Senators: Despite Good Strides, VA Needs To Do More To Reduce Suicides Among Former Military

MedPage Today (9/28, Frieden) reports that at a Sept. 27 hearing of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, “several senators said” that the “Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made good strides in reducing suicides among former military personnel, but much more still needs to be done.” For example, Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) said, “VA data suggest that approximately 20 veterans commit suicide every day,” but “on average, only six were enrolled in VA healthcare.” Hearing witness Craig Bryan, PsyD, executive director of the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah, emphasized the importance of “treatment…done properly.” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said, “What I am hearing…is that suicide rates are increasing among veterans who lack access, either because of geographic difficulties or because of less-than-honorable discharges.”

Related Links:

— “Much Work Remains to Reduce Veterans’ Suicide Rates,” Joyce Frieden, MedPage Today, September 28, 2017.

Posted in In The News.