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Veteran suicide prevention bill becomes law

Oct 21, 2020

ALPENA, Mich. (Press release/WLUC) – A bipartisan bill, with support from Congressman Jack Bergman (R-MI), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), has been signed into law.

President Donald J. Trump signed into law  S. 785 , the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2019, which according to Bergman, features his bipartisan IMPROVE Act.

Rep. Bergman said, “This is a major step towards providing our veterans – especially those living in rural and remote parts of our country – the care they need. S.785 changes the status quo. It says: ‘We’re here for you.’ It helps us to better keep our nation’s promise to veterans. And now that it’s signed into law, I’m eager to see it make a difference in our communities.”

“We’ve spent billions of dollars at the VA on some very important mental health and suicide prevention programs – but the fact remains that we still see nearly 20 Veterans die by suicide every day,” Bergman continued. “The majority of these tragedies occur with veterans who are outside the VA system of care – which is why S. 785 is so important. This legislation recognizes the diverse factors that lead to suicide deaths, and it will improve outreach and help our nation’s veterans find assistance closer to home.”ADVERTISEMENThttps://485263e49039de507aafd0f2a73079bc.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html

This new veteran suicide prevention law helps to authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to take a new, effective approach in fighting the Veterans suicide crisis by making grants to – and coordinating with – community organizations that provide lifesaving mental health and supportive services to local Veterans.

S. 785 also includes new policy to increase the number of mental health professionals in VA facilities, bolster telehealth programs for rural and remote veterans, and promote innovative treatment options.

Additionally, President Trump signed S. 2661  the National Suicide Hotline designation Act  into law, designating  9-8-8  as the universal telephone number of the national suicide prevention and mental health crisis hotline.  Please note  the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is currently working to implement this new three-digit policy, so in the meantime remember – you can still seek help at the  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline  by calling  1-800-273-8255  (press 1 if you are a servicemember or veteran) or by chatting online at  www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.

UpperMichiganSource.com

Copyright 2020 WLUC. All rights reserved.

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