Inspection of Select Vet Centers in Southeast District 2 Zone 2

VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) Vet Center Inspection Program staff evaluated aspects of the quality of care at six randomly selected vet centers throughout Southeast District 2 zone 2: Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers, Gainesville, Lakeland, and Naples in Florida; and San Juan in Puerto Rico. This inspection focused on four review areas: suicide prevention; consultation, supervision, and training; outreach; and environment of care. For the suicide prevention review, the OIG evaluated vet center staff participation on VA medical facility mental health executive councils and High Risk Suicide Flag SharePoint Site client dispositions, which resulted in two recommendations across all six vet centers inspected. In the consultation, supervision, and training review, the OIG identified concerns with external clinical consultation, vet center director monthly chart audits, and completion of select trainings, which resulted in five recommendations across five of the six vet centers inspected. The OIG’s outreach review evaluated outreach plan completion, inclusion of strategic components, and tailoring of outreach activities to cultural background information, which resulted in three recommendations across all six vet centers inspected. During the environment of care review, the OIG evaluated vet centers’ physical environment and general safety, which resulted in seven recommendations across five of the six vet centers inspected. The OIG issued 17 recommendations for improvement.