[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6115999,"mediaKeyId","2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0","parentId",2734943,"title","Researchers and advocates urge more lung cancer screening for Black veterans","audioSeconds",2623,"startMs",3127000,"endMs",5750000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0&start=3127&end=5750","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0/thumbnail_3127000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6115999/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Researchers-and-advocates-urge-more-lung-cancer-screening-for-Black-veterans","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6115999-9b1a466b083bf241887e9fbdd769f9d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445489&Signature=TSinNVQcIoueLGNo7HDyX~NpYsgL~rHkYrIBVV~uDpmCL91hscCDtLmrvRUBfLYRb30ZoMSEKR-ZhxS8vPCS5Q0Dc4daNXiJiLN8aTjd9R0jvYliYx8O-8YP08ReA8YaQLprx5uLrqTeUCJMli5Ljq47-m3iIIWXY6muubQdpdN5nZ4S55f-TiAhFe9KjPWBrr8s~dMBzty6Q0yU5Fct0lCjH7adFifTaBcn6ZZAoKSMurEcrbcK2ib5kLldw3Lwgqu4-dbVf7uQMpnHxYC6iRHvzH50S-f3SBdpBDUmLyb02qYqLyIZUxA3OAZebjSldcjJJUO8qfNsgjPGqp7YvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Boston City, MA","date","2025-03-22T00:00:00Z","article","At a March 20 Boston City Council Committee hearing, VA researchers, city officials and community veterans outlined outreach to increase lung cancer screening for Black veterans and described disparities in diagnosis and treatment.

\"Eight thousand veterans are diagnosed with lung cancer each year,\" said Dr. Rhonda Weiner, pulmonary physician and principal investigator of the VetPeerConnect study at VA Boston. \"Five thousand veterans die each year from lung cancer,\" she added, translating those deaths to \"an average of 15 veterans every day.\" Weiner told the committee that veterans face higher lung cancer rates than the general U.S. population because of higher smoking prevalence and service-related toxic exposures such as Agent Orange, burn pits and asbestos.

Weiner said lung cancer screening with an annual low-dose chest CT reduces the risk of dying of lung cancer by about 20 percent among high-risk people and that VA patients are more likely to have their cancers detected at an early, treatable stage. She also said fewer than 20 percent of eligible Americans have been screened for lung cancer and that Black people are screened at lower rates than other groups.

The VetPeerConnect outreach program, which Weiner leads, partners with Black veterans and community organizations (including NABVETS, the National Association for Black Veterans) to hold community events where veterans can learn about screening and be referred to VA screening programs. Weiner said community-led events have helped \"build connections and trust between the community and the VA\" and that some veterans who attended events subsequently pursued screening.

Rob Santiago, commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans Services, and community advocate Haywood (whose last name was given in testimony) described local outreach and suggested replicable community models. Santiago noted strong local programs at VA Boston and city coordination with posts such as the William McCarter American Legion Post.

Speakers urged more culturally sensitive outreach and stronger representation of clinicians of color in VA care. Weiner and partners cited a VA Boston thoracic surgeon, Dr. Fatima Wilder, who participates in community events to model culturally sensitive conversations about screening.

The committee did not take votes. Members said they would pursue additional listening sessions and community outreach to improve screening uptake and reduce disparities.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Boston City Council | Veterans, Military Families, & Military Affairs on March 21, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Physician-researchers, city officials and community veterans described outreach efforts to increase lung cancer screening for Black veterans, highlighted screening survival benefits and said community-led events help rebuild trust with veterans who do not use VA care.","taxTitle","Boston City, Suffolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",3381,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6116004,"Council hearing examines VA’s new presumptive conditions and PACT Act impacts",1086,2112000,3198000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0&start=2112&end=3198","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0/thumbnail_2112000.jpg","/articles/6116004/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Council-hearing-examines-VAs-new-presumptive-conditions-and-PACT-Act-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6116004-3d8b2bdaaa5349908be128c7c51f0300/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445489&Signature=IzCIBl2wSpU7E6txEpVJEiAY2Cp5R8l1aJn9DShu0NP608SHLRJeKyUj9N2LrC8iKG13JDMhCSxgNwuId6WmQjbspZhQSTWvA4Hn1cOUkT2XhkGYbLQaNQpFxuTWpb4DiftKg~5VCRd3h2tbGQPEBORc58Aw1cQgU4yheK~6VHVhtb~bHUAFBblthq19e~N5uKgaeHQjEjl9L7NNhegJpUM3vjn2U-~5NRfOQQWqU-zqGqyE9E0c2bFtxkTmvZNXcrO1BeP1L86M2Jsz9qMyH~xChFfKrHHYUjc~n5IE5y1Cwt3iEJiK4G3M57~B13qAw2v8U7C~ZPWHr-1BLr7rYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a March 20 Boston City Council Committee on Veterans and Military Families hearing, city and VA officials discussed the Department of Veterans Affairs’ recent expansion of presumptive conditions and how the change intersects with local outreach and capacity.

Councilor Ed Flynn read the docket on new cancer presumptions announced by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and said the city must understand how increased eligibility will affect local services. \"With the signing of the PACT Act in 2022,\" Flynn said, \"more veterans are eligible for benefits related to burn pits, Agent Orange and other toxic exposures.\"

Rob Santiago, commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans Services, told the committee that the city keeps a live veterans information webpage (boston.gov/veterans) that includes guidance on the PACT Act and state HERO Act resources. He urged veterans to contact the city office for help navigating claims and benefits and to note that some exposure testing is available to people who are not yet VA patients.

Rhonda Weiner, a pulmonary physician and VA researcher, said the VA is studying exposure-related health effects and that the system has seen an influx of veterans seeking care since the PACT Act and other policy changes. She warned that proposed federal cuts could threaten both clinical services and research capacity. \"This is a very active area of research for the VA to try to understand what the health effects of the various toxic exposures are,\" Weiner said.

Committee members asked whether veterans must already be registered with the VA to get toxic exposure testing; witnesses said veterans do not have to be VA patients to get the toxic exposure test and that screening can help identify previously unrecognized conditions.

Speakers also raised a broader concern: several witnesses said morale among VA staff is fragile and that staffing reductions would reduce capacity just as eligibility expands under the PACT Act. Commissioner Santiago described the incoming demand and said any federal staff reductions would be felt locally.

The committee did not take votes. Councilors said they would continue monitoring federal decisions, provide outreach information to veterans and consider future hearings focused on benefits navigation and local capacity.","Witnesses described the VA's expansion of presumptive conditions under the PACT Act, how that expands veterans' eligibility for benefits and testing, and concerns that proposed federal staffing cuts could reduce capacity to serve newly eligible veterans.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6116009,"Boston council committee asks how city and VA will meet rising needs of women veterans",1994,159000,2153000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0&start=159&end=2153","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2734943-93ac1d2d4fdce995c15abaafcf2dc0f0/thumbnail_159000.jpg","/articles/6116009/Boston-City/Suffolk-County/Massachusetts/Boston-council-committee-asks-how-city-and-VA-will-meet-rising-needs-of-women-veterans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6116009-2ff0d236230d5508af8d67d60ce6a3eb/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445489&Signature=YLOTBnmPP3neW0qBoHB5dfQhR9fSNwM0nebR7ndatE3lcmS5bAMWpYcc51jwogKSU19yburqf5qFJA1JsI4jDmihkatm107rUC0zL4H3r26-nXp9pqpE3n5h3nu9y002WIroQjEJYSaysrUEDOD0tL1Nhe01AKWqLY1-LfWCfp4RZR92f8YbvxZYhrGpc2nhcnLPrbut9XhE5w~TDrOuE~X0KVcUpMzJ-rR2x48FenW9LRACkb8NEgippf2fw298AqWwiFHWopIpWtLQMVTfquIj1GdoxIDl4N9Epud-1hbuItWXizqoWrekLioVKz3NZO3vPc4ssAlScukXmKF9mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, chair of the Committee on Veterans and Military Families, opened a March 20 hearing on services for women veterans and pressed city and VA officials about outreach and gender-specific care.

\"Women veterans are the fastest growing population at the VA,\" Councilor Flynn said, adding that women make up \"almost 70% of all new Veterans Health Administration patients\" and noting about \"300,000 veterans\" of reproductive age in remarks to the committee. Flynn said the city will prioritize ensuring access to health benefits, support services and employment programs.

The hearing brought city and federal partners together to describe current services and outreach. Rob Santiago, commissioner of the City of Boston Office of Veterans Services, said the Boston VA maintains a women’s clinic on the Jamaica Plain campus and emphasized local outreach. \"We strive to complement the VA's medical services by creating a holistic safety net for every veteran,\" Santiago said.

Rhonda Weiner, a pulmonary physician and researcher at the VA Boston Health Care System, testified about clinical needs and access. Weiner said reproductive health services and the availability of providers who make women veterans feel \"comfortable and safe\" are priorities. She noted that some women prefer female providers and that the Boston VA has programs to accommodate those preferences.

Council members and witnesses described local examples of women veterans’ leadership and peer support, citing Meredith Tuitt, commander of the William McCarter American Legion Post, and other leaders who participated in a city women veterans roundtable the night before the hearing. Committee members said peer groups and targeted outreach helped bring veterans back to the VA and to city services after earlier negative experiences.

Committee members also raised housing and childcare as distinct challenges for women veterans, particularly for those who are unhoused. Councilor Flynn said he is working with city housing officials to identify affordable units and family services for homeless veterans.

Several speakers warned that federal budget actions could undermine gains. Commissioner Santiago and others cited the PACT Act’s expansion of presumptive conditions and the influx of veterans seeking care, then expressed concern about possible federal staff and program cuts that could reduce services. Santiago said veterans should contact the city Office of Veterans Services for help navigating benefits and claims and provided the office contacts during the hearing.

The hearing closed with committee members urging continued local outreach, peer-led events and coordination with the Boston VA to ensure women veterans can access gender-specific care and support services.

Contact: Office of Veterans Services, City of Boston; email veterans@boston.gov; phone (617) 635-3026; website boston.gov/veterans.","At a March 20 Boston City Council Committee hearing, city and VA speakers described outreach, gender-specific clinics and peer programs aimed at women veterans and warned that proposed federal cuts could threaten services.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Researchers and advocates urge more lung cancer screening for Black veterans

Council hearing examines VA’s new presumptive conditions and PACT Act impacts

Boston council committee asks how city and VA will meet rising needs of women veterans