NAAV Attends VHA/VSO Bi-Monthly Meeting
The National Association of American Veterans, Inc. (NAAV) president, chief executive officer and veterans’ service officer Constance A. Burns attends the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Bi-Monthly VSO Meeting held on Thursday, March 23, 2017 at the VA Central Office located at 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. The first meeting of the VSO Partners was a special appearance of the new Acting Under Secretary for Health Dr. Poonam Alaigh, M.D. the prior Senior Advisor to Secretary Shulkin in 2016 and lead Executive Sponsor for the MyVA Access Initiative. As the result of Dr. Alaigh and the VHA Team’s efforts, the VHA facilities could offer the same day services to Veterans by the end of 2016.
“I am honored to lead our Veterans Health Administration as your Acting Under Secretary for Health. It is truly a privilege to have the opportunity to serve our nation’s Veterans with all of you. During my tenure, I plan to communicate regularly with you about our progress as we move forward together. Each of us must do our part to support Secretary Shulkin’s efforts to transform VA, and achieve his top priorities of rebuilding trust and modernizing our systems. VA’s core values–known to all of us as I CARE: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence–must guide us in our daily work. I want to hear from you, learn from you, and work with you to bring the best care possible to our Veterans.” – Poonam Alaigh, M.D., VHA, Acting Under Secretary for Health
Other attendees and keynote speakers included Richard M. Allman, M.D., Chief Consultant, Geriatrics and Extended Care Services, VHA; Dr. Rachel Ramoni, Chief, Office of Research and Development, VHA VA Research Update; Margaret Kabat, National Director, Caregiver Support Program, VHA; and Dr. Shereef Elhanal, ADUSH for Quality Safety and Value VA Public Facing Website: Access and Quality; Barbara Hyduke, Acting VHA Chief of Staff, Dr. Miguel H. LaPuz, Acting VA Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Health; Dr. Jennifer Lee, Deputy Under Secretary for Policy and Services; Dr. Carolyn Clancy, Deputy Under Secretary for Organizational Excellence; Jon Jensen, Director, VHA Congressional and Legislative Affairs, Jacob Gadd, VHA/VSO Liaison, and VSO organizations.
Dr. Poonam L. Alaigh Acting Under Secretary for Health Bio Marc