Page 27 - Desert Oracle December 2021

• Walk-in COVID-19 vaccines are available Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Auditorium
located in Building 4.

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.
• SAVAHCS has 4 beds available through the COVID-19 Arizona surge line

CONSTRUCTION UPDATES

• Northwest Tucson VA Clinic is tentatively scheduled to be open on December 15.
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

SMOKING RATES STEADILY TREND DOWN AMONG VETERANS RECEIVING VA CARE

• In conjunction with the Great American Smokeout observed Nov. 18, VA is encouraging Veterans to talk
to their health care providers about smoking cessation programs to help them quit, as cigarette use
continues to decline nationwide.
• The 2020 Survey of Veteran Enrollees’ Health and Use of Health Care Data Findings Report, published in
March 2021, found that the rate of Veterans enrolled in VA health care who identified as smokers dropped
nearly 20% in 21 years, from 33% in 1999 to 13.3% in 2020.
• By comparison, the smoking rate among enrolled Veterans is slightly lower than the rate of smokers in the
U.S. general population, which is currently 14.2%.
• In addition to VA’s wide range of tobacco use treatment options, VA provides many other services
designed to help Veterans stop smoking, like nicotine-replacement products, gum and patches, and
supportive resources, such as:
• Quit VET: Veterans can call 1-855-QUIT-VET (1-855-784-8838) to receive tobacco cessation
counseling from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., ET Monday through Friday. Counseling is available in English and
Spanish.
• SmokefreeVET: For tools and tips to quit smoking, Veterans can sign up for SmokefreeVET by
texting VET to 47848. This service is also available in Spanish.
• Counseling support and all FDA-approved smoking cessation medications are available for eligible
Veterans seeking assistance with quitting smoking.
SAVAHCS SMOKING CESSATION CLASSES OFFERED TO VETERANS