Veterans Take Part In VA’s National Creative Arts Festival

WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has named Dr. Irene Trowell-Harris as director of the Center for Women Veterans, based in Washington.

“Her military experience and knowledge of VA’s health care delivery systems, and work with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations will ensure that VA’s programs meet the changing needs of our women veterans,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.

In her new position, Trowell-Harris will be the primary advisor to Principi on programs and issues related to women veterans.

“I am very excited about working with Secretary Principi to improve services for women veterans,” Trowell-Harris said. “Times have changed.  Today there are 1.4 million women veterans living in the United States.  Women comprise 15 percent of the active-duty military, 16 percent of the reserves and 20 percent of new recruits.  I look forward to the challenges ahead, and plan to make sure VA has programs in place that provide benefits and meet their health care needs.” 

Before her recent appointment, Trowell-Harris served as the VA director of the Washington, D.C., Region of the Office of Healthcare Inspections within the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and directed reviews to improve the economy, effectiveness and efficiency of VA programs.  At the same time, Trowell-Harris served in the United States Air Force and Air National Guard (ANG) retiring with 38 years of service as a major general.  

Trowell-Harris’ VA career includes assignments as Director of Patient Care Inspections and Program Evaluation with OIG in Washington, D.C., where she managed a nationwide program on quality assurance and quality improvement of VA’s 163 hospitals, 650 clinics, 130 nursing homes and 40 domiciliaries.  

Trowell-Harris served as the Assistant to the Director of the Air National Guard for Human Resources Readiness.  She had major responsibilities regarding military force preparedness and was responsible for developing a nation-wide readiness program for mentoring, diversity, and career progression for the 107,000 men and women in the ANG.

While assigned to the Air National Guard as Assistant to the Director for Medical Readiness & Nursing Services within Air Force headquarters, Trowell-Harris worked with five federal nursing chiefs to establish global policy, while developing medical guidance, policies, and procedures to ensure the rapid expansion, mobilization and deployment of medical resources to support Air Force operations worldwide.  She designed and conducted a worldwide survey on unmet health needs of women resulting in a 20-percent increase in access to health care.  She served six years as military representative on the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS).

In 1983, Trowell-Harris earned a doctorate of education in health education from Columbia University.  She earned a masters of public health at Yale University in 1973.  In 1971, she graduated from Jersey City State College in New Jersey, with a bachelor of arts in health education, graduating cum laude.  She received a diploma in nursing as a registered nurse from the Columbia Hospital School of Nursing, Columbia, S.C., in 1959.

She was honored by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University School of Medicine on June 1 for outstanding dedication to public service and inducted into the department’s Public Service Honor Roll.  She was also recently inducted into the Columbia University Nursing Hall of Fame. 

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PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Veterans from across the country, all selected national winners in music, dance, drama or art contests, will be in Prescott, Arizona, October 15-21, for the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.  The Festival is the culmination of a year-long fine arts talent competition open to all veterans receiving medical treatment at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities across the country.

These talented veterans, selected from nearly 3,000 entries, will be in Prescott for a week of rehearsals and workshops concluding on Sunday, Oct. 21, with a gala variety stage show and art exhibit at Yavapai College Performance Hall.  The music, drama and dance winners will perform in a stage show backed by a professional orchestra beginning at 2:00 p.m.  Renowned actress of Hollywood’s golden era, Jane Powell, will emcee the show.  The artists will exhibit their work in the lobby immediately following the stage show. 

“Healing does not always mean taking care of just the physical needs of a patient.  It may mean treating the ‘whole’ person,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi.  “Patients in VA medical facilities across the country benefit from the role creative arts therapy plays in their recovery and rehabilitation.  Like the other rehabilitative special events VA sponsors, this uplifts the spirit and improves the quality of life.”

Star of the 1979 smash hit “10,” and still the standard of “perfect 10 beauty,” actress Bo Derek, the current honorary chairperson for all four of the VA national rehabilitation special events, will also be in Prescott to visit with the veterans and help lead the applause in their honor.

The Festival is sponsored by VA with the help of co-sponsors, the American Legion Auxiliary and Help Hospitalized Veterans.  It is hosted this year by the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System.

For further information on the Festival log on to the Festival web page: www.va.gov/vetevent/caf.  During the week of the Festival there will be press releases and photos of the following veterans posted on the web page each day:

Participants

Alaska

• Paul Drummond — Anchorage  
• John Maltas — Anchorage  
• Scott Huebner — Eagle River

Arkansas

• Michael Cruse – Alma

Arizona

• Donald Edmondson — Prescott  
• Frank Harmon — Prescott  
• Douglas Keller — Prescott  
• Richard McCord — Prescott  
• Douglas Miley — Prescott  
• Paul Price — Prescott  
• Hardy Rose — Prescott  
• Donald Siegrist — Prescott  
• Thomas Winker — Prescott  
• Sandra Deakins — Prescott Valley  
• Hager Garriott — Sun Lakes

California

• Lee Williams — Antioch  
• Charles Paxton — Compton  
• Philip Martin — Coronado  
• Frank Kiyoshi Yamamoto — Fresno  
• Joseph Leo Bailey — Martinez  
• Jeanne Rogers — San Bernardion  
• DJ Smalley — San Diego  
• Len Prince — Van Nuys  
• James Sterrett-Bryant — Van Nuys  
• Anthony Lopez – Whittier

Connecticut

• Richard Goenne — West Haven

Florida

• Dennis Brayshaw — Tampa  
• David Brayshaw — Tampa  
• Robin Pitts — Treasure Island

Hawaii

• Sarah Eum – Honolulu

Iowa

• Rodney Atkisson – Knoxville

Idaho

• Diane Grady — Boise  
• John Robison — Emmett  
• Shirley Scofield – Naples

Illinois

• Lee Hopkins — Berkeley  
• Michael Benton — Chicago  
• Richard Hayes — Chicago  
• David Hill — Chicago  
• Thadius Holloway — Chicago  
• Raymond Klem — Chicago  
• Donna Pierce — Chicago  
• Michael Slatton – Chicago

Kansas

• Marcia Satterfield — Manhattan  
• Dalores Gillespie – Topeka

Kentucky

• Larry House — Shepherdsville  
• Daniel Skees – Sunfish

Maryland

• George Hicks — Baltimore  
• Rodney Weaver — Baltimore  
• Robert Jackson — Odenton  
• Wayne Miller — Silver Spring

Michigan

• Jacob Sikorski — Battle Creek

Minnesota

• James Smith — Cottage Grove  
• Donald Taylor — Deer River  
• Charlie Wittwer — Duluth  
• Jolene Peterson — Owatonna  
• Odell Brown – Richfield

Missouri

• Edward Dunwiddie — Columbia  
• Chester Spangler — St. Louis

New York

• Walter Boes — Albany  
• Vivian Eagan — Charlton  
• Roland Abare — Cohoes  
• William Fay — Greenville  
• Nora Pelkey — Kirkville  
• Helen Fitzgerald — Loudonville  
• David George — New York  
• Walter Dickhut — Northport  
• Richard Ward — Port Chester  
• Mary Lou Ward — Port Chester

Oklahoma

• Seama La France — El Reno  
• Albert Grayeagle — Oklahoma City

Texas

• William Burke — Belton  
• Stephen Gleason — Gladewater  
• Donald Crume — Temple  
• Kenneth Siar – Temple

Utah

• Leon Tate — Bountiful  
• John Prather — Draper  
• George Simmons — Holladay  
• Ray Ross — Midvale  
• Randal Boruff — Salt Lake City  
• Joseph Elroy Jones — Salt Lake City

Virginia

• Julia Blatnik – Chester

Wisconsin

• Steven Youngwirth — Ft. McCoy/Sparta  
• Kenneth Durkatz — Tomah  
• David Hercules — Tomah  
• Thomas Thomas — Tomah  
• Marilyn Adamitis — Waukesha  
• David Molling — West Allis

West Virginia

• Ronald Stegall — Harpers Ferry

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