Page 14 - Desert Oracle May 2022

SAVAHCS Director’s Report:

April 2022
LOCAL UPDATE

SAVAHCS/VA Updates
• Market Assessments/AIR Commission Briefings-. As the U.S. Veteran population changes, VA must
ensure it has the resources to meet health care demand while honoring its commitment to caring for all
enrolled Veterans across the country, including rural and highly rural Veteran populations. These
resources include VA’s nationwide health care infrastructure, which requires modernization to provide
care closer to where Veterans live and in line with their preferences. The VA MISSION Act of 2018
established the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission, which will help VA modernize its
infrastructure to sustainably serve Veterans well into the future. The AIR Commission will be informed by
recommendations developed through VA’s market assessment process and published in the AIR
Commission Report. Recommendations approved by VA’s Secretary and submitted to the AIR
Commission will focus on creating Veteran-centric outcomes that retain or improve health care services
for Veterans through the most equitable modalities and through services and locations that most benefit
Veterans.
o The AIR Report is publicly available at https://www.va.gov/aircommissionreport/
o VISN 22 Report that includes the Tucson Market recommendations
https://www.va.gov/AIRCOMMISSIONREPORT/docs/VISN22-Market-Recommendation.pdf
• The SAVAHCS and VA is hiring- The SAVAHCS is looking for quality medical professionals with a
passion for serving Veterans- To learn more about VA career opportunities, visit
https://www.vacareers.va.gov/ or https://www.usajobs.gov/
o You may contact our local SAVAHCS HR Strategic Business Unit at
visn22hrsouthernazsbu@va.gov to inquire about noncompetitive hiring authorities and
considerations.
• SAVAHCS Community Living Center received a 5 Star Rating for quality healthcare from the
Medicare & Medical Aid Services (CMS) Care Compare- The primary goal of the rating system is to
provide residents and their families with an easy way to understand assessment of nursing home quality,
making meaningful distinctions between high and low performing nursing homes. CLC Compare was
developed to provide a comparable rating system to summarize and compare performance of CLCs in the
VA to private sector nursing homes participating in CMS Nursing Home Compare.
• SAVAHCS earned the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” in the Human
Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI)- It is
the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to
the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees. A record 906
healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey and 251 of those earned an “LGBTQ+
Healthcare Equality Top Performer” designation.
• SAVAHCS Patient Advocate Office is now located in Building 2, Room S100. For Patient Advocate
Services, please call 520-629-4933.
• COVID-19 infection rates and hospitalizations continue to trend downward- Both Veteran and
SAVAHCS staff COVID-19 cases continue to rapidly decline.
• SAVAHCS is operating on a conventional status for staff- Information on healthcare staffing can be
found at the CDC’s Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages.
• Veterans can still use the latest technology to connect with their health care teams. Veterans that
have questions on how to use virtual technology, please have them reach out to their primary care team.