The United States House has voted unanimously to rename the Veterans Affairs medical center in Augusta after the late Rep. Charlie Norwood. Lawmakers say it's a fitting way to honor the Augusta Republican and Vietnam War veteran who focused much of his 12-year congressional career on health care. Norwood, a dentist before winning his congressional seat in 1994, died Feb. 13 at age 65 after suffering from lung disease and cancer. A captain in the Vietnam War, Norwood was a member of the Army's dental corps and helped develop operating procedures for combat treatment that are still in use today. He became well-known for his efforts to pass a "patients' bill of rights" aimed at giving consumers better access to care. The bill now goes to the Senate.
