|
WASHINGTON - Senators Joe Lieberman (ID-CT) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today introduced legislation aimed at improving mental health care for members of the U.S military. The Armed Forces Mental Health Professionals Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2008 would increase the number of uniformed mental health providers serving our service members and their families. The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2008 would require the individual investigation of all suicides across the Armed Forces, modeled after the Air Force's highly successful aircraft accident prevention program.
"I am proud to introduce these two important pieces of legislation to improve the mental health and well-being of our nation's military," said Lieberman. "Our highest priority must be an unwavering commitment to our service members who put themselves in harm's way on a daily basis. These bills will not only address current shortcomings, but will help build a stronger military mental health system for decades to come. After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are over, we must make sure we have enough mental health professionals and commonsense protocols in place to take care of our wounded warriors."
Senator Boxer said, "These two bills will help our brave services members at a time when they are facing exceptional challenges as a result of the prolonged conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have heard first-hand that our service members prefer receiving care from mental health professionals who are also serving in or have served in our military. These measures will provide incentives to attract and retain mental health providers who are uniformed members of our Armed Forces so that we can better understand the psychological and emotional strains servicemembers face and provide them with the best possible care."
An estimated one in six service members has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one in ten has suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recent research indicates that following three tours of duty, approximately 30% of service members report mental health problems. Over one-third of OIF/OEF veterans treated by the Veterans Administration (VA) have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, including PTSD, depression, and substance abuse. In order to provide timely access to treatment for these conditions now, and in the future, DoD must have a robust uniformed mental health workforce.
However, based on data collected from each of the services and from visits to bases across the country and reports on behavioral health needs in the military, DoD does not have a sufficient number of uniformed providers to meet current and future needs. For instance, in past years, DoD has had up to 450 uniformed psychologists; however, there are currently only 350 active duty psychologists deployed to support combat operations and military treatment facilities. This has led to a decrease in the ratio of mental health providers to soldiers in Iraq, dropping to one provider for every 734 troops in 2007 from one for every 387 in 2004.
Our troops also have as strong preference for uniformed, rather than civilian, providers. In fact, the need for uniformed providers cannot be overemphasized in light of their dual missions to not only deploy to combat zones, but also staff garrison military treatment facilities across the globe.
The Armed Forces Mental Health Professionals Recruitment and Retention Enhancement Act of 2008 would authorize the use of:
• Critical skills accession bonus, which is currently not available to psychologists and social workers;
• Critical skills retention bonus, which is currently not available to psychiatrists, social workers, and mental health nurses;
• Health Professional Scholarships Program for all mental health professionals; and,
• Additional special pays to be used in exchange for continuing service, which are currently not available to psychologists, social workers, and mental health nurses.
In the past year, there have been a number of disturbing reports that Army suicides have climbed to their highest levels since the inception of such records in 1980.
Specifically, the Army suicide rate is currently 18.4 per 100,000 individuals, whereas the 2004 civilian suicide rate, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was 11 per 100,000 individuals. In total, over 120 soldiers took their own lives in 2007. A 2006 Army suicide report found that 70% of the suicides were completed in those under age 25 years, 25% of those who completed suicide expressed intent to harm themselves at some point prior to the event, approximately 50% reside with a spouse, and 25% of those who completed suicide had a history of at least one psychiatric disorder, with the most common diagnosis being a mood disorder.
Based on Army data and media reports that have shined a spotlight on this issue, suicide prevention efforts must be reexamined and strengthened within DoD and the current trend of increasing suicides must be reversed. Efforts must focus on thoroughly investigating all suicides to determine causes and contributing factors, taking immediate corrective action to correct any deficiencies, and implementing any service-wide and force-wide recommendations emerging from such investigations.
The Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2008 would:
• Establish an independent board, assembled by a four-star general, and directed by a one-star general, to conduct a confidential investigation into the possible causes and/or contributing factors to the suicide event;
• Require that investigating members of the board are outside the chain of command of the service member who committed suicide;
• Make recommendations based on findings for any immediate corrective actions deemed necessary;
• Make recommendations for any service-wide or force-wide steps that may need to be taken; and,
• Track the implementation of all recommendations on a regular basis through the Assistant Secretary of Defense Health Affairs' office.
- 30 -
|
