Sen. Sinema expands vaccine effort for veterans
CBS 13 s April Hettinger investigates the planning process in prioritizing vaccine rollout
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - A new measure introduced by Arizona s senior senator promises to send more vaccines to local veterans and their families.
Senator Kyrsten Sinema, (D-Ariz.) recently introduced the SAVE LIVES Act. It allows the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to give out vaccines to veterans, spouses, caregivers and dependents at no cost.
The measure also makes getting shots to military families a priority.
“Expanding access to coronavirus vaccines for Arizona veterans’ families and caregivers better protects the men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country’s security,” said Sen. Sinema, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The VA Southern Arizona Health Care System, subsidiary 678GG in Tucson, Arizona scheduled 2,443 pending appointments in September compared to 2,298 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran s Affairs.
Of the total number of appointments, 2,425 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.3%) and 18 appointments (0.7%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA s data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.
The Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, subsidiary 544HK in Columbia, South Carolina, scheduled 594 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center, subsidiary 509GB in Aiken, South Carolina, scheduled 2,672 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.
VA Phoenix HCS facility in Surprise scheduled 10,142 medical appointments in July 2020 azbusinessdaily.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from azbusinessdaily.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.