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Pasco Letters to the Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 11, 2008

VA Needs Fixing

A few weeks ago a young soldier was standing on the edge of a bridge, weeping. He took one foot off the bridge and pondered whether he should take that last step, the one that would propel him over the edge - to silence, peace and death.

He was at a truck stop in east Pasco County. He said, "I was literally going to kill myself. I kept thinking: I should have stayed in Iraq. I should have died over there."

The young former National Guardsman was just six months back from a tour in the combat zone. He sat on the brink of suicide for two hours.

Even today, he isn't sure why he didn't launch himself over the side.

Instead, he drove himself home. But he thinks about death daily. He ponders his future but finds nothing to look forward to. His reintegration back into society after serving in combat has been a disaster.

This young hero is one of many who are falling between the cracks in the Veterans Administration's armor.

The VA has failed him. Since he is not physically injured, it has been slow - very slow - in getting the VA to believe him and get services to treat his Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome Disorder.

If the VA diagnoses a soldier with PTSD, then it is committed to providing treatment. Since they are ill-equipped to deal with PTSD, they appear to avoid giving a PTSD diagnosis to most veterans.

All veterans get a courtesy evaluation at best. Only extreme cases get properly diagnosed and treated. The rest are left to their own devices.

When the veteran fails in the community, the VA blames it on other things, like alcohol or drug abuse.

Our nation needs to keep faith in its veterans. Funding for veterans' health care and benefits needs to be improved.

I don't expect a quick solution. So until the VA is fixed, I'll put my faith in organizations like The Harbor, BayCare, the VFW, AMVETS, the American Legion and other organizations that dedicate their souls to helping our national heroes - the veterans.

LUIS LOPEZ

Zephyrhills

Raise Medicare Funding

At a time when access to health care is the second most important domestic issue cited by Americans, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez voted against legislation to prevent an incredible 10.6 percent cuts in payments to physicians!

The impact of these cuts threatens access to health care because it further drives family physicians out of practice at a time when we need more family physicians to provide care to increasing numbers of Medicare beneficiaries.

As we are all aware, the price of everything is going up - my office electric bill, malpractice insurance, building insurance and health insurance for my employees. The list is endless.

Family physicians are affected more than most other specialties because Medicare already does not reimburse well for time spent actually listening to a patient rather than performing some procedure.

Unlike the electric company, I can't add a surcharge for increased costs. My options become trying to squeeze more patients into the same length of time, thus compromising care, or limiting the numbers of Medicare patients that I see. Neither option is very attractive.

I would urge everyone to write or call Sen. Martinez, Sen. Bill Nelson and their U.S. House representatives and urge them to support Medicare payment levels that enable family physicians to keep their doors open.

An insurance card has no value unless there's a doctor in the house!

NANCY W. FINNERTY,

MD, PhD

Dade City

No More Secrets

The tragic case of 12-year-old Brooke Bennett in Vermont brings to light once again the importance of truth - truth in communicating with our children, truth in family, truth in media and truth in community.

In the case of Brooke, her uncle was a convicted sex offender; he was convicted of kidnapping and sexual assault in 1993. The truth should have been told to the community and to Brooke.

Some of Brooke's family members have been quoted as saying that is not something you tell a little girl, but we must be ever vigilant and ever vocal with our children. Our children must know that they are not at fault. They must be believed and be made to feel safe when they say they do not feel comfortable with someone, even if that someone is a friend, relative, coach, teacher or even a preacher.

For many years I have stated that the secret about secrets is that secrets kill. Children understand secrets as innocent - Christmas/birthday gifts, etc. Predators understand secrets as a way to control a child.

We must communicate with our children. Communities must not put property values above the value of a child.

Media can play an important role in implementing Meagan's Law.

How many more children will be the victim of "our little secret" before everyone understands that the secret about secrets is that secrets kill?

PENO HARDESTY

New Port Richey

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