February 13, 2011

I created a new gmail address and once again after 5 years found I had access to the blog, I lost the original sign in info.

I thought I would update my contact info for any who reads this blog:

Katy Zatsick RCWP (Roman Catholic Woman Priest, ordained 2/6/10)
Address:
1904 Canterbury Ln, M-21
Sun City Center, FL 33573

I expect to have surgery this year on my lower back as it has become painful and interferes with my daily living and activities. I moved to the Tampa area to be near my daughter Lisa in anticipation of this surgery.

I attend the parish liturgies presided over by my Bishop Bridget Mary Meehan in Sarasota FL. To see what we are about see BridgetMarys.blogspot.com for current news and the Association of RCWP for our mission statement, etc. Come join us in an inclusive liturgy near you!

Dow Scott continues to live in Chicago.
Jodi Scott is living in Gainesville FL and attending Un of FL.
Jason Scott is working as a civilian at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa.
Lisa Ryan is working half-time at Un of Tampa, on the campus once the Plant resort of the early 20th century.
My grandchildren are JC 14 (8th grade) loving football and computers, Jon 13(7th grade) loves soccer and basketball, Ellie 9 (4th grade) loves dogs and stuffed animals.

Blessings and have a wonderful, filled with Love Valentine's Day.

I have a new blog and expect to write to this one very rarely

Dear Friends,

Jason and Jodi were married on Halloween on a Disney cruise in the Bahamas. I was invited and able to attend. They and two dogs and two cats live in the DC area. Jodi is applying to vet schools and Jason works for Homeland Security. I wish them all the happiness in the world.

Dow and I were divorced in Sept 2009, I see I entered the wrong date. He lives in Chicago, teaching at Loyola University.

I have changed my address
3099 Kirklevington Dr. Apt 18
Kirklevington KY 40517

Katyzatsick@insightbb.com
cell 773 401 4012
home 859 368 0666

I have a new blog Katyzatsickrcwp.blogspot.com/ you can check out my thoughts etc there. If you are on Facebook I am there as Katy Zatsick, make me your friend.

I was ordained a Roman Catholic Women Priest February 6 2010. I checked Google and there is lots of info on the web including photos of the ordination.

I am actively looking for ministry as RCWP and will move from KY if God wills. I have been to DC and will head to Chicago probably in the next month. I want to explore Atlanta as we have two Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP)to-be living there. I do not know what God has in store but I am delighted to be where I am at age 67. I visit Jason's niece and nephews regularly, they live in Tampa and I even snow birded for a month for the first time this year

Catching up With Jason and Life

Hello to all,

It has been a long time since I posted but I thought this would be a good time to update the blog. This will most likely be my final entry. I will start another about my personal journey. Look for me on the net.

1. Jason and his fiance Jodi Bower will be married October 30 during a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas.

2. Jason has graduated from University of Florida at Gainesville with a MBA. He is having a challenge finding a position. (The economy is not good for anyone and difficult for a new MBA)

3. Dow and I were divorced as of September 8, 2008. Dow continues to reside in Chicago.

4. I now reside in Lexington KY where I am pursuing a new career in my "retirement." I am studying to be ordained as a Roman Catholic Woman Priest. If all goes well I will be ordained in about 1 1/2 years. Then it is up to God to "show me the way." See RCWP.org on the web.

My new address is
Katy Borkowski-Zatsick
3099 Kirklevington Dr. #39
Lexington KY 40517

I have a sofa sleeper, so give me a call if you come through town.
Would love to see you.

859 368 06666
Katyzatsick@insightbb.com

Jason and Jodi are Engaged! Update on Life

Jason has completed one year of a two year MBA at the University of Florida Gainesville. He plans to graduate spring 2009. Jodi continues her undergraduate studies and plans to graduate December 2008. Jason spent 2 months in Chicago as an intern for Turner Construction this past spring. He is attending summer school in FL. Lisa and Jason stay in contact by phone and text messaging. I hear from her what is happening in Jason's and Jodi's busy lives.

Jason and Jodi became engaged on July 4th 2008.
Plans are for a fall wedding in 2009. They are discussing a wedding on a Disney cruise.
Jason gave Jodi a blue diamond for her ring surrounded by other diamonds.

Join me in wishing Jason and Jodi the very best for a lifetime of happiness and adventures.
together.

Jason and Jodi relinquished Clive their hedgehog mascot to a new human companion as they could not take care of Clive as they felt he needed. Jason and Jodi now have 2 dogs and 3 cats living "on the ark" as Jodi stated it.

Dow's and my divorce will be finalized in Chicago August 14, 2008.

October 14th-The Second Anniversary of Jason's wounding in Iraq

It is the week of Jason's wounding in Iraq. I presided at liturgy in my small faith community on the 14th and wrote a liturgy of Thanksgiving for Jason's life. As I remembered those first days at Walter Reed I thought of all the good kind people we met and who befriended us. I want to say "Thank you, you will always be in my heart. Your goodness changed my life. Your kindness brought me through hell."

Thank you to:
1. First and foremost to Jodi Bower who every day spoke with Jason at noon and 9 PM.
(Jason lives with Jodi in Gainesville where they both go to college.)

2 To the medic in Jason's platoon who that night used a tourniquet and saved Jason's life.

3 The medical team in Bilaud, in Landstuhl, on the plane who brought Jason to the USA.
the Medical teams at Walter Reed: Dr Golarz, Dr Fritch, Dr Garvey, all the RN's and CNA's. A special thanks to Kyla who was Jason's PT the whole time he was at WR.

4 All the support staff on post at Walter Reed, who helped even as they were overwhelmed at the needs of the Very Seriously Injured soldiers and their families.

5 To the psychiatric staff who offered their support especially Dr. Wayne.

6 The folks who came and stayed with Jason that first month: Col Martha Turner now retired, Ginger Williams, Gilda Carbanaro, Gary from Jonah House, Jason's Aunts: Barbara, Sue and Nancy, Patrice Gilbert, Jason's army buddy Dan who met Jason when he arrived at WR from Landstuhl, my sister Judy and her husband Stan who visited Jason while he was in Landstuhl.

7The folks at Quixote Center, a place of healing and spiritual comfort for me.

8 The wounded soldiers who befriended Jason and myself and all the members of their families.

9 So many visitors: Bob and Judy Madigan, Paul Stromberg, Chuck Norris, Fleetwood Mack, Bishop Emeritus Walter Sullivan, Dennis Morajda, Bernie Byrne, Bill and Vira Sisolak

10 Dianne Nue who was my counselor/friend/spiritual director while I was at WR

11 A very special thanks to my daughter Lisa who visited regularly and did the most marvelous managing of communication and scheduling especially during those first hectic months at WR. She also handled the Travel Fund for Jason which reached about $15000 in donations for travel for family and friends to spend time with Jason. Blessings on you Lisa

12 For all of you who continually sent cards and gifts to Jason so that he might not feel alone.

13 For all of you who continually prayed for Jason's healing.

Note from Mother's Day: Jason and Jodi are living in Gainesville.

Hello to everyone,
If you have read the blog, Jason and Jodi have a new dog(named Dingo) and new house.
Jason and Jodi moved a couple of weeks ago so this is their address.
Both will enter Un. of Florida this coming fall.

1007 NE 1st Ave
Gainesville, FL 32601

Hope your move went well.
Jodi and i are leaving for spain today!
Bye
Jason

What I found interesting was that little end line..."Jodi and i are leaving for spain today!"

For me, Jason and Jodi going to Spain is the very best gift I will ever receive for Mother's Day.
For those who know the journey of Jason from Iraq through his year at Walter Reed, truly this is a miracle. The gift of his life, being birthed anew, for the world. May Jason enjoy life to the fullest and may he shine as bright as the sun for all to see.

My heart, in deepest humility, is filled to overflowing with thankfulness
as I bow before the Power of universes which moves to heal and create.

My new address:
Katy Zatsick
6300 N. Wayne Ave Fl #1
Chicago, IL 60660-1308

Have a very Happy Mother's Day
Whether
You remember your mother now deceased,
Celebrate your own being a mother,
Enjoy your own mother,
or the mothers who have blessed you in life.

Jason and Jodi Move to Gainseville

Hello everyone,
I want to give you sites:

1. Jason and Jodi's and the Clive's new home in May:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jscott1617/House?authkey=s__NR6ytvNs

and

2. Jason's new "waited a long time for" puppy, an Australian Cattle Shepherd.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jscott1617/Dingo?authkey=mJ2bVTqa0ng

Jason and Jodi will start school at the University of Florida in Gainseville this fall.

I pray each of you is having a wonderful spring.
I remember each of you and your support for us while at WRAMC and will never forget you.
I give thanks for your goodness and kindness to us,
your goodness is as spring flowers in bloom in my heart
giving sunshine to my soul.

Do keep Jason and Jodi and all of us in your prayers,
Let us work and pray for peace that all soldiers may return home safely to their families and friends,
Many Blessings,
Katy

WP: Privatized WR Workforce Gets Scrutiny

Privatized Walter Reed Workforce Gets Scrutiny
Army Facility Lost Dozens Of Maintenance Workers

By Steve Vogel and Renae Merle
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, March 10, 2007; A03

The scandal over treatment of outpatients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center has focused attention on the Army's decision to privatize the facilities support workforce at the hospital, a move commanders say left the building maintenance staff undermanned.

Some Democratic lawmakers have questioned the decision to hire IAP Worldwide Services, a contractor with connections to the Bush administration and to KBR, a Halliburton subsidiary.

Last year, IAP won a $120 million contract to maintain and operate Walter Reed facilities. The decision reversed a 2004 finding by the Army that it would be more cost-effective to keep the work in-house. After IAP protested, Army auditors ruled that the cost estimates offered by in-house federal workers were too low. They had to submit a new bid, which added 23 employees and $16 million to their cost, according to the Army.

Yesterday, the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal workers union, blamed pressure on the Army from the White House's Office of Management and Budget for the decision to privatize its civilian workforce.

"Left to its own devices, the Army would likely have suspended this privatization effort," John Gage, president of the organization, said in a statement. "However, the political pressure from OMB left Army officials with no choice but to go forward, even if that resulted in unsatisfactory care to the nation's veterans."

The Army selected IAP for the five-year deal in January 2006, but IAP did not take over management until last month. During that period, the number of facilities management workers at Walter Reed dropped from about 180 to 100, and the hospital found it hard to hire replacements.

Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, who was Walter Reed's commander until he was relieved last week, testified this week that the privatization -- in combination with a decision by the Pentagon in 2005 to close Walter Reed by 2011 -- "absolutely" contributed to the problems.

IAP said in a statement it has "responded with a sense of urgency to address maintenance concerns throughout the [Walter Reed] complex."

Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) charged this week that the Bush administration had unfairly blamed federal workers for problems "that are a direct result of the Bush administration's contracting out policy."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

IAP, based in Cape Canaveral, has provided such services to the government as delivering ice in the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina and helping maintain Afghanistan's air traffic control system. In 2006, the firm had $393 million in military contracts, according to Pentagon data.

IAP is owned by Cerberus Capital Management LP, an asset-management firm chaired by former Treasury secretary John W. Snow. The company is headed by two former high-ranking executives of KBR, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root. Al Neffgen, IAP's chief executive, was chief operating officer for a KBR division before joining IAP in 2004. IAP's president, Dave Swindle, is a former KBR vice president.

The company has worked at Walter Reed since 2003, providing housekeepers, computer analysts and clerks under a Treasury contract.

In an unrelated case, the U.S. attorney's office in Maryland announced that a Rockville contractor, Leon Krachyna Jr., pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of bribing a Walter Reed official.

The official, Kevin R. Roach, was indicted in October for conspiracy and obstruction. According to court papers, Roach, a civilian contract specialist for the Army Medical Command, received kickbacks between 1999 and 2003 in exchange for favorable treatment of companies controlled by Krachyna and his partner, Louis Pisani Jr. Roach and Pisani await trial.

At a Fort Myer ceremony yesterday, the Army bade farewell to Secretary Francis J. Harvey, forced to resign over Walter Reed. Leaders, he said, must show "that they will be held personally accountable for their decisions."

"Unacceptable" is NOT the word that I would use!

Care of wounded U.S. troops "unacceptable": Gates

By Andrew Gray1 hour, 39 minutes ago

Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Friday branded the outpatient care of U.S. troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan "unacceptable" and promised officials would be held accountable for the failings.

The Bush administration has scrambled to address problems at the flagship Walter Reed Army Medical Center after newspaper reports showed wounded troops were living in shoddy conditions and struggling with bureaucratic procedures.

"After the facts are established, those responsible for having allowed this unacceptable situation to develop will indeed be held accountable," Gates said on a visit to the hospital, making his first public comments on the issue.

The Pentagon has announced an independent review into outpatient care due to the reports. Gates said some people most directly responsible for the problems had already been relieved of their duties but scrutiny would not end there.

"We will be looking (at) and evaluating the rest of the chain of command as we get more information," he told reporters at the hospital on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. No one had offered to resign, he said.

After a lengthy investigation, The Washington Post reported on Sunday that recuperating soldiers were living in a dilapidated building infested with mice, mold, and cockroaches.

The U.S. Army says it has already fixed some of the problems.

The newspaper also found wounded troops forced to untangle a web of bureaucratic red tape to obtain benefits and treatment as they coped with physical and psychological trauma.

Government investigators found the typical soldier must file 22 documents with eight different commands to enter and exit the medical processing system, the Post reported.

"They battled our foreign enemies -- they should not have to battle an American bureaucracy," Gates declared. (My emphasis)

President George W. Bush has frequently praised wounded U.S. troops for their sacrifices.

After a visit to Walter Reed last December, he said: "We owe them all we can give them -- not only for when they're in harm's way, but when they come home to help them adjust if they have wounds, or help them adjust after their time in service."

Gates said he had briefed Bush on Friday before visiting the hospital. "He is understandably concerned and emphatic in wanting the best possible care for our wounded soldiers and for their families," he said.

About 31,000 U.S. soldiers have been evacuated for medical reasons, 4,000 of them with battle injuries, from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a top Army officer said this week.

Outpatients at Walter Reed are largely troops who have received initial medical care but require further treatment before they can go home or return to duty. The average outpatient stay lasts 10 months, the Washington Post said.

Army Fixing Patients' Housing-WP 2/20/07

Army Fixing Patients' Housing
Changes Underway At Walter Reed

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 20, 2007; A01

Walter Reed Army Medical Center began repairs yesterday on Building 18, a former hotel that is used to house outpatients recuperating from injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan and that has been plagued with mold, leaky plumbing and a broken elevator.

The facility's commander, Maj. Gen. George W. Weightman, said Army staff members inspected each of the 54 rooms at the building and discovered that outstanding repair orders for half the rooms had not been completed. He said that mold removal had begun on several rooms and that holes in ceilings, stained carpets and leaking faucets were being fixed.

Walter Reed, the Army's premier medical facility, has turned into a holding ground for wounded soldiers during 5 1/2 years of sustained combat. Almost 700 outpatients suffering from physical injuries and psychological problems live on the 113-acre military post or in nearby quarters. Many linger there for 18 months or longer as they move through the Army's numbing bureaucracy.

A Washington Post series over the weekend described "The Other Walter Reed," where overdoses, suicide attempts and depression among outpatients are the parallel narrative to the spit-polish hallways of the renowned hospital.

Building 18, in particular, symbolizes the indifference and neglect that many of the wounded say they experience at Walter Reed.

Yesterday, Weightman said a broken elevator in the building had been repaired and soldiers were working to improve the outside of the building, including removing ice and snow. The slippery conditions have kept some soldiers in their rooms. A garage door that has been broken for months will soon be repaired as well.

Spec. Jeremy Duncan, whose room has a moldy wall that was featured in one photograph in the Post series, has been moved to another room while workers make repairs. Duncan will be able to return to his room when the work is completed, Weightman said.

Walter Reed and Army officials have been "meeting continuously for three days" since the articles began appearing, Weightman said. A large roundtable meeting with Army and Defense Department officials will take place at the Pentagon early this morning to continue talks about improvements in the outpatient system, he added.

Weightman said the medical center has received an outpouring of concern about conditions and procedures since the articles appeared and has taken steps to improve what soldiers and their families describe as a messy battlefield of bureaucratic problems and mistreatment.

"We're starting to attack how we'll fix and mitigate" some of the problems, he said.

Social workers will now be stationed around the clock at Mologne House, the 200-room hotel on the post where many of the outpatients live. Plans are being developed to better train other staff members who deal with outpatient needs.

The Army will also consider moving some outpatients to its other medical centers throughout the United States and will determine over the next weeks whether more workers are needed at Walter Reed.