2010 WBRC Demographics

Graphs of the 2010 WBRC Demographics. 
Click on the image above to enlarge.

 The 2010 WBRC Demographics are now available.  Please click on the image above to enlarge graphs.  Summary of graph information is located below:

Patients Served 2010:

• Regular (Basic) Program: 94
• Computer Access Training (CAT) Program: 42
• Regular/CAT Program: 26
• Other Area Specific: 26
• Total Number of Patients Served: 188

Length of Stay (Averages) 2010:

• Regular (Basic) Program: 48.5 days
• Computer Access Training (CAT) Program: 31.7 days
• Regular/CAT Program: 63.8 days
• Other: 35.7 days

Age Range of Patients 2010:

• 0-19 years: 0
• 20's: 5
• 30's: 4
• 40's: 10
• 50's: 25
• 60's: 42
• 70's: 40
• 80's: 54
• 90 +: 8

Gender Statistics 2010:

• Male: 94%
• Female: 6%

Period of Service 2010:

• World War II: 30%
• Pre-Korea: 0%
• Korea: 16%
• Post-Korea: 5%
• Vietnam: 36%
• Post-Vietnam: 8%
• Persian Gulf: 5%
• Other: 0%

Visual Diagnosis 2010:

• Other: 23
• Trauma: 13
• Optic Atrophy: 10
• Stroke: 7
• Diabetic Retinopathy: 28
• RP: 6
• Glaucoma: 26
• ARMD: 75

Temporary WBRC Construction Update

Exterior view of the temporary WBRC building construction
at the VA Hospital Menlo Park, CA campus.

The construction of the temporary WBRC building at the Menlo Park VA Hospital campus is coming along; with the exterior of the building almost complete.  The temporary facility, made up of over 50 modular segments, will house the WBRC temporarily while the new WBRC and Polytrauma building is constructed at the Palo Alto VA campus.  The temporary WBRC at Menlo Park will have 28 beds, with increased square footage and additional storage, offices, and training space.  The temporary WBRC is expected to be completed and operational in the Fall of 2011.


Rendering of the floor plan for the temporary WBRC Building.

CAT Skills: ZoomText

Photo of a ZoomText user adjusting
magnification on the ZoomText toolbar.

Featured this month are easy methods to

Increase or Decrease ZoomText for new or

seasoned ZoomText users.

1.  Go to the ZoomText Toolbar while clicking up or down on the Power Spin Box

2.  Use the ZoomText Keyboard Feature Keys + (plus) or – (minus) to increase or decrease the magnification

3.  Use the Hot Key:  ALT Key and Press the + (plus) key to increase the magnification or ALT Key and Press the – (minus) key to decrease the magnification

4.  Hold down the CLTR Key while scrolling the Mouse Wheel

Post Contributed by Susan Marshall, CAT Instructor

WBRC Alumnus Visits Washington D.C. with Honor Flight

Mr. Kenneth J. Seefried, WBRC Alumnus, visited the
Naval Monument in Washington, D.C. with the
Honor Flight Organization in October 2010

By: Kenneth J. Seefried, WBRC Alumnus

On October 7, 2010 I was invited to go on a trip to see the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. through the Honor Flight organization.  I was excited and honored to participate in such a wonderful trip.  I have wanted to visit the memorial since I heard of its completion.  The invitation was accepted, we would leave the next morning.

Twenty-four veterans and fifteen volunteers flew from San Francisco International Airport direct to D.C.  Our tour of many Monuments would begin early the next morning.  The first stop on the tour was the WWII memorial.  We stayed at the memorial for about three hours.  The group had a small ceremony at the California Portion of the memorial.  After that ceremony we checked out the portions that honor each state and territory that fought in the war.  The waterfall at this memorial was its most impressive feature.  It had thousands of metal stars which represented the people who died during the war.  Each star represented 500 people.  The visit was a very moving experience.

Afterwards we visited the Arlington National Cemetery and our group witnessed the changing of the guard.  We visited several other historic sites in D.C. including the Iwo Jima Monument, the Lincoln Monument, and the Naval Memorial.  The Naval memorial was very meaningful to me as I spent twenty-three years serving in the U.S. Navy.  I would like to thank the Honor Flight organization and Richard Wing, WBRC RN Manager, for making this trip possible for me.  It was wonderful to see these memorials and the trip was a once in a lifetime experience.

CLICK HERE for a link to the HONOR FLIGHT NETWORK WEBSITE

CLICK HERE for a link to the HONOR FLIGHT NETWORK veteran APPLICATION

FOLLOW-UP: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) App Helps Thousands

The PTSD COACH Iphone
application has been
downloaded by over
5,000 users since the
April 2011 launch.

The WBRC Blog published a post on May 5th, 2011 about the new Iphone PTSD application available through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense.  To follow up on the free PTSD application, the Department of Veterans Affairs published a news release dated May 18, 2011:

WASHINGTON – The PTSD Coach smartphone application (app), launched in April by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), has already helped more than 5,000 users connect with important mental health information and resources.

“This new tool is about helping Veterans and Servicemembers when and where they need it,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.  “We are encouraged so many have already downloaded this resource and hope many more will utilize this convenient tool to access VA services."

Since its launch, the PTSD Coach app has been downloaded by thousands of individuals.  While 96 percent of the users so far are located in the United States, the app has also been downloaded in 25 other countries.  The app lets users track their PTSD symptoms, links them with public and personalized sources of support, provides accurate information about PTSD, and teaches helpful strategies for managing PTSD symptoms on the go.

Currently, the PTSD Coach app has received perfect customer review scores on the iTunes App Store.  Comments from Veterans and family members are overwhelmingly positive and one user describes the app as “a must for every spouse who has a family member with PTSD.”  Professionals have sent positive reviews, suggestions and offers to collaborate on research evaluating the PTSD Coach app.   

The app has also already proven to be a useful tool for the staff at the Veterans Crisis Line.  Within the first two hours of the app’s official launch, the Crisis Line staff were contacted by a distressed Veteran who reported being instructed by the app to call the crisis line and was subsequently given an appointment at the local VA medical center.  Crisis Line staff have begun to regularly recommend this resource to callers. 

The app is one of the first in a series of jointly-designed resources by the VA National Center for PTSD and DoD's National Center for Telehealth and Technology to help Servicemembers and Veterans manage their readjustment challenges and get anonymous assistance. Given the popularity of mobile devices, VA and DoD hope to reach tens of thousands of Veterans, Servicemembers, and their family

members with the new suite of apps. 

Information on the PTSD Coach app is on the VA’s National Center for PTSD Website: http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/PTSDCoach.asp.

More apps from DoD's National Center for Telehealth and Technology can be found at: http://www.t2health.org/apps.

CLICK HERE for a link to the ORIGINAL VA NEWS RELEASE

CLICK HERE for a link to the ORIGINAL WRBC PTSD APP Blog Post

CLICK HERE to learn more about the PTSD 'COACH' Application