Letter to the Hon. Gene Dodaro, Comptroller General of the United States - Congresswoman Angie Craig Pushes for Improved Mental Health Services in Minneapolis VA Hospital

Letter

Dear Comptroller Dodaro,

I am writing to encourage you to consider the recent healthcare inspection done by the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) as you prepare your assessment of suicide coordinators within the Department of Veteran Affairs (as directed by P.L. 116-96, the Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act).

The OIG recently conducted a healthcare inspection (#19-00468-67) regarding a patient who died by suicide while admitted to an inpatient medicine unit at the Minneapolis VA Health Care System. The report found several deficiencies, however, this case highlights a particularly grave error in case coordination.

While the Minneapolis VA does have a suicide prevention coordinator, the OIG report found that there was an unfortunate failure of communication on the part of the emergency staff, as the suicide prevention coordinator was not notified of the patient's suicidal behavior. As a result of this lack of coordination, the patient was not cared for with the necessary level of urgency, and the situation ended tragically.

As a cosponsor and proud supporter of the Support for Suicide Prevention Coordinators Act, I believe it is vital to address the shortcomings made evident by the OIG's report, and I strongly encourage you to take them into account as you formulate your own assessment.

Thank you for your consideration of my request

Source