[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14996]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           SUICIDE PREVENTION

  (Mr. BILIRAKIS asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, as this Suicide Prevention Month comes to 
a close, I believe it is crucial we remain committed to all suicide 
prevention efforts. We must continually ask ourselves: Are we doing 
enough when it comes to addressing mental health and suicide in our 
Nation? I don't think so.
  As vice chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I know that 
this issue is especially important for our Nation's heroes. Recent data 
has shown that every day in this country approximately 18 to 22 
veterans take their own lives. This statistic answers the question I 
posed earlier. It is obvious more needs to be done.
  My COVER Act addresses suicide prevention for veterans by promoting 
access to better alternative complementary mental health treatments. 
While traditional forms of therapy may work for some, tailoring 
therapies to the veteran and finding the balance between traditional 
and complementary alternative treatments could be the difference in 
saving lives.
  The COVER Act passed the House several weeks ago. I encourage my 
Senate colleagues to do the same in the Senate so we can get it to the 
President's desk for his signature.

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