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On air: health care for veterans & the military

This health forum broadcast on WRVO Sunday, November 17 at 7 p.m.

This forum will explore how upstate New York communities deal with providing health care to veterans and members of the military; the health care issues veterans and active military in our community are dealing with currently, such as the issues that arise from our country's decade-plus of overseas wars, the impact of the changing civilian health care system on veterans and military members; and how veteran and military health care affects communities -- creating jobs, providing an area of connection between civilian and military worlds, etc.

The forum is free and open to the public. It will take place on Wednesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. at Jefferson Community College. Join us in the Amphitheater (Room 6-002) of The Jules Center (Building 6). Parking is available in Lot D. A detailed map and directions are also available.

Panelists include: Thomas H. Carman, the CEO of Samaritan Medical Center; Richard Kazel, of Veterans Affairs (VA); and Denise Young, Executive Director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO). Catherine Loper, Director of News and Public Affairs at WRVO, will moderate the discussion.

Thomas H. Carman, president and CEO of Samaritan Medical Center.

Thomas H. Carman is president and CEO of Samaritan Medical Center/Samaritan Keep Home, a not-for-profit community hospital and long-term care facility in Watertown. Carman formerly served as president and CEO of Cortland Memorial Hospital in Cortland from 1997 to 2004. A resident of Watertown, he serves as a member of the Northern New York Rural Healthcare Alliance, the Watertown Rotary Club, YMCA, Jefferson County Job Development Corporation, and the Chamber of Commerce of Greater Watertown. Carman earned a bachelor's degree in Pharmacy at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and a master's degree in Business Administration from Syracuse University.

Richard G. Kazel, External Care Line manager of the medical/surgical services at the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Syracuse.

Richard G. Kazel, FACHE, is the External Care Line manager of the Medical/Surgical services which includes medicine, surgery, emergency medicine, dental and primary care services at the Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Syracuse. Kazel has operational responsibility for all community based operations, including clinical activities aligned with the Ford Drum MEDDAC. His employment at the Syracuse VA Medical Center has lasted over 30 years, where Kazel has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility. He's a member of the Board of Directors for the CNY Health Systems Agency, the Health Advancement Collaborative of CNY, the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization, the University Hill Corporation, and the CNY Research Corporation. Kazel is a graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology and holds a graduate degree in Health Services Administration from the New School University.

Denise Young is the executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO), whose mission is to analyze the regional healthcare system, identify gaps, and leverage resourcse to support access to high-quality healthcare services for the soldiers, families, veterans, and civil residents of the Fort Drum region. Young has also served as the director of the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College and as a public health planner with the Jefferson County Public Health Service. She holds a B.S. in Occupational Safety and Health from SUNY Empire State College and a M.B.A. in Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix.

This panel discussion, to last approximately one hour, will be followed by audience questions. This panel is being recorded to air November 17 at 7 p.m. and will be archived on the WRVO website.

Support for this forum comes from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York.