Page 17 - Desert Oracle August 2021

Stakeholder Update
July 2021

Updated Positions:
• Steve Sample will be the new Associate Director effective July 18, 2021. Steve has been
serving as the Interim Associate Director for NAVAHCS since January 2021. He joins us from
the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System where he served as Assistant Director.
• Dr. Megan Babcock will be the new Chief of Staff effective July 18, 2021. Dr. Babcock has
been serving as the Interim Chief of Staff since April 2021 and as the Deputy Chief of Staff
since January 2021. Before that, she served as the Associate Chief of Staff for Ambulatory
Care at the Albuquerque VA since 2014.
• Dr. Douglas Stephenson is the new Associate Chief of Staff for Primary Care.
• Chaplain Brenda Griffin-Collins will be the new Service Line Manager for the Chaplain
Services on July 4, 2021.
Philip’s Recall:
• Philips Respironics announced a voluntary recall for certain CPAP, BiLevel PAP, and
mechanical Ventilator Devices due to issues related to deterioration of the sound abatement
foam used in these devices. This recall affects CPAP and BiLevel PAP devices manufactured
prior to April 26, 2021. VA has distributed approximately 300,000 of these devices to Veterans
for home use. An additional 2,000 devices are used within VA in hospitals or clinic settings.
• VA clinical teams are reviewing patient records to identify those who have received these
devices and will work directly with impacted Veterans to repair or replace their equipment.
• While there is a potential risk from the deterioration of the sound abatement foam, those risks
have to be balanced against the known health risks of untreated sleep apnea. VA clinical
experts are working with the FDA and the manufacturer to understand those risks and provide
a solution. We expect to issue additional guidance in the coming days.
• Veterans with questions can send a secure message to their care team through MyHealtheVet.
VA requests that you register your device through the Philips Respironics patient portal at:
https://www.philipssrcupdate.expertinquiry.com or call 877-907-7508. Philips Respironics will
send a replacement device. This may take several months.
• If you notice any problems with your device or any new respiratory symptoms, contact your
care team immediately. Otherwise, you should continue to use the device as prescribed and
clean it using the manufacturer’s instructions.
New Tele-Neurology Program:
• We are thrilled to announce that NAVAHCS has partnered with the National Tele-Neurology
Program (NTNP) and we are providing outpatient general neurology care to our Veterans at
NAVAHCS. Dr. Steven Schreiber, Neurologist, will be our assigned provider from the NTNP
team. He will be scheduled to see NAVAHCS Veterans by VA Video Connect (VVC) and
Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. If a Veteran is experiencing
headaches, tremors, numbness, memory problems or other neurological symptoms, please