Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act
Floor Speech
JOSHUA OMVIG VETERANS SUICIDE PREVENTION ACT
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. WALZ of Minnesota. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and a special thank you to my colleague, the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell) for introducing this important piece of legislation in honor of Joshua Omvig and his family and the heroics and sacrifice they made for our country, and for bringing it to the attention of this body and this Nation, this painful problem of suicide amongst our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, you have heard a lot of statistics today already. Ten percent of the population in America are veterans, yet one in five people who commit suicide is a veteran. Since May of 2003, 93 of our brave soldiers and warriors from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken their own lives. Beyond that, 35 percent of returning Iraqi veterans are seeking counseling within 1 year. Over 73,000 have been diagnosed as a risk factor, and 39,000 have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite all of this, 100 local VA clinics offered no mental health care as recently as last year.
But these are far more than numbers. These affect individuals. These are our children. These are our soldiers. These are our marines. These are the patriots that answered the call of duty for this Nation. And when they return home, we need to provide them with everything this Nation can provide.
Suicide amongst veterans, and mental health issues as a whole, require our urgent and immediate attention. H.R. 327 will direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to start screening and monitoring for the exact problems, provide education to all staff, contractors, and medical personnel, and make available 24-hour mental health care for veterans found to be at risk.
Just last week, I saw a unique teleconferencing technology at the Rochester, Minnesota, VA clinic. It allowed veterans in remote rural locations to speak with mental health professionals any time of the day. This technology is innovative and unique. H.R. 327 is a crucial step to ensure that this type of technology is not unique but it is available at any time for our veterans.
I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation. America's servicemembers make a profound sacrifice when they go to war. We owe them nothing less.
But, Mr. Speaker, we must not stop here. In Minnesota, 2,600 National Guard soldiers have had their deployment extended, probably until late 2007. They will come back facing these same issues. We must prepare for them.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source