Level 8 ballistic pro-tection according to the solicitation which is supposed to be able to stop five 762mm rounds The Navy is also moving to place armed sentries in all 71 of its Reserve centers where Navy and Marine reserv-ists train Navy personnel will go through anti-terrorism training geared for off-base facilities VA edges closer to rollout of new health record platform

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs expect to imple-ment the Enterprise Health Man-agement Platform a Web-based modular EHR platform at all VA facilities by the end of this summer to improve interoperability within

the VA and between the agency and the Defense Depart-ment The VA hopes the new platform will fully replace the agencys view-only Computerized Patient Record System by the end of 2018 said David Waltman chief information strategy officer at the VAs Veterans Health Administration

10

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America PO Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571-5693

Place Stamp

Here

Current Resident or

The sponsors that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or this affiliate mdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdash Membership All veteran and active duty commissioned officers of armed forces as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin Public Health and National Guard Reserve members and widows and widowers of former MOAA members _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sun City Center FL MOAA Newsletter is published by the Sun City Center Chapter which is an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are non-partisan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

UNITED STATES NAVY

241 YEARS OLD OCTOBER 13 1775

11

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

9

Killer Robot Used by Dallas Police Opens Ethical Debate

When Dallas police used a bomb-carrying robot to kill a sniper they also kicked off an ethical debate about tech-nologys use as a crime-fighting weapon The strategy opens a new chapter in the escalating use of remote and semi-

autonomous devices to fight crime and protect lives It also raises new questions over when its appropriate to dispatch a robot to kill dangerous suspects instead of continuing to negotiate their surrender If lethally equipped robots can be used in this situation when else can they be used says Elizabeth Joh a Uni-versity of California at Davis law professor who has fol-lowed US law enforcements use of technology Extreme emergencies shouldnt define the scope of more ordinary situations where police may want to use robots that are capable of harm Dallas Police Chief David Brown defended his depart-ments decision Other options would have exposed our officers to great danger he said Editorrsquos Note Are you kidding me This was absolutely the best choice in this situation Five dead cops Active market for healthcare records looms as newest cyber threat

The addition of a new potential for profit-ing from hacking could increase the ldquodemandrdquo side of the equation for records increasing the likelihood of attacks and the need for healthcare organizations to stiffen defenses

In late June a hacker known as ldquoThe Dark Overlordrdquo re-ported the theft of nearly 10 million patient medical records from providers and a major insurer and put them on the Dark Web market where hackers conduct buy and sell data taken from a variety of sources As of this writing the rec-ords have not been sold and the seller may be having trouble selling the treasure trove of protected health infor-mation VA Workers Protest VA Medical Care Changes

Dozens of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) workers rallied July 1 outside the Fayetteville VA Medi-cal Center in Fayetteville NC pro-testing a proposed overhaul of veterans medical care The Com-mission on Care a panel created by Congress two years ago amid

concern over long wait times for care at VA centers nation-wide is expected to recommend soon privatizing care for millions of veterans The American Federation of Govern-ment Employees (AFGE) says the move would close 12 to 15 VA hospitals The AFGE has organized similar protests recently at VA centers across the country For more infor-mation visit the AFGE website and read the Opinion Page in the New York Times Editorrsquos Note This issue was also addressed on page 11 in the August issue

How a tablet-based system could speed stroke care

Computer tablets have the potential to speed stroke care while patients are being transported to a hospital by lev-eraging mobile videoconferencing ac-cording to researchers at the University of Virginia Health System The low-cost tablet-based system

enables neurologists to be in the ambulancemdashvirtually via wireless connectivitymdashto help diagnose patients in route to the hospital when time is of the essence The system includes a video consultation between a neurologist and the stroke patient as well as with the emergency medical services provider in the vehicle Initial feasibility testing found it to be just as accurate as a bedside assessment by a neurologist enabling paramed-ics to make more informed medical transport decisions and potentially leading to quicker treatment of the patient when they arrive at the hospital Treatments must be administered as soon as possible after the onset of the stroke to maximize the effectiveness of clinician action Part of the critical medical transport de-cisions that must be made in the ambulance is whether the patient should be brought to a tertiary center for special-ized care or taken to the nearest hospital VA Secretary vows same-day healthcare for veterans by December

CHARLOTTE NC mdash The head of the Veterans Affairs Department is making a bold promise Secretary Bob McDon-ald says veterans will have same-day access to mental health services and primary care appointments by Decem-ber McDonald made the promise at

the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Charlotte North Carolina According to a report in The Military Times veterans cur-rently wait an average of a five days for primary care two days for mental health services and six days for specialty care According to McDonald the VA has completed more than six million appointments since March 2014

LUNCHEON Wednesday Oct 5th 2016

diamsCall 642-0497diams Florida Room Atrium North Campus SCC

Reservations no later than 6 pm Sunday Oct 2nd 2016

Please give full names of members and guests total num-ber attending Cost is $1400 payable at the door in cash or check Social hour begins at 1100 am Business meeting at 1115 followed by lunch and a speaker Remember if you make a reservation and do not attend you are expected to pay

Fighting a Hospital Superbug Reveals an Un-expected Benefit

The new ldquosuperbugrdquo known as MCR has medical authorities wondering how to prevent it from spreading A new report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reveals that an infection-control program can reduce transmission of the gut bacte-

ria that can carry MCR by more than 40 percent The re-markable thing The program was designed to combat a different infectious threat Its intended target MRSA better known as drug-resistant staph The program at the Veterans Administra-tion Health Care System was created in 2007 at what may have been the height of concern over the presence of MRSA in the United States Enter the VA In October 2007 the health care system mandated that all of its 127 acute-care hospitals do four things Check all the patients being admitted to its hospital to see whether they carried MRSA (which can live quies-cently in the nostrils) isolate patients who carried the bac-terium and make sure that anyone who approached them wore gowns and gloves improve hand washing (and hand sanitizer use) The proposal was bold because it went further than most US hospitals had even tried And it worked Within five years the VA demonstrated that the program cut MRSA infections in intensive care units in its system by three-fourths and MRSA infections elsewhere in its hospitals by two-thirds But there was always a question Had the program only affected rates of MRSA or did it reduce the occurrence of other hospital infections too The new research published last week answers that question with a yes Over the VA programrsquos almost ten years serious hospital infections with Gram-negative bac-teria fell by 43 percent Privacy security concerns continue to cloud mHealthrsquos future

Mobile health apps are emerging as disruptive technologies with the poten-tial to shake up the healthcare industry with both benefits and risks for con-sumers But mHealth privacy and secu-rity safeguards must be addressed im-mediately

Thatrsquos the consensus of lawmakers and witnesses who appeared at a July 13 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce Manufacturing and Trade With about 165000 mHealth apps currently available on the market the data generated by these apps shows prom-ise in changing patient behaviors which could improve out-comes At the same time members of Congress contend that consumer information collected and shared through health apps carry with them inherent privacy and security risks According to recent public and private sector studies some of the most popular mobile health and fitness apps are sharing consumer data with third-party companies put-ting potentially sensitive information at risk Making matters

worse data brokers often obtain and share vast amounts of consumer information without the knowledge or consent of individuals VA and UL to collaborate on security stand-ards for connected health devices

The Veterans Affairs Department and Underwriters Laboratories have signed a cooperative research-and-development agreement for setting

cybersecurity standards and procedures for internet-connected medical devices under the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program Pacemakers monitors drug-delivery devices and other systems are increasingly connected directly or indirectly and can be compromised by malware or hacked says Anura Fernando principal engineer for medical software and systems interoperability at UL The Pentagon will spend at least $80 million to protect recruiters from terrorists

The Defense Department is pressing ahead with up to $80 million in physical security improvements to recruiting cen-ters after last yearrsquos fatal terror attack in Chattanooga mdash but frustrated military leaders say the new safety measures are

taking far too long More than a year after shootings at two military facilities there left a sailor and four Marines dead the military has begun buying bullet-proof glass and equipping security guards with better gear The Army Corps of Engineers is looking for a company to install cubical walls that provide ballistic protection in about 900 recruiting facilities across 70 metropolitan areas for all of the military services according to a federal notice to businesses The walls should provide Level 8 ballistic pro-tection according to the solicitation which is supposed to be able to stop five 762mm rounds The Navy is also moving to place armed sentries in all 71 of its Reserve centers where Navy and Marine reserv-ists train Navy personnel will go through anti-terrorism training geared for off-base facilities VA edges closer to rollout of new health record platform

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs expect to imple-ment the Enterprise Health Man-agement Platform a Web-based modular EHR platform at all VA facilities by the end of this summer to improve interoperability within

the VA and between the agency and the Defense Depart-ment The VA hopes the new platform will fully replace the agencys view-only Computerized Patient Record System by the end of 2018 said David Waltman chief information strategy officer at the VAs Veterans Health Administration

10

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America PO Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571-5693

Place Stamp

Here

Current Resident or

The sponsors that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or this affiliate mdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdash Membership All veteran and active duty commissioned officers of armed forces as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin Public Health and National Guard Reserve members and widows and widowers of former MOAA members _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sun City Center FL MOAA Newsletter is published by the Sun City Center Chapter which is an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are non-partisan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

UNITED STATES NAVY

241 YEARS OLD OCTOBER 13 1775

11

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

Fighting a Hospital Superbug Reveals an Un-expected Benefit

The new ldquosuperbugrdquo known as MCR has medical authorities wondering how to prevent it from spreading A new report in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reveals that an infection-control program can reduce transmission of the gut bacte-

ria that can carry MCR by more than 40 percent The re-markable thing The program was designed to combat a different infectious threat Its intended target MRSA better known as drug-resistant staph The program at the Veterans Administra-tion Health Care System was created in 2007 at what may have been the height of concern over the presence of MRSA in the United States Enter the VA In October 2007 the health care system mandated that all of its 127 acute-care hospitals do four things Check all the patients being admitted to its hospital to see whether they carried MRSA (which can live quies-cently in the nostrils) isolate patients who carried the bac-terium and make sure that anyone who approached them wore gowns and gloves improve hand washing (and hand sanitizer use) The proposal was bold because it went further than most US hospitals had even tried And it worked Within five years the VA demonstrated that the program cut MRSA infections in intensive care units in its system by three-fourths and MRSA infections elsewhere in its hospitals by two-thirds But there was always a question Had the program only affected rates of MRSA or did it reduce the occurrence of other hospital infections too The new research published last week answers that question with a yes Over the VA programrsquos almost ten years serious hospital infections with Gram-negative bac-teria fell by 43 percent Privacy security concerns continue to cloud mHealthrsquos future

Mobile health apps are emerging as disruptive technologies with the poten-tial to shake up the healthcare industry with both benefits and risks for con-sumers But mHealth privacy and secu-rity safeguards must be addressed im-mediately

Thatrsquos the consensus of lawmakers and witnesses who appeared at a July 13 hearing of the House Subcommittee on Commerce Manufacturing and Trade With about 165000 mHealth apps currently available on the market the data generated by these apps shows prom-ise in changing patient behaviors which could improve out-comes At the same time members of Congress contend that consumer information collected and shared through health apps carry with them inherent privacy and security risks According to recent public and private sector studies some of the most popular mobile health and fitness apps are sharing consumer data with third-party companies put-ting potentially sensitive information at risk Making matters

worse data brokers often obtain and share vast amounts of consumer information without the knowledge or consent of individuals VA and UL to collaborate on security stand-ards for connected health devices

The Veterans Affairs Department and Underwriters Laboratories have signed a cooperative research-and-development agreement for setting

cybersecurity standards and procedures for internet-connected medical devices under the UL Cybersecurity Assurance Program Pacemakers monitors drug-delivery devices and other systems are increasingly connected directly or indirectly and can be compromised by malware or hacked says Anura Fernando principal engineer for medical software and systems interoperability at UL The Pentagon will spend at least $80 million to protect recruiters from terrorists

The Defense Department is pressing ahead with up to $80 million in physical security improvements to recruiting cen-ters after last yearrsquos fatal terror attack in Chattanooga mdash but frustrated military leaders say the new safety measures are

taking far too long More than a year after shootings at two military facilities there left a sailor and four Marines dead the military has begun buying bullet-proof glass and equipping security guards with better gear The Army Corps of Engineers is looking for a company to install cubical walls that provide ballistic protection in about 900 recruiting facilities across 70 metropolitan areas for all of the military services according to a federal notice to businesses The walls should provide Level 8 ballistic pro-tection according to the solicitation which is supposed to be able to stop five 762mm rounds The Navy is also moving to place armed sentries in all 71 of its Reserve centers where Navy and Marine reserv-ists train Navy personnel will go through anti-terrorism training geared for off-base facilities VA edges closer to rollout of new health record platform

Officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs expect to imple-ment the Enterprise Health Man-agement Platform a Web-based modular EHR platform at all VA facilities by the end of this summer to improve interoperability within

the VA and between the agency and the Defense Depart-ment The VA hopes the new platform will fully replace the agencys view-only Computerized Patient Record System by the end of 2018 said David Waltman chief information strategy officer at the VAs Veterans Health Administration

10

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America PO Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571-5693

Place Stamp

Here

Current Resident or

The sponsors that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or this affiliate mdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdash Membership All veteran and active duty commissioned officers of armed forces as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin Public Health and National Guard Reserve members and widows and widowers of former MOAA members _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sun City Center FL MOAA Newsletter is published by the Sun City Center Chapter which is an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are non-partisan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

UNITED STATES NAVY

241 YEARS OLD OCTOBER 13 1775

11

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

Sun City Center Chapter Military Officers Association of America PO Box 5693 Sun City Center FL 33571-5693

Place Stamp

Here

Current Resident or

The sponsors that appear in this publication do not reflect an endorsement by MOAA or this affiliate mdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdashmdash Membership All veteran and active duty commissioned officers of armed forces as well as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin Public Health and National Guard Reserve members and widows and widowers of former MOAA members _______________________________________________________________________________________________ The Sun City Center FL MOAA Newsletter is published by the Sun City Center Chapter which is an affiliate of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) MOAA and its affiliated chapters and councils are non-partisan

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

UNITED STATES NAVY

241 YEARS OLD OCTOBER 13 1775

11

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

12

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

Military Officers Associa on of America Annual Benefit Golf Tournament 4 Person Scramble

Freedom Fairways GC3932 Upper Creek Road Sun City Center FL 33573

November 5th 2016 Cost $60 per player June 1st to Oct 15 2016

Registra on 0730 AM 80 Golfers - 20 Teams MAX

Enjoy a complete program of contests 18 holes of golf (including cart if re-quired) breakfast door prize chance for each player and an awards luncheon Pu ng contest on the prac ce green Closest to the pin (Men amp Ladies) contests

Longest pu contests

Hole in One contest Most accurate (men and women) Longest drive (men and women) Mulliganrsquos $5 eachmdashMaximum 2 per player

50-50 a er lunch All for just $60 player

This years event will be held Saturday November 5th 2016 Freedom Fairways Golf Course (Par 63) in Sun City Center FL

Registra on amp Con nental breakfast begin at 0730 am with tee-off at 0830 am Lunch amp awards ceremony start about 1200 noon

The cost for this event is only $60 This price includes entry into all contests 18 holes of golf riding cart (if required) breakfast lunch raffle cket and awards

To help us properly plan for this event please pre-register by calling Dave Murphy at (813) 633-0842 or mardav3verizonnet to register as foursome or individual

Hole in one prize 2016 Cadillac from Ed Morse Cadillac Bran-don

Golf a re is required collared shirts and shortsslacks No steel spikes are allowed on the course

Proceeds to benefit Scholarships and Opera on Warm Heart

Ssponsored by Retired Officers Corporation

MilitaryOf icersAssociationofAmerica

14

THEMILITARYORDEROFTHEWORLDWARS(MOWW) WOULDLIKETOINVITEYOUTOOURANNUAL

SUN CITY CENTER

MILITARYBALL

SATURDAYNOVEMBER12th2016 5PMUNTIL10PM

THEBALLWILLFEATUREAPATRIOTICPROGRAM HORSDrsquoOEUVRES-ASERVEDDINNER ENTERTAINMENTANDDANCING

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SUN CITY CENTER COMMUNITY HALL 1910 S PEBBLE BEACH BLVD

OPEN TO ALL - NO MILITARY SERVICE REQUIRED

FORMAL DRESS ENCOURAGED - MILITARY BLACK TIE DARK BUSINESS SUIT

$5000 PER PERSON - CHECKS PAYABLE TO MOWW SELF APPOINTED TABLE CAPTAIN CAN RESERVE A

TABLE OF EIGHT WITH A $10000 DEPOSIT TICKETS OBTAINED FROM JOHN GLYNN

mowwmilitaryballyahoocom (preferred) or 813-419-4853