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Efficient and productive meetings, the latest in technology and
research for the blind and visually impaired, a cadre of unusually
dedicated volunteers, a day trip to Lake Tahoe, and the best in
Nevada food and gaming all highlighted a successful BVA 59th National
Convention August 10-14 at the Reno Hilton Hotel.
Some 400 attendees, including BVA members, families of members,
staff, exhibitors, and presenters were on hand for the five-day
gathering. The convention was held concurrently with the 2004
VIST/BROS and Audiology Training Conference in adjacent meeting
rooms.
"It was actually quite remarkable how many significant things
were accomplished at this convention," said Executive Director
Tom Miller, who has a fairly broad basis for comparison.
Tom attended the BVA 32nd National Convention in Washington,
DC, and has not missed a single one since.
Beck Pinch Hits Perlin Keynote
Called away at the last minute on urgent business in Florida,
Acting Undersecretary Jonathan Perlin asked Dr. Lucille Beck,
Chief Consultant for VA’s Rehabilitation Strategic Healthcare
Group, to deliver his previously prepared convention keynote address.
"Our journey for change at VA is far from over," said
Perlin. "We are continuing the process of modernizing both
our inpatient and outpatient models of care so that our health
delivery system crosses generations, gender, and geography."
Such an effort, he wrote, has become even more critical with
the recent return of a new generation of service personnel from
Iraq and Afghanistan, including fewer than a dozen blinded veterans
at this time. "We expect the numbers to climb and are ready
to take care of them."
Perlin affirmed in his address the opening of two new residential
blind rehabilitation centers—one in Biloxi, Mississippi,
and the other in Long Beach, California—as soon as possible.
He also announced the implementation of two Clinical Practical
Recommendations on which he planned to sign off in the near future
(see Legislative Update).
"With the support of Congress, we plan to move forward in
the coming months to deliver more comprehensive, outpatient care
to blinded veterans as part of the continuum of care we will provide."
Perlin added that the increased services will be insured through
a proposed change to the funding formula known as VERA that will
provide additional funding allocations for outpatient blind rehabilitation
programs.
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