GAO, VA Health Care: Improvements Needed in Suicide Prevention Media Outreach Campaign Oversight and Evaluation
From the GAO*:
Preventing veteran suicide is one of the Department of Veterans Affairs' highest priorities. VA reports that an average of 20 veterans die by suicide each day. Since 2010, VA has conducted national outreach to raise awareness about suicide prevention resources for veterans.
However, we found that VA's outreach activities dropped off in 2017 and 2018, and the office responsible for these activities lacked consistent leadership. We also found that VA did not have clear goals for evaluating the effectiveness of its outreach activities.
We recommended VA improve its oversight and evaluation of its suicide prevention outreach activities.
This VA Suicide Prevention Billboard Advertisement is an example of VA's outreach activities.
Recommendations for Executive Action
-
Status: Open
Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Under Secretary for Health should establish an approach for overseeing its suicide prevention media outreach efforts that includes clear delineation of roles and responsibilities for those in leadership and contract oversight roles, including during periods of staff turnover or program changes. (Recommendation 1)
Agency Affected: Department of Veterans Affairs
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Status: Open
Comments: When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Recommendation: The Under Secretary for Health should require officials within the Office of Suicide Prevention and Mental Health to establish targets for the metrics the office uses to evaluate the effectiveness of its suicide prevention media outreach campaign. (Recommendation 2)
Agency Affected: Department of Veterans Affairs
*The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. Often called the "congressional watchdog," GAO examines how taxpayer dollars are spent and provides Congress and federal agencies with objective, reliable information to help the government save money and work more efficiently.
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