Page 20 - Desert Oracle October 2021

4 MISSION
th
• The SAVAHCS has an agreement with Indian Health services (IHS) to provide 4 beds (2 COVID and 2
non-COVID), based on bed availability through 2021.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

• Northwest Tucson VA Clinic is tentatively scheduled to be open for patient appointments the first week of
November. We are currently awaiting voice data hookups to be installed in the new building.
o 9 Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) lead by a provider that works collaboratively with other
healthcare professionals to provide for all the patient's healthcare needs for lifelong health and
wellness
o 77 VA health care providers and staff
o 33 patient exam rooms
o 3 patient consult rooms
o 1 physical therapy consult room
o Complete Clinical Laboratory
• Expanding the Mental Health Clinic in Building 90 (13,000 square feet)
o Remodel Agave Clinic into a PACT model
o New Entry into MH Clinic, create a Vet Waiting Area, and Vet Break Room
• Renovating the Pathology Services area in Building 38 (currently 70% completed)
• We are in the design phase of remodeling the Emergency Department in Building 50
o Adding a CT and X-Ray suite

NATIONAL VHA NEWS

VA annual report shows decrease in Veteran suicides

• New data included in the Department of Veterans Affairs 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention
Annual Report notably shows a decrease from 2018 to 2019 in the total number of Veteran suicide
deaths, and a decrease in the rate of Veteran suicides per 100,000.
• Key findings include:
o In 2019, there were 6,261 Veteran suicide deaths, 399 fewer than in 2018.
o In 2019, the Veteran suicide rate was 31.6 per 100,000, substantially higher than the rate among
non-Veteran U.S. adults (16.8 per 100,000).
o Adjusting for age- and sex-differences, the suicide rate among Veterans in 2019 was 52.3%
higher than for non-Veteran U.S. adults. The suicide rate difference between Veterans and the
non-Veteran U.S. population was highest in 2017 at 66.3%.
o From 2018 to 2019, there was a 7.2% overall decrease in the age- and sex-adjusted Veteran
suicide mortality rate in 2019, while among non-Veteran U.S. adults, the adjusted suicide
mortality rate fell by 1.8%.
o The age-adjusted suicide rate for male Veterans decreased 3.8% in 2019 from 2018 while the
age-adjusted suicide rate for female Veterans decreased 14.9% in 2019 from 2018.
o Firearms were more often involved in Veteran suicides in 2019 than in 2018 (among Veteran men
who died from suicide: 69.6% in 2018, 70.2% in 2019; among Veteran women who died from
suicide: 41.1% in 2018, 49.8% in 2019).
• To learn more about the 2021 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Report, click HERE.
• Local SAVAHCS Veteran Suicide data
o The SAVAHCS’ known deaths by suicide have, all but one, involved firearms.