VETERANS’ HOMES: Davis Appoints Task Force to Review Quality
Gov. Gray Davis (D) announced Wednesday the formation of a Blue Ribbon Task Force charged with reviewing and making recommendations on ways to improve the quality of health care provided at California's Veterans' Homes. The task force will be co-chaired by the newly appointed inspector general for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Jerry Hansen, and former state Sen. and U.S. Marine, Dan McCorquodale, as well as former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta. "As both a Vietnam veteran and a public servant, I believe that when Californians leave the armed services, California should not leave them," Davis said. The Governor added, "It is our duty to provide our courageous veterans with first rate health care, and to ensure they are afforded the opportunity to succeed." The task force -- proposed by Davis in his 1999-2000 budget recommendations -- aims to improve the operation of state programs for veterans. Davis concluded that he is "very pleased" with the members of the panel and said, "I have the utmost confidence in these individuals to address the needs of our veterans." The task force members, in addition to Hansen, McCorquodale and Panetta, are:
- Esteban Torres: Korean War veteran and former member of Congress;
- Fernando Torres-Gill: current director of the Center for Policy Research on Aging at UCLA;
- Col. Mitchell Paige: Marine Corps World War II veteran activist;
- Dr. William Jagust: chair of Neurology at UC-Davis;
- Joanne Damron-Rodriquez: gerontology specialist at the Los Angeles VA Medical Center and professor of Gerontology at UCLA;
- John Pynoos: Professor of Gerontology at USC; and
- John McGinty: currently a military outreach specialist for the U.S. Department of VA Affairs and recipient of the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart for his service in the Vietnam War (Davis release, 12/1).