Vol. 66 No. 1 (2018)
Article

It Takes an Act of Congress or Does It? Naming Practices of VA Facilities

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  • Alice Crosetto,
  • Thomas Atwood
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00277738.2017.1351592

Published 2018-01-02

Keywords

  • paint color names,
  • product names,
  • marketing

Copyright (c) 2018 American Name Society

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The Veterans Health Administration, a division under the US Department of Veterans Affairs, oversees more than 1700 healthcare facilities that provide support for more than eight million veterans annually. These facilities, grouped under geographically organized networks, have 89 named after individuals. This research examines why these individuals have been honored. This study also examines the legislation involved in naming the facilities and the other means by which Veterans Affairs healthcare facilities have been named. Since veterans’ healthcare is under scrutiny, an investigation into the naming practices, the relationship between the Veterans Health Administration and Congress, and those who strongly advocate naming facilities may provide insight into the manner in which veterans are honored.

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