VA secretary pays Tampa unannounced visit

TAMPA -- The secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs made an unannounced visit to Tampa today to address a group representing paralyzed veterans and to visit with patients and VA workers at the nation's busiest VA hospital.

Dr. James Peake, appointed by President Bush in October, addressed the Paralyzed Veterans of America board of directors at its annual meeting at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. The meeting was closed to the public.

Afterward, Peake visited with doctors, nurses and patients at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center. Reporters were not invited or told Peake was in town.

The St. Petersburg Times has made repeated requests to interview Peake since his nomination. But a VA spokesman said Peake decided before departing Washington for Tampa that he was too pressed for time to grant any interviews.

-- William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer

Comments

[Don]

I certainly hope the Hon. Mr. Secretary left with some Bay Pines careers in his briefcase.

The Medical end of the house is visibly trying to improve, but the everyone in disability adjudication can go out and get a real job.

To tell me after a fourteen year appeal (sluggishly going from 10% to 50%) that if I'm not drooling on my shoulder while sitting in a wheelchair, then I'm not disabled, is a travesty.

Don't. Permit. Your. Children. To. Enlist.

[Ray]

Thank God this putrid Administration is on its way out and either Hillary or Obama is taking over. This man sneaks in and out and could not really care less about the injured Vets and thehir families Mr. Cheney's & Mr Bush's war oil war has hurt.

Put away the kazoos. Quick, sound the trumpets, roll out the red carpet.

[Jon M]

I hope that the VA secretary can't find a parking spot at James A Haley. When I lived down there going down there for cancer treatments, NOOOOOOO parking spots. I think they need do build a parking garage to deal with all the veterans and staff vehicles. I no live in Virginia, cancer free BTW. I won't go back to Tampa VA hospital even if I made a trip down there to see my familiy