Editor,

From Monday, May 6 to Sunday, May 12, the Lebanon VA Medical Center honored the dedicated women and men we in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) consider to be the compassionate backbone of the veterans’ health care system – nurses.

VA is the nation’s largest single employer of nurses and VA nurses lead their profession in education and training, clinical responsibility and research. But their passion comes from VA’s mission – caring for veterans.

VA nurses are integral and equal members of our health care team of professionals. No health care professional is closer to the veterans we care for than a VA nurse. Veterans and families rely on them for their compassion and expertise. The VA relies on them for setting the highest clinical care standards anywhere. That reliance is well-placed. VA’s recognition as a leader in health care, patient safety and research is due in large part to our nurses.

I am deeply proud to be associated with the nurses who serve veterans at the Lebanon VA Medical Center and of all of our nation’s 3.1 million registered nurses who work tirelessly to keep us well and save lives around the clock every day. Thank you, my fellow nurses, for your selfless care and compassion.

Margaret G. Wilson, MSN, RN
Lebanon

(The writer is associate director for patient care services at the Lebanon VA Medical Center.)

Editor,

A letter to the citizens of Middletown: I am writing to you today because in a few short days you have the chance to make a difference.

Editor,

Making the decision to move a loved one into a nursing home is never easy. In fact, it’s usually agonizing. When our loved ones reach the point where their physical and mental health needs can only be met in a round-the-clock nursing center, we want to be sure they’re going to get the best care.

So we do our homework, and we try to make the best decision with the information we have at hand. And we pray that once they’re settled and the doors close at night, it’ll be all right. But for too many of us and our loved ones, it’s not all right.

Editor,

As a high school student, I see the use of new technology growing in school every day. The goal at Middletown Area High School is to have every student be able to have their own laptop.

This year, the Middletown Area School Board has tried a different approach. The board gave iPads to the bottom percentage of the freshman class so they would focus more on school and wouldn’t drop out.

This is not the case. These students use the iPads to play games at lunch, for social networking and for anything else that isn’t school related.

It was a mistake to give these students the iPads. If they wanted to see if iPads were more efficient than laptops, then they should have given them to the top students.

The top students would treat them with respect and actually use them for school work rather than to goof around.

The school board needs to re-think its actions and priorities for the incoming years as it moves towards new technology.

                                                                                                                 Victoria White
                                                                                                                 Middletown

(The writer is the historian of Middletown Area High School’s Class of 2014.)