Political Quotes

“I wish to go back to what the Senator from Missouri has indicated. Our veterans are coming home. We know that at least 200,000 of our veterans coming home will go into the community. I see our distinguished chair of the Senate veterans' committee on the floor. I thank the Senator for all of his good work. In addition to the VA system, where we are strengthening mental health services, we know that many will come home to the communities and be looking to an outpatient clinic or somewhere in the community for help. The reason we have strong support from the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' organizations is because our Excellence in Mental Health Act legislation, which creates a behavioral health clinic model based on what has been done in community health that has worked so well, will create an opportunity for those veterans coming home to get support and help in the community. One of the most difficult statistics to talk about is that 22 of our veterans are committing suicide every day--22 every day. That is unacceptable. We need to make sure families and veterans have the support that they need so that when they come home they can receive the help they need. I am very proud of the fact we have about 50 organizations supporting the Excellence in Mental Health Act, such as sheriffs and police officers. Most likely, if somebody needs help, they are placed in a jail or in the emergency room. They don't go to a mental health facility.…”