The Inspector General checked on VA's coronavirus response. Here's what it found.
Connecting Vets
ABBIE BENNETT
MARCH 26, 2020
A watchdog agency checked in on the Department of Veterans Affairs' response to COVID-19, including screening processes and pandemic readiness, and they found some areas lacking.
Within two days of the World Health Organization declaring the coronavirus spread a pandemic, the Veterans Health Administration, which cares for about 9 million veterans, began screening processes to protect against infection.
VA also began preparing for its fourth mission -- to serve as a last line of defense for Americans, not just veterans, during health crises.
About a week after VA began screening for the virus, Office of the Inspector General (OIG) investigators launched an inquiry to evaluate how VA was performing, including unannounced visits to hospitals, clinics and nursing homes -- while working to ensure those visits wouldn't put veterans or staff at risk.
Screening
At the 58 medical centers OIG investigators visited, they found:
About 71 percent had adequate screening processes in place, while about 28 percent had room for improvement and one -- the Southern Arizona VA Healthcare System -- had inadequate screening for potential infection because staff was not asking all of the required screening questions.
At the 121 community outpatient clinics OIG investigators visited, they found:
121 (97 percent) had screening in place, though four did not have any screening and visitors were asked no COVID-19 questions.
At the 54 VA nursing homes investigators visited after VA announced a no-visitors policy, they found:
Nine nursing homes were still allowing visitors.
Testing
Almost all of the 237 medical facilities investigators visited were collecting COVID-19 specimens for testing, but none of those facilities could process them on site. Some referred those who needed testing to county or state health departments. read it here
Isolating because of COVID-19 is hard. I haven't been able to hug our daughter for weeks and we moved from Florida to be closer to her. A friend of mine sent me the link to this YouTube video with music from our generation to cheer me up. It worked! Hope it does the same for you! Stay safe, think smart and we'll get back to whatever our normal is a lot sooner!
V.A. Criticized for Effort to Keep Some Veterans Away From Private Care During Outbreak
New York Times
By Jennifer Steinhauer
March 25, 2020
By Wednesday morning, the White House sought to correct the impression that the department was putting a pause on the Mission Act.
Robert L. Wilkie, the secretary of veterans affairs.Credit...T.J. Kirkpatrick for The New York Times
WASHINGTON — An effort by the Department of Veterans Affairs to prevent some veterans from seeking health care outside its centers drew heavy criticism from lawmakers and a vocal Fox News ally of the president, who suggested the department’s bureaucracy could undermine a signature program of President Trump’s term.
That program, known as the Mission Act, permits veterans to seek primary care and mental health services outside the department’s system if they can prove they must drive at least 30 minutes to a Department of Veterans Affairs facility. The network of private providers and urgent care centers had been slowly expanding this year as those standards went into effect.
But concerns arose that at-risk veterans seeking outside care could expose themselves to the coronavirus or tax strained private health care resources. read it here
The VA Told Employees to Keep Coming to Work – Now Several Have the Coronavirus
Voice of San Diego
“It just feels like no one is looking out for us,” one of the employees said. Voice of San Diego is withholding the names of individual employees because they fear retaliation from their employer.
Employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Diego say they’re not being allowed to work remotely and have been required to use personal leave in order to quarantine themselves at home – even as several employees have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and many others await test results.
Voice of San Diego spoke with more than a dozen employees from multiple departments in the regional VA.
Employees in departments like mental health and social work, which are doing most of their work by phone and by video, have been asked to come in, despite employee requests to work remotely. Employees who wanted to quarantine or were told by their doctor to do so said they were forced into an unappealing dilemma: Either use annual leave or take time off unpaid, or come into the office to work.
read it here
Army says more than 9,000 retired medics, nurses, and docs want to help with the COVID-19 response
Task and Purpose
The U.S. Army said Thursday that more than 9,000 retired soldiers in healthcare fields had expressed interest in coming back on active duty to help with the response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
"The initial response has been very positive," the service said in an emailed statement.
The Army sent notifications on Wednesday to more than 800,000 former soldiers to gauge their willingness to help with the response to COVID-19 as cases have surged over the past week in the United States. read it here
Hospitals, health centers, veterans to get relief in coronavirus stimulus bill
Roll Call
A health care professional applies a swab at a drive-thru coronavirus testing facility for residents who have an order from a provider on Quincy Street in Arlington, Va., on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Impact on veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs, meanwhile, would receive $19.6 billion — including $3.1 billion to bolster IT operations and telehealth — along with additional authorities tied to expanded veteran assistance and worker pay.
The VA serves as the back-up medical system for the nation’s hospitals and is already aiding facilities in the New York City area.
The VA has confirmed 365 veteran cases as of Wednesday, with four deaths.
The department is separately proposing to suspend routine referrals to private doctors as laid out under a 2018 law, according to a memo sent to Hill staff Tuesday. VA spokeswoman Christina Mandreucci said the policy aligns with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines to defer elective procedures. read it here
Hoarding Hits Local Veterans Struggling For Supplies
CBS News Sacramento
By Marlee Ginter
March 26, 2020
“It’s been complicated, to say the least. I know at Sam’s Club we’re not allowed to buy more than two items, and two packs of laundry pods for 57 people just isn’t going to cut it,” said Residential Programs Manager Amy Childers.
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As people continue stockpiling, facilities that help veterans in need are scrambling for the basics.
Jared Dannenberger, an Iraq War veteran, signed up to serve and protect. Now veterans like him at the Sacramento Veterans Resource Center of America need their own protection in the fight to curb the spread of COVID-19. Facilities are running low on hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and basic hygiene items.
“I mean donations are always welcome, hand sanitizer, hygiene,” said Dannenberger.
”Soaps, towels things like that you know, we’d be very grateful,” said Vietnam-era veteran Vincent Craft.
Employees keep hitting empty shelves from store to store and have even tried getting things online.
Most of the vets are recovering from PTSD, drug and alcohol abuse, and homelessness and need any support they can get. Add tight quarters and a COVID-19 lockdown, and that can take a toll on an already vulnerable population. read it here and watch the video
COVID-19 hitting veterans in good ways as well as bad
UPDATE: Vietnam veteran left behind by COVID-19 panic
Chicago Now UPDATE: After suffering another heart attack, the doctors decided that the operation was no longer elective, but necessary. He went into surgery this morning and is doing okay.
Lou Ciesla, a Vietnam Air Force veteran, may need critical heart surgery, but, sorry, Lou, because coronavirus patients are expected to flood hospitals, even though they're not there yet, your surgery has been knocked to the back of the line. It's now defined as "elective."
Lawrence Riley was a Navy veteran and his son Elvaughn was inspired to enlist after him. Lawrence Riley, 66, died on Thursday, March 19, in Milwaukee
He fell ill with a fever five days before and only tested positive for the coronavirus two days before his death
Riley's wife, daughter and one of his sons are still in quarantine in their home and cannot grieve with the rest of the family
The Navy vet who served in the Vietnam War has been described as an 'icon'
He also served as a Milwaukee firefighter from 1978 to 1990
Wisconsin has 488 coronavirus cases and five deaths
Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
A Vets4Vets volunteer appears in this image from March 2020. (Victoria Maranan/Spectrum News)
“We realized that a significant proportion of our members and even veterans and families that are not members of our post in the local area are over 70 to 75 years old," said Buda Veterans Alliance's Bruce White. "And by definition, they need to be protected.”
So veterans in Buda, Kyle and Creedmoor stepped up and found a solution.
“The Vets4Vets really is a culmination of veterans setting all other things aside saying, ‘We are still one family,’”said veteran volunteer Cassaundra Melgar-C'd Baca. “We are gonna do the same thing we did in the military. We’re gonna pick up our bags, find those in need and take care of the problem.”
“THIS is why we must #StayHome,” Flanagan wrote. “If you feel fine, that’s great. But please consider the possibility that you’re carrying the virus and don’t know it, and then you walk past the next Ron, my big brother, in public. COVID-19 now has a personal connection to me. Please do all you can to prevent one for you.”
A man who died of the coronavirus in Tennessee over the weekend had served in the Marines and was the older brother of Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan.
She shared the sad news in an Instagram post Sunday night, Fox 9 Minneapolis reported.
“To many, he’ll be a statistic: Tennessee’s second COVID-related death,” she wrote. “But to me, I’ll remember a loving, older brother, uncle, father and husband.” read it here
PTSD Patrol
Cross Posted on Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 23, 2020
Four years ago, I wrote Residual War. It was the first fiction book I wrote as a way to tell some stories that were factual mixed with stuff my mind came up with.
Heroes do not think. They react to someone in danger. The Army was Amanda Leverage's life and she was willing to die to save the two lives she ended up blaming for spreading misery and suffering. She never needed to think of why she was willing to die but needed help finding something worth living for. She found it within a group of outcast heroes with their own history of selfless acts being punished for what they did wrong but protected for what they did right. PTSD, survivors guilt, homeless veterans, dishonorable discharges, flashbacks, nightmares and yes, even suicides were part of their lives but so was redemption.
Since I was supposed to be starting an Out Post for female veterans, here in New Hampshire just before the COVID-19 virus hit, it has been very depressing for me. I was offered room at the local American Legion to meet, but it is too dangerous for everyone now.
Experts say that the worst thing a veteran with PTSD can do, is to isolate, but now it is more dangerous for you to be out, and even worse to be in crowds. I needed to think outside the box on this to give you some comfort and fill up some of your time. I'll be reading this book on video, with a bit of a twist to it. I am setting a timer of 3 minutes. Whenever it goes off, whatever word I am on, that will be the end of the video.
We will then play a game as to what that final word means to you. If the word is "and" reply back withy something like "me and" or "and then" or whatever you think about. Should get some interesting replies on that.
It will pick up on the next word in the next video. You can cheat since Amazon has it for free on Kindle and apparently, for whatever reason, you can also read it on their preview page for free.
I am also opening up my YouTube and Facebook pages so you can share your thoughts and to answer questions from 12:00 pm eastern to 1:00 when the first video goes up this week. You can always email me at woundedimes@aol.com too.
Check back tomorrow for the official announcement on PTSD Patrol when the first video will go up!
Please share this since word of mouth has been the only way this site was able to be viewed over 4 million times!
Doctors and nurses are risking their lives taking care of everyone who needs them, including selfish people who did not think about anyone but themselves! Stop making them pay for your lack of concern for others!
VA Boston Nurse In Brockton Tests Positive For The Coronavirus
WBZ 4 News
March 21, 2020
On Friday, nine Brigham and Women’s hospital employees and 10 Tufts Medical Center employees had tested positive for the coronavirus, as well as one at the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence.
BROCKTON (CBS) — A Veterans Affairs Boston (VA Boston) nurse at their Brockton campus tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, according to VA Boston.
People who might have had contact with the nurse are being notified, VA Boston said in a news release. The nurse is now at home recovering.
VA Boston said employees are now teleworking, and emergency medical procedures are being performed only when necessary. Elective procedures have been postponed and they are screening veterans and employees for symptoms before they enter VA buildings. read it here
VA secretary says he's prepping to deploy emergency personnel for coronavirus response
CNN
By Veronica Stracqualursi and Zachary Cohen
March 20, 2020
(CNN)The Department of Veterans Affairs is readying thousands of emergency personnel to be deployed to help reinforce the national response to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie.
"They know that they can be deployed anywhere in the country. Just like the reserves, their physicals are up to date, their shots are up to date. That prepares them to launch when called upon," Wilkie told Politico in an interview Thursday.
While the VA provides healthcare services to veterans, the agency can also serve as an emergency backup health care resource for civilians in crisis situations. Hospital systems in the US could be overwhelmed by an influx of patients if the spread of the virus doesn't slow.
Wilkie told Politico that the department is planning out where they might be needed most. read it here
Marine at Arizona base tested positive for COVID-19 as large-scale ‘mission-essential’ exercise continues
Marine Corps Times
Shawn Snow
March 20, 2020
At least one Marine on board the Yuma, Arizona, air station has tested positive for COVID-19 as thousands of Marines are in town conducting an air and ground integration exercise deemed mission-essential by the commandant, a Marine official confirmed.
A large gathering of Marines aboard Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, Friday morning, March 20. Health officials have recommended social distancing to stem the spread of COVID-19. (Courtesy photo)
The large-scale air and ground coordination training officially kicked off March 8 and is slated to run through April 26. But the conclusion of training falls in the middle of a Defense Department domestic travel ban implemented March 16 to stem the tide of COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Yuma city council held a town hall meeting Friday to discuss the latest developments regarding the rapidly spreading virus.
Diana Gomez, the Yuma health director, confirmed to worried residents the first “presumptive” COVID-19 case in the city — meaning an individual tested positive for the virus at a lab but is awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. read it here
Veterans say they are being forced to leave Ft. Thomas VA with no place to live
WKRC News
by Christian Hauser
March 19th 2020
“I was told that everyone was being discharged. You know, no warning, no nothing. They just told us all we have to pack our stuff and we have to find somewhere to go,” Bevis said.
FT. THOMAS, Ky. (WKRC)- Navy veteran Timothy Bevis has been in the Ft. Thomas VA Domiciliary program for about a month.
“The VA was somewhere I knew I could get myself back together at,” Bevis said. “They help you find housing. They help you with your finances. They help you make a budget out. They’re just very helpful and it’s been a very good program."
Bevis says he was at a job interview Thursday and when he got back to the domiciliary, he got some shocking news.
Cincinnati VA Chief Communications Officer Todd Sledge says the vets are being asked to leave. It's because the VA is creating room for the possible influx of coronavirus patients it could see in the coming weeks. read it here
Fort Hood Sentinel
By C. Todd Lopez, DoD News
Mar 19, 2020
WASHINGTON — As part of the president’s whole-of-government approach to fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the Defense Department has agreed to provide medical supplies and capabilities to the Department of Health and Human Services to help combat further infections, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said.
The Defense Department will make available up to 5 million respirator masks and other personal protective equipment from its strategic reserves to the Department of Health and Human Services for distribution, Esper said during a news conference at the Pentagon today, adding that the first million masks would be made available immediately.
Esper said some 2,000 deployable ventilators would also be made available to HHS. Those devices, he said, are different from civilian equivalents and will require special training for civilian users, so DoD personnel likely will provide that training.
To help measure the spread of the coronavirus, the Defense Department has also made 14 certified testing labs available to test non-DoD personnel, and two labs would be added to that total, the secretary said.
Additionally, Esper said, DoD officials are considering use of the National Guard, the Reserve components, and capabilities such as the Navy’s hospital ships USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy. He said the Comfort is undergoing maintenance now and the Mercy is in port. read it here
Metro West Daily
By Michael Coughlin
March 19, 2020
While Covid-19 is a unique (and hopefully temporary!) crisis, first responders are on call every day to mobilize on a moment’s notice to assist those in medical crisis, drug overdoses, criminal activity, or natural or human-caused disasters. Think about it: EMTs in this area on a daily basis are administering multiple doses of Narcan to people who have overdosed on top of other medical emergencies. Police officers are constantly called to intervene in tense and dangerous situations all over the community. Hospital emergency room staff go from one medical crisis to the next without catching a breath.
The current worldwide concern about the spreading epidemic of Covid-19, the coronavirus, has reached emergency status in a growing number of hot zones such as Washington state and Northern Italy in addition to the locations in Asia where it first took hold. Closer to home a February biomedical conference in Boston is now linked to as many as 15 new cases of the virus.
At times like these, our community relies heavily on the trained professionals who respond to assist us at times of emergency. We take for granted the role that doctors and other public health professionals, paramedics and EMTs, fire fighters, police officers, and other emergency professionals play to keep the rest of us as healthy and safe as possible. But those professionals are not immune to experiencing the impact of the crises they respond to. Look no further than the heartbreaking story of the young physician in China who was reprimanded for first calling attention to the seriousness of the virus’ threat who then ended up contracting the virus and died from it. read it here
Senate passes emergency bill protecting GI Bill benefits as colleges go online
Stars and Stripes
By NIKKI WENTLING
Published: March 17, 2020
Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee, the ranking Republican of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, introduced a bill last week that also would guarantee the housing stipends for student veterans remain unchanged during the outbreak.
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Ranking Member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., asks questions to witnesses during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020. Looking on at right is committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kansas.
CARLOS BONGIOANNI/STARS AND STRIPES
WASHINGTON — The Senate approved a measure late Monday that would ensure student veterans continue to receive full GI Bill benefits, even as colleges go online-only in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
GI Bill recipients rely on monthly stipends from the Department of Veterans Affairs to pay for housing, food and other bills. Those payments are higher for students who attend physical classes as opposed to online coursework. As classes began to move online last week to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, tens of thousands of student veterans faced the possibility of losing their benefits or seeing drastic cuts to their monthly checks.
The Senate approved an emergency fix by voice vote that would allow students to retain the amount of benefits they received when they started the semester. It gives the VA Secretary broad authority to ensure GI Bill benefits are distributed without interruption during national emergencies. read it here
VA physician tests positive for COVID-19, treated patients before being quarantined
Military Times
Patricia Kime
March 17, 2020
A memo distributed to VA New York Health Center employees and obtained by the New York Post said the employee was “doing well,” and “those who interacted with the employee are being contacted.”
The Brooklyn VA Medical Center last week discovered the first case of the novel coronavirus in an employee. (Department of Veterans Affairs photo)
A doctor at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus last week, after seeing patients and working alongside other staff members before knowing he had the virus.
VA officials confirmed Friday that an “employee tested presumptive positive for the novel coronavirus” on March 11, but they would say little else about the case, citing privacy concerns.
The employee is the first known VA worker to have contracted the virus.
“On March 11, 2020, one New York Harbor Veterans Affairs Medical Center employee tested presumptive positive for COVID-19. In accordance with CDC guidelines and the patient’s clinical status, the veteran is currently in home isolation, mitigating further risk of transmission to other patients and staff,” Steve Piork, director of the VA New York Public Affairs Office, told Military Times. read it here
What Getting Tested for COVID-19 Was Like as a Trauma Survivor
The Mighty
Sophie Peterson
March 17, 2020
As the public falls into fear, check in on your friends and family who have chronic or preexisting conditions. Not only can they get sick faster, but this is an especially scary time for them. Flashbacks, sense memories and panic attacks has my PTSD beating me to a pulp.
I’m writing this from my hospital bed, on day three under quarantine while we wait for the coronavirus (COVID-19) results to come back. The coronavirus is a new-to-humans viral strain in the coronavirus family that affects the lungs and respiratory system. I’d be lying if I said I’m not scared, and that my post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) isn’t spinning out of control.
On Thursday evening, I began to show symptoms of the virus. I called my clinic asking what the protocol is and was directed to a website that allows doctors to make video calls. I spent an hour trying to figure it out, only to give up in a fit of frustration, fevers and a cough. I was ultimately told to go to the emergency room.
My mother, being the mother she always is, drove me to the ER and helped me advocate for myself. And most importantly, she knowingly possibly contaminated herself for me.
Originally, I didn’t meet the requirements of being tested because I didn’t have contact with a positively tested person or have travelled to an outbreak country. This is despite having moderate asthma and having traveled to Chicago, where there is known community spread. (That’s where it spreads in the community but there is no direct line or knowledge of contact to the newly infected person.) As all of these tests came back negative, and since I was presenting quite sick they decided to test me. (It takes 24 to 48 hours? This is the most ridiculous setup in the world.)
Anger to those who think spreading misinformation is OK. Health care professionals are putting their lives on the line and they are not there to dampen irrational fears that are created by misinformation. If science doesn’t support your hypothesis then it isn’t science. Misinformation and not following quarantine protocol is what will take the death toll from 3% to something much worse. read it here
I have been reading a lot of comments on Facebook that come from a very selfish attitude. It seems there are a lot of people who do not think COVID-19 will be bad for them, so they want to just go about their daily lives. This video sums up what seniors are facing!
‘Go home!’: Mel Brooks and son Max share a comedic PSA on the coronavirus.
In a comedic video plea to the public to limit actions that could continue the spread of the #coronavirus.
So, yes, if you get it, you will probably be OK in a couple of days. If we get it, we may not make it a couple of days. If you can go shopping for your elderly parents, or neighbors, please do it!
If you are grabbing all the toilet paper, paper towels and cleaners...STOP IT!
Seniors are having a hard time trying to avoid crowds but it is even worse when we try to go shopping. Discovering what we need is sold out, we end up going to different stores, and usually end up going home without what we need.
I just got off the phone with Market Basket in Rochester NH. They are not offering senior hours. The great thing going on right now is that a lot of stores are helping us out.
UPDATE Market Basket has decided to do senior hours! Yahoo!
BOSTON (WHDH) - Market Basket announced Wednesday that it will be holding “senior-only” shopping hours to protect older customers from getting the coronavirus.
Starting Thursday, the grocery store chain says it will initiate senior shopping hours specifically geared to accommodate the needs of customers 60 years of age and older.
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 5:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., Market Basket will only be open to those who are 60 and older.
UPDATE
New Hampshire Hannaford not doing senior hours either. I found that out when we went there to pick up some things they did not have....(good update below)
Here is a list to get you started and I will update as soon as I find more. If you find one, not on the list, please leave it in the comment so that more people will know where to go...and in turn support them when this virus is done!
Beginning Tuesday, Dollar General is strongly encouraging that the first hour of operations each day be dedicated solely for the shopping needs of senior customers, who are one of the groups most vulnerable to the COVID-19 coronavirus. In keeping with the company’s mission of serving others, Dollar General wants to provide the at-risk customers with the ability to purchase the items they need and want at the beginning of each day to avoid busier and more crowded shopping periods, according to a news release.
From March 19, Stop and Shop's 400 locations across New York, New Jersey, and New England will be open from 6 a.m. until 7.30 a.m. exclusively for customers over the age of 60.
Houston, Texas
Food Town is opening the doors for older shoppers from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. at its around 30 locations in Houston. The early opening is reserved for shoppers aged 65 and over and the store will require a state-issued ID or a Texas driver's license.
Southern California
The Northgate Gonzales Market will open its 41 Southern California stores an hour early for senior citizens. Senior citizens will be able to shop between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. and the stores will then be open to the public from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City announced that it will work with local grocery stores to set aside exclusive hours for "elderly residents, people with disabilities and pregnant residents" between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. from March 17.
Lorain, Ohio
The Apples Grocery Store on Meister Lane will open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for senior citizens, the Flinger's Market will open at 6 a.m. for senior citizens and the Walmart will open at 5 a.m. for seniors on March 17.
New Mexico State Dept asks seniors to call 1-800-432-2080 if you are unable to access groceries
UPDATE
Publix announced Thursday that it is designating Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 7 to 8 a.m. as senior shopping hours for customers age 65 and over.
Officials said the change in hours will begin Tuesday, March 24, and continue until further notice. Publix Pharmacy will also open at 7 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to serve the senior population.
All Walmart stores across the country are also adjusting their hours. Starting March 19, new store hours will be 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Stores that already open later than 7:00 a.m. will open at their normal time. The changes are to allow employees more time to stock shelves and clean.
Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of local Winn-Dixie stores, announced that they would be designating a special shopping hour to seniors and high-risk customers. Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., seniors can come to any Winn-Dixie to stock up on their essentials. They join a growing list of companies that include Walmart and Dollar General that are trying to help senior citizens get through the outbreak.
Several supermarket chains, including Shaws, Star Market, Price Chopper and Whole Foods, are reserving special early morning hours exclusively for seniors and other shoppers who are at greater risk of becoming infected with the coronavirus.
Shaw’s and Star Market locations are opening every Tuesday and Thursdays 7–9 a.m. for customers over 60.
Whole Foods Market locations will open one hour early for vulnerable shoppers before opening to the general public.
And every Wednesday morning, Target will dedicate the first hour of their business day to elderly customers and those it calls"vulnerable guests" with underlying health concerns.
Glad to see the list growing!
UPDATE
Hannaford joins growing list of retailers offering senior-only hours
Isolated senior veterans and COVID-19 does not have to be this sucky!
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
March 16, 2020
Experts have been saying that the worst thing veterans can do when they have PTSD, is to isolate themselves. Experts say that seniors need to isolate themselves because of COVID-19.
Take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick
Group of senior citizens
If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or because you have a serious long-term health problem, it is extra important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease.
Stock up on supplies.
Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.
When you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often.
Avoid crowds as much as possible.
Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.
During a COVID-19 outbreak in your community, stay home as much as possible to further reduce your risk of being exposed.
Well, we cannot stock up on supplies when we go to the store but everyday things like toilet paper and paper towels are gone, along with a lot of other things. We could not even find a thermometer yesterday.
It is hard on all of us because seniors are very active, but it is especially hard on senior veterans with PTSD. I spent years go get my husband out with other veterans. Being around them helps him thrive. Going to the gym helps him but the last few days has been a battle to keep him from going. Today I had some relief on that one. The gym he goes to closed!
Right now, it is very important that if you know another elderly veteran, keep that in mind so you can reach out to them and call them!
I am grateful for Amazon Prime and Netflix since he does not go online. Here are some of the things I try to get him to do.
Take a walk with your dog!
We live in a great walking neighborhood. Just because it is still cold here in New Hampshire, he can cover up with layers. At least he is away from the TV and keeps him physically active. Take a walk by yourself if you live alone.
Do projects around the house that have been put off.
We moved into our house in November and it needs work. Great time to do it!
Clean out the shed so he can clean out the garage! It is too cold for him to ride his Harley, but he can also clean that too since he is already in the garage. He can hang up all the tools he has. He can also go through the boxes of his things he never seems to have time to do. (Don't get me started on that one.)
Take a ride.
I am trying to keep him out of stores right now. So far, it has been impossible but trying to get him to at least stay in the car while I go shopping. I have to bribe him with a hot chocolate from Dunkin Donuts. It is about 20 minutes to the store. It takes me about that long to do the shopping. Then 20 more minutes home. One hour less whining!
Try to avoid news.
It is OK to catch up on what is going on so that you do not imagine the worst. Just do not spend all day watching it! Find something funny to watch or at least inspirational.
Be prepared for news this is getting worse.
Experts say that there is about a week lag time between when someone was infected and showing up in the numbers they are releasing. With everything shut down now, there will be a reported increase in the numbers, so be prepared for that gloomy news. Then understand that all happened before steps were taken to protect more people.
If you go online, stay away from idiots!
Most of the things I share online are either really funny or inspirational. We all know I do have to post news, but I am trying to focus more on sharing other things.
Remember other times you got through other things.
When things suck, try to remember other sucky days and then acknowledge that you got through them...you'll get through this too! Then you can resume your life and do the things you normally did again. Besides, think of all the money you'll have saved up to enjoy it all more!
Older veterans at risk
Most concerning are staffing shortages at facilities that serve a high number of older veterans, a patient population that is among the most vulnerable to infection.
Washington (CNN)
A chronic staffing shortage across the Department of Veterans Affairs is fueling new concerns that lives could be put at risk as the country's largest integrated health care system confronts the growing coronavirus pandemic.
Data released in August revealed 49,000 vacant positions across the department, which employs more than 390,000 people. While the agency's budget has since increased, tens of thousands of jobs remain unfilled.
"It could end up killing people," one VA official who works for a regional system said, referring to the likelihood that medical personnel at its 1,243 health care facilities across the country will be overwhelmed by a significant rise in patients.
Earlier this month, the VA confirmed the first case in its system. That veteran is currently being treated for coronavirus at a VA facility in Palo Alto, California.
Fifteen other cases, either confirmed or presumed to be positive, have since surfaced at VA facilities in Nevada, Louisiana, Washington state, Georgia, South Dakota and Colorado. read it here
‘No availability’ of coronavirus tests for troops in Afghanistan
Roll Call
By John M. Donnelly
Posted March 13, 2020
The committee has asked Defense Department officials similar coronavirus questions about U.S. troops stationed or deployed in or near other risk countries in addition to Afghanistan. The committee is still waiting for replies, an aide said.
In a March 11 letter to Pentagon and National Guard leaders, Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin asked if testing is available in Afghanistan. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)
U.S. troops in Afghanistan are not being tested for the novel coronavirus, U.S. military officials told the House Armed Services Committee.
There is “no availability of testing for COVID-19” for troops there, a U.S. Central Command representative told the committee in a March 12 statement made available by the committee on Friday.
Members of Congress are particularly concerned about the nearly 13,000 troops in Afghanistan because many of them are deployed near Iran.
Iran has more than 11,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the third most in the world behind China’s 80,000-plus cases and Italy’s more than 15,000, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Many U.S. troops are stationed in Italy.
South Korea, another nation with a substantial U.S. military presence, has nearly 8,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the fourth most in the world. read it here
