MOVE!

Over 70 percent of veterans receiving medical care from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are overweight or obese. Twenty percent of veterans receiving medical care from VA have diabetes. Overweight and obesity increase risk for heart disease, hypertension, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

Three Key Points
1. VA has developed the MOVE! Weight Management Program to address overweight and obesity. The MOVE! Program is being initiated in all VA medical facilities.
2. MOVE! is designed to help veterans lose weight, keep it off, and improve their health.
3. MOVE! is an evidence-based, patient-centered weight management program with a comprehensive focus on behavior, nutrition, and physical activity.

The MOVE! Weight Management Program has the following features:

The MOVE! Program uses a public health approach to screen all overweight veteran patients, provide counseling about health risks, and offer enrollment in MOVE!. As part of MOVE! enrollment, patients complete an online questionnaire, the MOVE!23. It asks them about their medical history, what they eat, how active they are and other issues that may be affecting their ability to manage their weight. The MOVE!23 produces a detailed individual profile with self-care recommendations for the veteran (the Patient Report) and a Staff Report, with a brief summary and guidance for staff in treating and counseling the veteran. Both reports can be automatically imported into the VA computerized medical record.

Over 100 hundred MOVE! patient handouts have been developed that address behavior, nutrition and physical activity. The user-friendly handouts offer practical, economical tips for weight management. From the MOVE!23, a tailored set of handouts is recommended for the veteran. Spanish versions of the handouts are available. A patient-oriented MOVE! website, www.move.va.gov , provides access to the MOVE!23, patient handouts, public service announcements as well as links to many other federal health resources, including the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPyramid. The MOVE! website is also available via a link from the home page of MyHealtheVet, www.myhealth.va.gov .

The implementation of the MOVE! Program makes VA the first federal agency to provide a comprehensive, evidence-based, clinical intervention program to treat obesity. Primary care providers outside VA, veteran family members and other adults can access MOVE! Program materials as resources for managing weight through www.move.va.gov.

To view and download VA news release, please visit the following Internet address:
http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

Marine Honor

Marine Sgt. Andrew M. Janovicz carries the U.S. flag through St. Boniface Catholic Church November 2006 during a funeral service for Sgt. Brock Babb in Evansville, Ind.

This photo of Marine Sgt Andrew Janovicz has been seen in USA Today, Evansville Courier Press, Denver Post, and Albuquerque Tribune. Sgt Janovicz is the son of Former Marine Mike Janovicz, Indianapolis.

Andy is a member Kilo Company, 3rd Bn, 24th Marines, Marine Reserve and Marine Corps League, James P. Farber Detachment 1183, Brownsburg, IN.

President Bush Presents Medal of Honor to Corporal Jason Dunham

Long before he earned our nation's highest Medal Jason Dunham made himself -- made a name for himself among his friends and neighbors. He was born in a small town in upstate New York. He was a normal kind of fellow, he loved sports. He went to Scio Central School, and he starred on the Tiger basketball, soccer, and baseball teams. And by the way, he still holds the record for the highest batting average in a single season at .414. He was popular with his teammates, and that could be a problem for his mom. You see, she never quite knew how many people would be showing up for dinner, whether it be her family, or the entire basketball team.
He grew up with the riches far more important than money: He had a dad who loved to take his boys on a ride with him when he made his rounds on the dairy farm where he worked. His mom was a school teacher. She figured out the best way to improve her son's spelling was to combine his love for sports with her ability to educate. And so she taught him the words from his reading list when they played the basketball game of "horse." He had two brothers and a sister who adored him.
He had a natural gift for leadership, and a compassion that led him to take others under his wing. The Marine Corps took the best of this young man, and made it better. As a Marine, he was taught that honor, courage and commitment are not just words. They're core values for a way of life that elevates service above self. As a Marine, Jason was taught that leaders put the needs of their men before their own. He was taught that while America's founding truths are self-evident, they also need to be defended by good men and women willing to stand up to determined enemies.
As a leader of a rifle squad in Iraq, Corporal Dunham lived by the values he had been taught. He was a guy everybody looked up to. He was a Marine's Marine who led by example. He was the kind of person who would stop patrols to play street soccer with the Iraqi schoolchildren. He was the guy who signed on for an extra two months in Iraq so he could stay with his squad. As he explained it, he wanted to "make sure that everyone makes it home alive." Corporal Dunham took that promise seriously and would give his own life to make it good.
In April 2004, during an attack near Iraq's Syrian border, Corporal Dunham was assaulted by an insurgent who jumped out of a vehicle that was about to be searched. As Corporal Dunham wrestled the man to the ground, the insurgent rolled out a grenade he had been hiding. Corporal Dunham did not hesitate. He jumped on the grenade, using his helmet and body to absorb the blast. Although he survived the initial explosion, he did not survive his wounds. But by his selflessness, Corporal Dunham saved the lives of two of his men, and showed the world what it means to be a Marine.
Deb Dunham calls the Marine Corps her son's second family and she means that literally. Deb describes her son's relationship to his men this way: "Jay was part guardian angel, part big brother, and all Marine." She remembers her son calling from the barracks, and then passing the phone to one of his Marines, saying, "I've got a guy here who just needs to talk to a mom." Now it's the Marines who comfort her. On special days, like Christmas or Mother's Day or her birthday, Deb has learned the day will not pass without one of Jason's fellow Marines calling to check on her.
With this Medal we pay tribute to the courage and leadership of a man who represents the best of young Americans. With this Medal we ask the God who commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves to wrap his arms around the family of Corporal Jason Dunham, a Marine who is not here today because he lived that commandment to the fullest.







For the complete Press Release view: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/print/20070111-1.html

Retiree Assistance Office Bulletin Update -1 Jan 2007

The RAO Bulletin contains important information about your benefits, if you see a topic you are interested in get the details at: http://post_119_gulfport_ms.tripod.com/rao1.html

RAO Bulletin Update
1 January 2007

THIS BULLETIN UPDATE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
== VA President Ford Observance ---------- (Health Centers Open)
== VA Budget 2007 Update 10 -------------- (Continuing Resolution)
== Agent Orange Lawsuits [08] -------------- (Blue/Brown Water Navy)
== Vet Bonus Massachusetts ----------------- ($500 & $1000)
== CRSC [35] ---------------------------------- (CRSC/CRDP Open Season)
== Breast Cancer [01] ------------------------- (Vaccination Results)
== VA Cancer Lawsuit ----------------------- (Family Awarded $500,000)
== Gulf War Presumptive Disease [01] ------(Expires 31 DEC 11)
== Personality Disorder Discharge ---------- (PD or PTSD?)
== Immigrant Recruitment -------------------- (Under Consideration)
== AF Retiree Council [01] ------------------- (Overseas Agenda Items)
== SSA COLA ---------------------------- (Net Elimination by 2012)
== Social Security Reform [01] -------------- (Indexing)
== COLA 2008---------------------------------- (1.2% Decline to Date)
== VA Data Breach [28] -------- (Comprehensive Legislation Needed)
== Federal Audit ------------------ (Government Exposure $50 Trillion)
== Armed Services Committee --------------- (New House Members)
== VA Prescription Policy [01] ---------- (Half-price Prescriptions)
== FTC Funeral Rule ------------------ (Funeral Home Investigation.)
== VA Compensation Rates (DIC): --------- (2007 Monthly Payments)
== Tricare Meeting w/Coalition ------- (Quarterly Meeting Planned)
== VA Facility Expansion -------------------- (Muskogee/Popular Bluff)
== Commissary Bag Selection --------------- (Paper Less Expensive)
== VA SSOC Deadline ----------------------- (Decrease Proposed)
== Mobilized Reserve 27 DEC 06----------- (Net Decrease 7,158)
== VA Incarcerated Person Benefits -------- (Reduction or Loss)
== Alzheimer’s [02] --------------------------- (A Step Forward)
== New VA Clinic ----------------------------- (Rural Colorado/Kansas)
== Aid & Attendance [01] -------------------- (Underutilized)
== Unified Medical Command --------------- (Rejected)
== Congressional Terminology -------------- (Military Funding Terms)
== DoD Mental Health Task Force [02] ---- (Combat Stress Concerns)
== Tricare T-Pharm Contract ----------------- (Solicitation Cancelled)
== VA Tinnitus Compensation [03] --------- (VFW Involvement)
== Mold & Mildew ---------------------------- (Impact on humans)
== Bladder Cancer ----------------------------- (Cause & treatment)