Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Questions Raised About Sen. Dean Heller's Support Of Unproven 'Brainwave' Treatment For Veterans
ProPublica: GOP Senator Pushed VA To Use Unproven “Brainwave Frequency” Treatment
Sen. Dean Heller, a Nevada Republican, pushed doctors at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Reno to adopt an experimental mental health treatment marketed by a company with ties to his office. On a Friday night last December in his Reno office, Heller, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, introduced VA officials to representatives from a health care startup called CereCare. (Arnsdorf, 10/17)
In other veterans' health care news —
Reuters: U.S. Prepares For Biggest-Ever Agent Orange Cleanup In Vietnam
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday visited a former American air base in southern Vietnam that will soon become the biggest-ever U.S. cleanup site for contamination left by the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Standing near a skull-and-crossbones warning sign meant to keep people away from toxic soil, Mattis was briefed by Vietnamese officials about the massive contamination area. (Stewart, 10/17)
WBUR: VA Struggles To Reach Other-Than-Honorable-Discharge Vets In Need Of Help
Onan is one of the thousands of veterans who have other-than-honorable (OTH) discharges. They don't typically qualify for VA benefits, even though many have service-related trauma. And as a group they have a high suicide rate. To address that, the VA last summer started a new program. It allows OTH vets to come into the VA to receive mental health care, at least for 90 days. (Walsh, 10/18)
