[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15853]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CREATING A TURNING POINT FROM A TRAGEDY

  (Mr. GALLAGHER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise as a cosponsor of the 
Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act the House will be 
voting on later today.
  Dr. Kirkpatrick was a promising young clinical psychologist assigned 
to the Tomah VA in Wisconsin. Committed to finding innovative 
treatments for PTSD, he expressed alarm that patients of the VA were 
being overmedicated, preventing him from providing the treatment they 
so desperately needed.
  Rather than listen to his concerns, the VA retaliated against him 
and, ultimately, Chris was fired; and that very day, he took his own 
life. The VA investigation later found that Chris' concerns about 
overmedication were entirely founded.
  Chris' story is a tragedy, but can also serve as a turning point. 
Just as our veterans have earned world-class care, their allies such as 
Chris deserve full protection should they bravely decide to document VA 
wrongdoing or abuse. By increasing these protections today, we are 
honoring Chris' memory, serving as a fitting memorial to a life that 
was tragically cut short.

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