Local State 6
A newspaper with issues
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2007
San Diego not another Reed Officials tout Naval Medical Center’s ability to serve By the Associated Press
SAN DIEGO Army Spc. Alroy Billiman lost his right arm in November when the Humvee he was driving rolled over a roadside bomb in Iraq’s Anbar province. He was initially treated at the Army’s Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, but was soon moved to the Naval Medical Center San Diego to be nearer his family in Arizona.
I JUST WANT TO BE A PRODUCTIVE CITIZEN.” Alroy Billiman Army Specialist
Billiman, 27, said he was lucky not to have been killed in the blast and said he remembered his arm dangling against his body, attached by only a flap of skin. Billiman was one of the patients who met with reporters Monday at the Naval Medical Center as part of a media tour. Hospital officials said journal-
ists had flooded the center with inquiries following news accounts of inadequate care and burdensome bureaucracy at Walter Reed. Patients in the enlisted men’s quarters, which can accommodate 64 injured troops, said they were being well cared for and facilities appeared to be in good shape. Since he was transferred to San Diego, Billiman has learned how to use a prosthetic arm. He said he would try to stay on active duty long enough to get a robotic arm that responds to nerve signals. “I just want to be a productive citizen,” said Billiman, who plans to move to New Mexico with his wife in the coming months. Hospital officials discussed the so-called C5 center, or Comprehensive Combat Casualty Care Center, a new facility that treats amputees, victims of traumatic brain injury and patients with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The center will be moving into a renovated, $6 million facility in July. Billiman said he had received excellent care in San Diego.
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COMMUNITY BRIEFS
Calling young filmmakers The Second Annual Santa Monica Teen Film Festival invites teens in grades seven through 12, or ages 12 to 18, to submit original films between two and 30 minutes in length. Submissions in all categories will be accepted. Local teens are encouraged to apply. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 4. Film entries that meet the minimum criteria will be considered for screening at The Santa Monica Teen Film Festival on June 16 and June 17. This year, a special award entitled the “Santa Monica Budding Filmmaker Award” will be presented to a local Santa Monica teenager who demonstrates originality, potential, and a commitment to the art of filmmaking. The Santa Monica Teen Film Festival is an interdepartmental initiative between the Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Division, the Santa Monica Public Library, the Virginia Avenue Park Teen Center and City TV. Its purpose is to showcase and provide an outlet for the creative talents of teen filmmakers, as well as encourage youth to use the art of filmmaking as a form of creative expression and commentary on the world in which they live. DAILY PRESS
Big Blue Bus helps shuttle SMC students Santa Monica College and the City of Santa Monica will hold a community meeting to provide an update on SMC’s transportation initiatives and shuttle parking program, which include new bus improvements, the closure of the beach parking lot June 12, and the opening of a new, college-owned lot in the east end of Santa Monica. The college will hold the meeting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 15 in the John Muir School Auditorium, 2526 Sixth St. SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang and Santa Monica City Manager Lamont Ewell will be on hand to talk about the plans and to answer questions. SMC has been working closely with the Big Blue Bus to inaugurate a new bus line, the SMC Commuter, which is free to SMC students and employees, and to add frequency of service on Line 11, the Crosstown bus. “This is just the beginning of a long-range transportation initiative SMC has undertaken that will be rolled out over the next few years, and it includes ridesharing, bicycle commuting and more,” Tsang said. “Getting students to use alternative transportation is an ongoing educational endeavor. Though it takes time to change our auto-oriented culture, we are making progress.” SMC recently completed the purchase of a 2.35-acre site at 2909 Exposition Blvd. The site is currently used as a Verizon parking lot, and SMC will continue to use the site as a parking lot. Officials say the college plans to make various improvements to the site. College officials say this is the first time in nearly two decades that SMC has owned — not leased — a shuttle lot, providing long-term stability for parking needs. The new lot is located just a few blocks from SMC’s Academy of Entertainment & Technology. DP