President Trump held a briefing at the White House to announce the continuation of the Prevents Initiative, and the formation of the PREVENTS Taskforce, designed to help bring mental health issues to the forefront and remove the stigma surrounding depression,PTSD and suicide among American servicemembers.
The Task Force will be led by Mrs. Karen Pence and will include Surgeon General Jerome Adams, among others.
The days of endless wait lists are over and they’re never going to come back. No one can allow them to come back.
Trump said of reforms made to the Veteran’s Administration medical system since he’s come into office. Mental health services for veterans an active duty soldiers have been allotted $9.6 billion since he made the issue a priority during his campaign and into his term in office.
Trump also discussed holding VA staff accountable, stating that it was impossible to fire anyone before. But since his administration has implemented numerous reform, 9000 employees of the VA have been terminated. Trump stated that among them were ‘sadists and thieves, who mistreated veterans and took advantage of the lack of oversight.
Trump touted the advances in same day emergency mental health, the addition of telemedicine services and said that over 100,000 calls from service personnel have been fielded to deal with various issues surrounding their medical care.
He also spoke about the decrease in the number of medical appeals over denied services and the modernization of record keeping systems.
Trump noted the success of the war on drug addiction, which has seen a cut in opioid prescriptions and abuse by 13-19%. He added that dealing with the border wall, which now has 212 continuous miles along the southern border with Mexico. He took the opportunity to thank the president of Mexico, who has provided 17,000 troops to help patrol the border from the southern side.
Trump said that there was more work to be done to stop the rash of soldier suicides, citing that 20 soldier, active duty or retired, take their lives every day. The PREVENTS Task Force will have a primary mission to address the issue of soldier suicide.
Mrs. Pence and team of ambassadors of PREVENTS will be launcing a public awarness campaign to mobilize heroes, to empower them with prevention services and support them after they return home from service. The team will also be tasked with expanding partnerships with business, non profits, faith-based groups, military and others to help prioritize mental health of their employees.
The Task Force will also help establish a national research strategy to evaluate and better understand the trauma that service members face, it’s impact, and identifying effective treatments for their disease.
Mrs. Pence stated that this is an opportune time to be having this discussion as most of us are “dealing with anxiety and stress.”
Secretary Of State Robert Wilkie thanked the president for being the first in modern history to put the issue of veterans health at the center of his campaign and to continue fighting for the cause during his presidency.
This is an issue we live with every day…for a president of the U.S to say it is about time that they are put front and center….is long over due.
Wilkie went on to say,
Suicide is scurge that impacts every corner of society. end the stigma that has prevented us from taking on the problem of mental health.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, reach out to a suicide hotline number. In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (800-273-8255) to reach a trained counselor.
