01/11/2015 - As stories spread about the slow delivery of care in the Department of Veterans Affairs health system, one fact often lost is that the agency is staffed by tens of thousands of talented professionals who have dedicated their lives to caring for veterans.One such dedicated professional was Timothy Fjordbak, 63, a psychologist at the El Paso VA Health Care System clinic. He was shot to death Tuesday at the clinic by a man who later took his own life. The motivation for the shooting remains unclear.
Fjordbak left a successful private practice after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to care for returning soldiers, said Douglas Lindquist, special agent in charge of the El Paso office of the FBI, which is leading the investigation into the shooting.
A patient spoke in glowing terms of Fjordbak's dedication.
"His main thing was that he could differentiate between symptoms of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and traumatic brain injury," said Michael Rushton, an Air Force veteran who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury about a year ago and was also being treated for PTSD. "It was a five-hour appointment and it was a very comprehensive series of tests. He was amazing and an excellent guy."
Treating our nation's war veterans is a challenging job, one that requires a special sort of person to step forward. Fjordbak appears to have been that kind of person. read more>>>
Jan 09, 2015 - Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald is in El Paso to offer support to staff at the VA clinic where a doctor was shot and killed Tuesday by a former employee at the clinic.The gunman, identified as 48-year-old Jerry Serrato, shot psychologist Dr. Timothy Fjordbak on the fourth floor of the VA clinic on Fort Bliss near Central El Paso. Serrato, a veteran, then committed suicide on the third floor.
McDonald's appearance was tightly managed. He offered condolences to the family of the murdered VA doctor and met with employees. He spoke with the media for only a few minutes.
"I'm here in El Paso to demonstrate how the entire Veterans Affairs family is here to show their empathy for the employees here, the veterans here in El Paso that we care so much about," McDonald said. "I'm here to talk to the employees today and to tell them whatever support they need, they will get." read more>>>
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