[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7821]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENT

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today the White House held 
a conference on mental health and the importance of removing the stigma 
associated with seeking mental health treatment. The conference 
dovetailed with an announcement by the Department of Veterans Affairs 
that it had met its goal to hire 1,600 new mental health professionals.
  Despite the positive news from the VA, the President appropriately 
stated:

       It's not enough to help more Americans seek treatment. We 
     also have to make sure the treatment is there when they are 
     ready to seek it.

  I could not agree more, for a major barrier for individuals seeking 
care is not just access, but the stigma that is oftentimes associated 
with seeking professional help--especially for our veteran population.
  Thankfully, there is more we can do.
  I encourage my colleagues to learn more about H.R. 2001, the Veterans 
E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act. This bipartisan, no-cost bill 
expands the number of qualified providers servicing our veteran 
population and also helps remove the stigma associated with seeking 
treatment through the expansion of telemedicine at the VA.

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