Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Expected To Confirm Wilkie To Lead Troubled Department Of Veterans Affairs
The Associated Press: Senate Set To Confirm Wilkie For Veterans Affairs Secretary
After months of tumult, Pentagon official Robert Wilkie is expected to become secretary of Veterans Affairs when the Senate votes Monday to confirm him, taking on the task of fulfilling President Donald Trump's promises to fire bad VA employees and steer more patients to the private sector. Wilkie is Trump's third pick for the job in 18 months. The long-time public official says he will "shake up complacency" at VA, which has struggled with long waits in providing medical treatment to millions of veterans. (Yen, 7/23)
The Star Tribune: Minneapolis VA Boosts Access To Federal Cancer Trial
Researchers hope a new partnership with the Minneapolis VA Medical Center and other veterans’ hospitals will boost growth in cancer studies and the development of drugs and personalized therapies. Political, financial and other obstacles have limited VA hospitals’ access to clinical trials offered by the National Cancer Institute, but a new NAVIGATE program is designed to address those barriers by increasing the screening of veterans with cancer for research, and eliminating criteria that might have ruled them out in the past. (Olson, 7/21)
Denver Post: Ribbon-Cutting For New VA Hospital In Aurora Draw Politicians, VA Officials And Veterans Who Shrug Off Construction Delays
No one at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the $1.7 billion Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center on Saturday morning ignored the problems in getting the beleaguered facility to open. The hospital, designed for specialty care including spinal cord injuries and cancer screening, is $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule. Politicians, local and national Veterans Administration officials, as well as the veterans who will now get care from inside the sprawling 1.2 million-square-foot campus in Aurora, all acknowledged the well-publicized woes surrounding the hospital’s opening during the ceremony. (Whaley, 7/21)
The Associated Press: Colorado VA Hospital Plagued By Delays, High Costs To Open
It's more than $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, but an elaborate new veterans hospital is finally ready to open in suburban Denver with the promise of state-of-the-art medical care. The $1.7 billion Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center made it through nearly a decade of management blunders, legal battles, federal investigations and congressional hearings. (7/20)
