The organizers of a conference that brings the Ministry of Defense and Department of Veterans Combators Health leadership and military health professionals together to share ideas excluded from “independent media” this year, although it has authorized – and welcomed – media coverage for more than a decade.
Journalists who tried to register to attend the annual meeting of Amsus Society of Federal Health Professionals were informed that the media were excluded this year. Those who managed to register received emails that their registrations had been canceled.
According to Kenneth MCClain, director of communications at Amsus, media registrations were “not available for independent media organizations”.
When he pressure for a reason, MCCLAIN said that the decision had been made at the “request for speakers who wanted to be able to speak without award”.
“The leadership of Amsus has revised media policy in response to new directives affecting sessions and speakers,” said MCClain. “As a non -profit organization, we are not part of the federal government, but to best support our speakers, we will honor their request.”
McClain has not provided a definition of what Amsus considers “independent media” or which could assist or provide information from the conference.
The Amsus Conference is one of the few opportunities each year for members of the Military Health and Veterans Community, the Public Public Health Service, Entrepreneurs, Sellers, Public and the Media to find out about developments and research within the Defense Health Agency, the Veterans Health Administration and the Tricking Health program.
The decision to exclude the media follows decisions taken by the White House to exclude traditional media such as the Associated Press from Oval Office Burefings and to institute an annual rotation calendar at the Pentagon Press Office which removed the media such as NBC News, National Radio and the New York Times while providing points of sale favorable to President Donald, News Network and Breitbart.
The decision also follows the Department of Defense Disorders on the provision of medical care for 9.6 million patients and concerns among veterans concerning the future of health care.
Since January 1, patients who have used the Tricare Health program have struggled to stay with their suppliers or find new ones, as well as delays in specialized references and care Following a change in contract management in triwest Healthcare Alliance.
In the East Tricare region, Some suppliers have not been paid for more than eight weeks Follow a switch in complaint processors.
A lot Military hospitals are in the short termBringing down long expectations for care or references to private care in communities that may not have the capacity to manage the patient’s charge.
At the VA, veterans are Watch the efforts closely to extend community care – Medical services provided to veterans by private doctors but paid by the VA. While some patients have reported delays in receiving references to community care, others want to be seen at AV and want to see improvements in AV facilities.
Many of these subjects were to be discussed during various Amsus sessions. The main managers of the Defense Health Agency and LIE-Secretary to Health, Dr. Steven Lieberman, should speak, as are the Surgeons General of the Service.
Subjects include the future of Army,, Navy And Aviation medical response; the state of the military health system; quality and security in the military system; Mental health care for service members; prevention of suicide of veterans; And more.
Non -profit lectures may not meet a requirement under a law known as Sunshine Act guaranteeing media access to meetings.
A lawyer for the Committee of Journalists for Press Freedom said that it was not clear if the conference would be covered by law. However, he added, allowing press access to public functions is “essential for a transparent and responsible government”.
“To prohibit independent media from covering such a substantial dealership at such a rapid change, does not serve the objective of keeping the public informed and committed,” wrote Gunita Singh, a RCFP staff lawyer in an email at Military.com.
In relation: New application to let patients in 5 military hospitals access health care via their phones