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September 27, 2009
Report says VA appears to be doing more to prevent suicides.
The AP (9/23, Hefling) reports, "The Veterans Affairs Department appears to have stepped up its suicide prevention efforts."
The VA's inspector general (IG) "took a look at 24 facilities and found they generally met new requirements like appointing suicide prevention coordinators to track high-risk veterans, according to a report released Tuesday." The report also found that "coordinators and medical providers could do a better job of collaborating with each other. In a letter in response to the IG, a VA official said this fall, the agency would begin using a new system of tracking communication between the suicide prevention coordinators and medical providers." The AP adds, "New policies were implemented" at the VA "after growing concern about the number of suicides among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans."
Related Links:
- VA IG says suicide prevention programs implemented ," Kimberly Hefling, Associated Press, September 22, 2009.
Posted by admin at September 27, 2009 07:18 PM