November 7, 2007

Washington D.C.- Congressman Paul Broun met today with Dean Lucy Marion of Augusta’s Medical College of Georgia and Mrs. Laurie Ott, the Executive Director of the CSRA Wounded Warrior Care Project to discuss promoting the “Augusta Model” of Wounded Warrior Care within the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The “Augusta Model” of Wounded Warrior Care is based on the successful partnership that has been pioneered in Augusta between the Uptown V.A. Medical Center, the Medical College of Georgia, the Eisenhower Army Medical Center, and private sector providers and institutions. A key element of the proposed “Augusta Model” increases the role that the Medical College of Georgia would play in educating and training nurses specifically for the unique needs of wounded warriors and their families. Congressman Broun, a graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, is a strong advocate of the proposal and is drafting a letter in support of the initiative to be sent to the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

“As a graduate of the Medical College of Georgia, I know that Augusta is blessed with a number of assets that make the area one of the leading medical centers in the United States,” said Broun. “I am working to find ways to continue to expand the role that Augusta plays in treating our wounded soldiers. The proposal that Dean Marion and Mrs. Ott have developed is a step in that direction. I support this initiative, and I encourage the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to further incorporate Augusta’s medical capabilities into their treatment programs.”

Today’s meeting follows Congressman Broun’s participation in a Senate Field Hearing in August that drew attention to the cooperative efforts between the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans’ Affairs that are being pioneered in Augusta. During that hearing, Congressman Broun strongly advocated that Augusta assume a greater role with the impending closure of Virginia’s Walter Reed Hospital.