Feb, 28, 2016 To: Ashleigh Barry CBS News ‘Over the last 10 or so days, your stations CBS 5 and 3 TV have reported on the Employees of PVAHCS are asking for help and demanding change. A acannon ieee wa ont ot wee en ee relations department lied by stating all vets who had surgeries canceled would be getting those [ised aan lh lie lnaetoyeloear[lanbay-vlpreudeyrpewyle the Choice Program. A concemed employee came forward saying this simply is not possible or true. Te empioye gave you proc tat 133 surgries had been canceled ‘and that the surgical center was really shut down because of unsanitary conditions and inches of dust. The Phoenix VA at first did not release the number of veterans who had surgeries canceled, but after the total of 133 veterans was released the VA mysteriously said the total was now 577 We also stated these concems had been raised with different supervisors’ months before and still the deplorable condition of the surgical fooms went unaddressed. The source also stated that none of the 133 veterans would got their surgeries due to the Choice Program because in reality at the very least it fakes 6-6 weeks to get a veteran approved to use community providers. Choice is nat being used as the law entails for it to be used. 2. For your next story you interviewed an Air Force veteran on camera and had him call in to try and get a mental health exam only to be placed on an endiess hold (40 minutes ‘your story said). The veteran interviewed stated he had run into this same issue in the ast. You slso showed a breakdown within the Phoenix VA by exposing that a well respected social work supervisor Cara Garcia had sent out an internal emai stating there was no “warm hand off procedure in piace for veterans who have been medically eared in ED but still may be homicidal or suicidal and need to be evaluated / treated / dleared in mental health (Jade Opal) clinic. This lack of acceptable hand off further places high risk veterans at risk because it shows it is not just possite but likely many veterans are being medically cleared and let go without being cleared for possible risk to themselves oF towards others. Others may simply walk out of the hospital because there is no procedure in place to make sure an approved provider is walking the veteran cover to the mental health clinic and handing the veteran aff to other staff (warm hand off). 3. The next night you interviewed a WWV2 vet named Glenn Diller who waited over 12 hours for ER care (while he was coughing horribly on camera as well as running short of breath). This veteran stated that Phoenix VA ER employees ‘were more concemed with what was going on in their own reception room. So many were more busy talking amangst themselves about things at home and stuff." This veteran left after 12 hours of not receiving care. He went to another private hospital and states he was seen rightaway, YOu stated you reached out to Representative Sinema’s office and she requested an investigation? 4. For the next story you interviewed an iraq War Army veteran named Mr. Marshall at his private hospital bedside - who has stage 4 cancer and is dying. During his deployment he was around bum pits and the toxic hems these soldiers were forced to- bum and then breathe have been shown in studies to cause cancer. He disclosed he was too sick to go to. an exam because he was hospitalized and instead the VA simply denied his claim stating cancer does not come from bum pits. This veteran and his. family are forced to endure unneeded hardships and he is unable to pet medical care from the Phoenix VA because his claim was denied. He has eamed benefits for he and his farnily from his service. ‘Te sum up - You have shown unsanitary surgical conditions, a disregard for the Choice Program approved by Congress, an inability to have mental health to a vet who is concemed, and basic medical assessments not completed in the ER in a 12 hour time frame. You have shown there is not a warm hand off procedure in place to ‘evaluate veterans for possibly being a danger te themselves of others, and a vet dying ‘of cancer going through hell because his claim was denied on a technicality so he and his family can't use VA services. Now we come to present day. The Phoenix VAMC is the worst VA medical center in the ‘country. tis an embarrassment to those brave men and women who have served who ‘ty to get care here. Care they have eamed through their service. Sadly veteran suicide rates are much higher in ewery age demographic than their civilian counterparts. Yet we ER and waits for 12 hours to not even be seen, or the veleran who gets the courage to call asking for a mental health evaluation only to be placed on hold and never helped? Below are a small sample of veterans who have committed suicide while eather care at the Phoeno VA or not able to get proper care. We will guarantee you a broken system and administrators. lhe to cover @ up much harder than they do to try and first admit there is a problem but then actually fx it. Because of the retaliation shown towards those who have come forward at our facility these veteran suicides. This is what happens when a VA hospital is broken. Veterans continue to die. Senator McCain recently came out and said improvements have beenmade at the Phoonix VA. We do not agree with his assessment. We call on Senator McCain and other elected officials from around the country to not let the VA investigate: itself but to bring in outside agencies and actually talk to front line employees to get the tull scope of the atrocities commited daily at our hospital. When the ‘VA is allowed to investigate itself they only talk to who they want to and leave out the truth, over and ‘over again. ‘Sample of Veteran Suicides involving care or lack of care at Phoenix VAMC - 1. Name = Antouine Castaneda Date of Suicide — July 23, 2015 (Date of birth 7.23.83) How Committed — Military Service — Se iy Deteee il ee ee Veet How Phoenix VA failed him — failed to check on him even though he was flagged as. high risk for suicide. Failed to provide mental health care, even afier mental health provider was asked to check on him. Systemic breakdown in not providing proper mental health related services to high risk weteran. How Phoenix VA failed him — Vet was service connected for major depression. Veteran needed help from Phoenix VA and was not provided it Systemic breakdown in not providing proper mental health related services to high risk veteran 3. Name — Raul January Date of Suicide — October 13,2015 Hoe: Committed — gunshot Military Service — Marine Corps SSgt and retired Army Captain — never vested into Phoenix VA or provided a mental health appointment even though he was sent for treatment there. Systemic breakdown: in not providing proper mental health related services to high risk veteran ‘Other4.Name — Thomas Murphy Date of Suicide — May 10, 2015 How Committed — Gunshot at VA Regional Office parking lot Phoenix AZ Military Service — Navy How Phoenix VA failed him — Thomas Murphy left suicide note in which he stated he went to VA for help and instead the VA cut off his pain medications. He blamed the Phoenix VA for his death. Cutting off this veterans pain medications was more of a knee jerk reaction nationwide by VA because of scandals at facilities like Tomah with over prescription of pain medications. This veteran was not abusing his pain medications and instead needed pain medications in order to work and function daily. Breakdown in not providing proper pain management services to high risk veteran. Other information — http:/Awww.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/homeless-veteran- commits-suicide-outside-phoenix-va-7324999 http:/Awww.cbs5az.com/story/29167836/veterans-suicide-on-va-grounds-spurs-calls-for- help Signed, Concerned Employees of the Phoenix Veterans Affairs Health Care System.