releases: https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-we-must-do-more-to-help-prevent-military-and-veteran-suicide
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-we-must-do-more-to-help-prevent-military-and-veteran-suicide | Donnelly: ‘We Must Do More to Help Prevent Military and Veteran Suicide’ | 2016-09-21 | 2016 | 2016-09 | Democrat | House | IN | Joe Donnelly | D000607 | www.donnelly.senate.gov | legacy | Donnelly: ‘We Must Do More to Help Prevent Military and Veteran Suicide’ During floor speech, Senator recognizes Suicide Prevention Month and efforts to combat military suicide Wednesday, September 21, 2016 Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly spoke on the Senate floor in recognition of Suicide Prevention Month and called on Congress to continue working to combat military and veteran suicide and improve mental health care for servicemembers and veterans. Donnelly spoke about the need for Congress to finalize the national defense bill, which includes the third and final provision from his bipartisan “Servicemembers and Veteran Mental Health Care Package.” The Senate passed the national defense bill earlier this year, including Donnelly’s Frontline Mental Health Provider Training Act, which would establish a pilot program to expand the use of physician assistants specializing in psychiatric care to help address the mental health provider shortage. To see Senator Donnelly’s speech click the image above or click here. Donnelly said, in part, during his speech, “It will take a consistent, concerted effort to bring the number of servicemember suicides down to zero…We need to ensure the laws we’ve passed, including the Sexton Act and the ‘Care Package,’ are implemented correctly, so these services reach the troops and veterans who need them most. “This year, the final provision of my bipartisan ‘Care Package’ passed the Senate as part of the national defense bill. This legislation can help make a difference for our servicemembers…and I urge Congress to come together on a final defense bill that can be sent to the President and signed into law. “We must do more to help prevent military and veteran suicide.” Last year, for the fourth year in a row, more U.S. troops were lost to suicide than in combat and on average an estimated 20 veterans a day take their own lives. In 2015, 475 servicemembers took their own lives. Prior to that we lost 443 servicemembers in 2014 and 474 servicemembers in 2013 to suicide. Since joining the Senate in 2013, Donnelly has worked to find bipartisan solutions to combat military suicide and had several provisions signed into law to strengthen mental health care for servicemembers and their families. Last year, provisions from his "Care Package," were signed into law to help expand access to quality mental health care for servicemembers and veterans through the Department of Defense (DoD), as well as local community providers. This followed his bipartisan legislation the Jacob Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act becoming law in 2014, which requires an annual mental health assessment for all servicemembers. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |