|
|
 |
Veterans Victory Cruise
A cruise program offered by Cruisecenter.com gives vacationers a
chance to celebrate America’s military history. The Veterans Victory
Cruise includes presentations from military experts on topics
ranging from World War II to current conflicts in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Other special activities include a Veterans Day
memorial wreath-laying ceremony, big band dances, and a “military
road show,” in which experts will identify war souvenirs and answer
questions in one-on-one interviews. Cruises are scheduled for Nov. 1
in the Panama Canal; Nov. 9 in the Caribbean; May 7, 2005, in
Alaska’s Inside Passage; and Nov. 5, 2005, in the Caribbean. For
more information on the cruises, visit
www.veteranscruise.com
or call (800) 825-5793.
Taking Care of Business
MOAA has been Looking for ways to bring a cost-effective,
high-quality financial planning service to its members for more than
five years. Now, MOAA is pleased to announce its newest sponsored
service: an alliance with the Garrett Planning Network (GPN), a
national organization of hourly, fee-only financial planners, that
offers a 20 percent discount to MOAA members.
Spotlight
Lt. Cmdr. Myldred Jones, who celebrated her 95th birthday
Aug. 5, has devoted her life to helping young people, founding
the first nationwide adolescent hotline and the Casa Youth
Shelter in Los Alamitos, Calif.
You joined the Navy in 1942, when there were very few women
officers. Why did you join?
I was very concerned about the war. When the opportunity arose
for me to join the Navy, I really felt I had to get in there and
do my part.
You had a wide range of assignments, including serving as a
speechwriter for President Truman and working with the
Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.
What did you like most about the Navy?
I enjoyed working with the enlisted sailors. I admired how much
the Navy cared about its people and worked to make their lives
better.
What motivated you to begin working with troubled teenagers?
The 1960s were a troubling time. Teenagers were leaving their
homes in droves, and I just became concerned with their needs.
They needed someone who would always be available to listen to
them.
In April 1978, you sold your own home to start the youth
shelter. Since then more than 9,700 kids have passed through the
shelter.
Are kids different today?
The problems they have to face have changed a lot. When young
people are in an environment that is loving and caring ... that
puts their needs first, they do well. That’s always true.
— Robert Newell
All GPN members are CFP practitioners (or will be in the near
future), and many hold additional degrees such as CPA, MBA, or JD.
All offer hourly, fee-only advice on an as-needed basis, abide by a
strict code of ethics, and receive absolutely no commissions for
products they recommend, which allows them to provide unbiased
advice. Also, all GPN members who work with MOAA members have gone
through special training to better understand the issues facing
active duty, National Guard and Reserve, and retired officers and
their families.
Some GPN members also offer other services, such as tax preparation
and asset management, and most have excellent networks of CPAs,
estate planning attorneys, and other allied professionals to assist
in specialty work. Whether you need a financial check-up or a
comprehensive financial plan, consider a GPN financial planner.
Members can find an advisor in their area by calling the MOAA
Garrett Planning Network Hotline at (866) MOAA -GPN (662-2476) or
visiting www.garrettplanning.com.
Show You Care—With Cookies
Cliff Smith, a San Diego entrepreneur, wanted to show his
appreciation for the sacrifice and service of the men and women of
the armed services. And so he chose—cookies.
Smith, whose family has a long history of military service,
including a father who served in World War II, has created Stampers
cookies, round vanilla-almond cookies that look like military
medals. The cookies are stamped with the seals of the Army, Air
Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Army and Air National
Guards, and U.S. Postal Service. They are made from all-natural
products and contain no hydrogenated oils or trans fats.
Smith debuted the cookies at the National Military Family
Association’s (NMFA) 35th anniversary celebration in Washington,
D.C., where he handed a box to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Gen. Richard Myers. After the event, Smith dropped off the remaining
36 boxes of cookies at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for
recovering servicemembers to enjoy.
Smith, who has worked in hotel and restaurant management, is
donating 5 percent of the sales profits to the NMFA. He also has
sent some 1,100 boxes to troops currently serving in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
The cookies retail for $7.99 for two boxes; each box has 18 cookies.
Visit
www.cookieclubofamerica.com to purchase the cookies; you also
can pledge a box for American troops stationed overseas. The cookies
also will be sold at retail stores and military base commissaries
worldwide.
Sights & Sounds of Nashville
MOAA will hold its 2004 Convention in Nashville, Tenn., Oct.
13–17. The convention offers educational business seminars,
informative speakers, and exciting exhibits. Join fellow members for
a barbecue dinner with dancing, a performance at the Grand
Ole Opry, and a “Salute to Heroes” dinner with entertainment. To
register, visit our Web Base at
www.moaa.org/convention or call (800) 234-6622. For room
reservations, visit
www.renaissancehotels.com or call (800) 327-6618.
Health Beat
Use of VA’s Electronic Health Records Expanding
One of the world’s most sophisticated systems for keeping
electronic health records soon will be easily available to doctors,
hospitals, and clinics around the country, courtesy of the VA and
the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“VA is proud to lead the health care industry in the use of
information technology. The expertise we have gained, however,
belongs to the American public,” says Dr. Jonathan Perlin, the VA’s
acting undersecretary for health. “With our federal partners, we’re
making it easier for the private-sector health care industry to make
use of this electronic system for health care records.”
The system, called VistA-Office Electronic Health Record, was
developed by the VA. A version of VistA is used at more than 1,300
VA facilities throughout the United States to maintain records on 5
million veterans who receive their health care from the VA. Under
the plan announced in July, private-sector health care providers can
obtain a version of VistA at a nominal cost. Distribution of the
software is expected to begin in late 2005.
VistA offers health care providers a complete electronic record
covering all aspects of patient care, including reminders for
preventive health care, electronic entry of pharmaceutical orders,
display of laboratory results, consultation requests, X-rays, and
pathology slides. Besides the VA system, VistA currently is used by
the Department of Health for the District of Columbia and health
care systems in Finland, Germany, Egypt, and Nigeria.
|
