Healing Combat Trauma

"Stop Googling Yourself, You'll Go Blind"

You learn the most interesting thing by reading your blog stats / log of who's visiting.  Today's most pressing question: What was QTC Management, Inc., of Diamond Bar, California, doing a search for "QTC Medical Services is fraudulent" today, about THEMSELVES?!  Trying to contain bad press coverage before they even get any?  Planning something fraudulent (just kidding...) or just wondering who already thinks they are?  God only knows.  But one thing is for certain:  People spend a whole lot more time trying to control their public relations, than focusing on improving quality of services delivered.  THAT would be time better spent.

There isn't much to find, in terms of volume, of articles out there suspecting QTC of actual fraud.  But there is one main article from the LA TImes in 2006, reprinted on several veterans' watchdog-type websites, which talks about its highly cozy relationship with the VA.  The most recent former head of the VA, Anthony Principi, ran QTC, and immediately after his tenure at the VA, returned to lead it; not to mention, the current head of the VA, James Peake, M.D., also comes directly from there.  IAVA president Paul Rieckhoff was quoted as saying, it raises questions that QTC seems like the farm team for the VA.

Apparently QTC had a bad habit of bloating the bill for its services -- making it, what, the Halliburton of veterans medical care?!  And it isn't the greatest that there's such a close relationship between QTC and the VA.  But as for fraud?  Wonder what they're looking for, and why they're pre-emptively looking for it.  Maybe it's like American Express registering the domain name, IHateAmericanExpress.com (which they did).  They know someone's going to, so why not beat them to the punch.  Hmmmn...

Here's some good backstory on the topic, from VA Watchdog.org.  Click link here to read.  And in the meantime, we'll leave you with the graphic to ponder yourselves:

Editor's Note: Humorous "Googling Yourself" comic is courtesy of the JoyofTech.com, linked here.  Used with permission.

Technology Builds a Caring Bridge

A low-tech, high-touch resource that's available to combat veterans and their families today is CaringBridge, which calls itself "a place ot heal, celebrate and share" (on the Web, parentheses mine). 

As their PR announces, CaringBridge™ is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization offering free personalized Web sites to those wishing to stay in touch with family and friends during significant life events. Our mission is to bring together a global community of care powered by the love of family and friends in an easy, accessible and private way.

CaringBridge authors quickly and easily create personalized Web sites that display journal entries and photographs. Well-wishers visit the site to read updates and leave messages in the Guestbook.

The CaringBridge experience is unique for both authors and visitors in its immediacy, intimacy and wide-reaching impact. We make profound human connections, using technology to serve a higher purpose in a powerful way.

As of January 24, 2006, we have hosted more than 35,000 CaringBridge sites. Those sites have received more than 210 million visits and over 5 million guestbook messages.

-----

Several 3/7 Marines wounded in Iraq in early December, 2005 have great websites via CaringBridge, that allow their family and friends to stay in touch and offer updates to wellwishers round the world.  The power of these updates is pretty impressive.  One young Marine's website has logged over 25,000 visits since mid-December, and respondents mention checking in daily to see and encourage his progress.  Visitors to the guu's various websites on CaringBridge can also follow their joint progress, as they encourage each other in the journey from trauma to healing.  (E.g., Marines Travis Greene and Neil Frustaglio and Naval Corpsman Tony Bullene, among others.)