Celia Israel: “Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which I had the privilege of introducing and sponsoring. This…”

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which I had the privilege of introducing and sponsoring. This resolution recognizes the efforts of Welcome Back Veterans in providing critically needed treatment for PTSD to veterans and active members of the Armed Forces. Welcome Back Veterans is a partnership with Major League Baseball Charities, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the McCormick Foundation. They are creating a network of university hospitals to address the mental health needs of our servicemembers and their families. To date, Welcome Back Veterans has raised over $12 million in private funding to support the treatment and research of PTSD through grants to other service organizations and has provided treatment to over 5,000 veterans and active duty servicemembers. They have a broad and integrated and innovative approach towards PTSD. And they should, because PTSD is known as a 'silent killer.' One of out of every five veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq has been affected.”