VA physician recognized for implementing drive-thru COVID-19 testing

Dr. Rattana Mount, chief medical officer at the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System’s Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, recently received the Alachua County VA Employee of the Year award. She was presented with the award by Alachua County Veteran Services.

Mount was recognized for her efforts in the implementation of the drive- thru testing for COVID-19 at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, which enabled veterans and staff to be tested while mitigating the risk of exposure to the virus.

Alachua County Veteran Services annually honors local contributions to the veteran community. Award nominees are voted by a veteran services advisory board, which is made up of representatives from veteran service organizations and veterans from varying military service eras.

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Lance Briner, CFE, a member of the Alachua County Property Appraiser staff, recently became certified as an International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) “live-online educator.” 

This designation qualifies Briner to teach students both nationally and internationally, via online training. He is one of about 150 instructors world wide, who can conduct online training courses for the IAAO. He is also one of only two staff members in the Alachua County Property Appraiser Office’s history to have the certification to instruct students from around the world and the only one to instruct live-online. Briner now can teach classes in mass appraisal practices and procedures, appraisal theory, and much more.

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Valdosta State University named two area students to the dean’s list for summer 2020.  They are: William Cassidy of Cross City and Tyler Moore of Williston.

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Vet Comp & Pen Medical Consulting (VCP) has appointed Rich Blaser co-CEO, focusing on growth, company culture and operational excellence. According to a news release from VCP, the Newberry based company is the leading medical consulting firm working tirelessly to help veterans identify and properly document their potential disabilities along with developing the medical evidence needed to best ensure they receive all of the disability benefits they qualify for from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VCP Chairman and co-CEO Jim Hill, Blaser and former VA Compensation and Pension Medical Examiner Gina Uribe co-founded VCP in 2014. They serve in the company’s board of directors.

Blaser is co-founder and former co-CEO of Infinite Energy, a wholesale and retailer energy marketer in Gainesville. During the past 26 years, he has led the company to grow to more than 300 employees and $500 million in annual revenue, making it one of the largest privately held businesses in Florida. He recently sold his interest in both Infinite Energy and Veteran Energy and will be working full time to help America’s disabled veterans document and attain the disability benefits they deserve.