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A SUICIDE TRACKING SYSTEM FOR THE VA? -- A Hill staffer said
he believed that development of the suicide
tracking system was
still in its infancy, and he doubted it was in
use throughout VA.
For more about veterans and suicide, use the VA
Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=suicide&op=and
Story here...
http://www.bnd.com/homepage/story/321948.html
Story below:
-------------------------
A Suicide Tracking System for VA?
By Bob Brewin
bbrewin@govexec.com
That would seem like a really good idea after news broke last week that
nearly 1,000 troops a month have attempted suicide after returning from
service in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to internal VA e-mails, even
though the department publicly acknowledged only 790 suicide attempts in
all of 2007.
VA rolled out a pilot tracking system and suicide prevention database in
2005 to hospitals and clinicians in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and Utah.
But Dr. Michael Kussman, VA's undersecretary for health, testified that
the tracking system had not been deployed throughout the department as of
the end of 2007. Kussman testified at a trial on a class action lawsuit
alleging VA had covered up an "epidemic" of suicides.
The VA inspector general reported in May 2007 that this system was used on
a limited basis and recommended its use throughout the department
nationwide. Kussman, under questioning by Gordon Erspamer, an attorney
representing the veterans groups suing VA, said as of 2007, 70 percent of
the department's medical facilities had not deployed the suicide tracking
system. But, Kussman said, these facilities were told they needed to "move
rapidly" to install the system.
Erspamer asked Kussman if he sent out a memo or
directive that said, "Hey guys, 70 percent are not tracking, you have to
start tracking now?"
Kussman answered, "I don't recall if there is a specific memo to that
effect."
I have asked VA to provide me with details on the status of the tracking
system, but have not received a reply.
A Hill staffer told me he believed that development of the suicide
tracking system was still in its infancy, and he doubted it was in use
throughout VA. This staffer said the status of the suicide tracking system
will be a topic that the House Veterans Affairs Committee will address at
a May 6 hearing on the "Truth About Veterans Suicides."
Tracking Key to Suicide Prevention
That's the view of Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for
Common Sense, which, along with Veterans United for Truth, filed the class
action lawsuit now at trial in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Sullivan told me that such a system used nationwide would help VA better
identify veterans who have symptoms and conditions that make them suicide
risks, including post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain
injury.
Based on the VA inspector general report, it seems widespread use of a
suicide registry would definitely help identify veterans in need of
immediate attention. The suicide registry piloted by VA in its facilities
in the Rocky Mountain states showed that 20 percent of the veterans in the
registry who attempted suicide had not been treated for mental health
issues.
The suicide registry, the inspector general reported, is linked to the VA
electronic health record system and can alert clinicians to put patients
on heightened monitoring, but as of 2007, only veterans in a few states
had the benefit of this increased monitoring.
Systemic Problems
Sullivan, a Gulf War veteran, said the slow and unresponsive VA system
contributes to the despair that leads to suicide attempts. A veteran who
has PTSD and traumatic brain injury, who also has lost his wife, children,
home and job, and is living on the street, needs speedy help from VA, not
a bureaucratic response that says wait in line for six months for a
hospital or clinic appointment and years for your benefits.
I'm a Marine Corps Vietnam veteran and this whole scenario is sadly
familiar, and I wonder why my fellow veterans from the current wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq now have to suffer from the kind of neglect visited
on Vietnam veterans.
Sullivan said that's why he filed the lawsuit: He wants to ensure that all
veterans receive the care and attention their service demands.
How About Using the Army/Defense System
The Army Behavioral Health Technology Office at the Madigan Army Medical
Center in Tacoma, Wash., developed a couple of years ago the Army Suicide
Event Report, a Web-based system that provides one location on the
Internet for behavioral health providers to document detailed information
relating to a suicide event.
This system has been adopted for use throughout the Defense Department,
and maybe VA could use it. But that would probably require a multiyear,
megamillion-dollar retooling effort by a contractor.
Madigan also developed the Automated Behavioral Health Clinic, another Web
application that provides patients with touchscreen kiosks to answer
questions on behavioral health issues that could help sound the alarm on
potential suicides. VA might want to check this one out, too.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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