[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2007

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce 
the Mental Health Care for Our Wounded Warriors Act of 2007. This 
important legislation will address the significant mental health care 
issues faced by our brave service men and women.
  According to recent reports from the Government Accountability 
Office, 22 percent of returning OEF/OIF service members were referred 
for further mental health evaluations for post-traumatic stress 
disorder (PTSD) and an estimated one in six service members will 
receive a diagnosis of PTSD.
  As a member of the Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, I have been 
working hard to understand how mental health issues, especially PTSD, 
are affecting our service men and women. We know that PTSD and TBI are 
the signature injuries of this war.
  Unfortunately, the DoD has neither the facilities nor the personnel 
to meet the needs of returning service members with mental health care 
diagnoses. We have no research clearinghouse to study and facilitate 
mental health services and develop effective mental health care 
policies.
  The Mental Health for Our Wounded Warriors Act, a companion to 
legislation introduced by Senator Lieberman, will establish Centers of 
Excellence within the DoD to research strategies to prevent, identify 
and treat combat related mental health injuries.
  Equally as important, each center will seek to develop strategies to 
counter the stigma that surrounds PTSD and mental health in general in 
the military.
  The bill will also include language on treating mental health 
professionals who are exposed to combat related stress, as well as 
study the unique needs of female service members serving in combat 
situations.
  The military needs help dealing with this very complex issue. We 
cannot expect our service members to go out and do the job they do 
without providing adequate mental health services we know they will 
need.
  The battle against combat-related mental health injuries will be an 
ongoing issue. It is our obligation to provide the resources necessary 
to address the absence of a designated center to study the mental 
health care needs of service members and to provide a solution to the 
shortage of DoD mental health professionals.

                          ____________________