Cold War Veterans Blog

VA Names 13 to Rural Health Advisory Committee
Peake: Group Includes "Strong Advocates" for Vets in Rural Areas

WASHINGTON (June 5, 2008)

- Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B.
Peake has appointed 13 people to a new Veterans Rural Health Advisory
Committee, which will advise him on health care issues affecting
veterans in rural areas.

"This distinguished panel includes strong advocates for the needs of VA
patients in rural areas," Peake said. "This is an important step in
expanding access to VA's world-class health care system for veterans."

The 13-member group will examine ways to enhance Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) health care services for veterans in rural areas by
evaluating current programs and identifying barriers to health care.

The committee, chaired by James F. Ahrens, former head of the Montana
Hospital Association, includes affected veterans, rural health experts
in academia, state and federal professionals who focus on rural health,
state-level veterans affairs officials, and leaders of veterans service
organizations.

A list of the members of VA's Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee
is attached.

Membership
VA's Veterans Rural Health Advisory Committee

* James F. Ahrens of Cascade, Mont. Former member of Montana
governor's task force on health care.
* Dr. Robert Moser of Tribune, Kan. Physician who practices in
rural Kansas and Colorado.
* Cynthia Barrigan of Centreville, Va. Veteran, now acting
executive director of Virginia Telehealth Network.
* Charles Abramson of Missoula, Mont. Air Force veteran who
served on the medical staff ethics committee of St. Patrick Hospital.
* Maj. Gen. John W. Libby of Sidney, Maine. Adjutant general of
the Maine National Guard.
* Hilda Heady of Morgantown, W.Va. Social worker and associate
vice president for West Virginia Rural Health Association.
* Dr. Ronald Franks of Theodore, Ala. Psychiatrist and vice
president of the College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama.
* Bruce Behringer of Johnson City, Tenn. Assistant vice president
at East Tennessee State University for Rural and Community Health.
* Rachel Gonzales Hanson of Uvalde, Texas. Member of National
Association of Community Health Centers.
* Tom Ricketts, Ph.D., of Chapel Hill, N.C. Director of North
Carolina Rural Health Research Program.
* Michael Dobmeier of South Grand Forks, N.D. National Judge
Advocate of the Disabled American Veterans and president of the North
Dakota Veterans Home Foundation.
* Terry Schow of Ogden, Utah. Veteran and executive director of
the Utah Division of Veterans Affairs.
* James Floyd of Salt Lake City. Native American and director of
the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center.