United States Department of Veterans Affairs

Phoenix VA Health Care System

PVAHCS Online Newsroom

Welcome to the Phoenix VA Health Care System Online Newsroom. Please contact the PVAHCS Public Affairs Officer at (602) 222-2667 (office), (602) 370-6033 (mobile) or Twitter or LinkedIn if you are interested in locating a VA official or subject matter expert for a story. Patients, in particular, must agree to be interviewed and photographed and must sign a consent form.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The PVAHCS Public Affairs Office provides support and assistance as follows:

  • Responding to media queries.
  • Providing subject matter experts.
  • Scheduling and coordinating interviews.
  • Fact sheets and statistical information.
  • Images/video of our facilities and official logos.
  • Information about VA-related outreach and events.

Note: Communicating with the Public and other stakeholders about how we provide exceptional health care to Veterans is vital to the work we do. Towards that end, we make every attempt to assist News Media in their newsgathering, to provide access to our facilities, and to make expert resources available. Our top priority, however, is protecting the privacy and security of the patients we serve.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visiting Our Facilities
We strictly adhere to federal guidelines regarding patient privacy as outlined by the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To protect our patients’ privacy, we require all reporters and photographers visiting our facilities to be escorted by a Public Affairs staff member. Media access may be limited or denied to any area of a facility at the discretion of the medical center director, the patient's health care team or individual physicians.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patient Condition Reports
We are responsible for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our patients and patient information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) governs privacy standards for health care information. If a patient has agreed to be listed in our hospital directory, we can provide a one-word condition after the patient’s correct first and last name, including exact spelling, are provided.

Patient conditions are as follows:

  • Undetermined – Patient awaiting physician and/or assessment.
  • Good – Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious and comfortable. Indicators are excellent.
  • Fair – Vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Patient is conscious but may be uncomfortable. Indicators are favorable.
  • Serious – Vital signs may be unstable and not within normal limits. Patient is acutely ill. Indicators are questionable.
  • Critical – Vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Patient may be unconscious. Indicators are unfavorable.
  • Deceased– Death status can only be confirmed only after next-of-kin has been notified. Official information on cause of death or additional information will be referred to the county medical examiner’s office. Patients have the right to restrict certain disclosures at any time. If they do, we can no longer provide additional updates.

If a patient has opted out of our directory or chooses not to have a condition released, staff will not be able to provide a condition update or even acknowledge the individual is a patient. Our response will be “I have no information available for a person by that name.”



Veterans Day Parade Banner

Facebook icon  Twitter icon

Newspaper graphic

PVAHCS Newsroom
News Releases
PVAHCS in the News
Publicity Kit
Leadership
Publications
Audio and Video
Newsletters
Healthy Living

Additional Resources
Visitor Information
Special Events
Inside Veterans Health
Our Health Care Services