Donnelly reveals last piece of ‘Care Package’

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Senator Joe Donnelly announced Tuesday that the last piece of “Care Package” is ready.

The Frontline Mental Health Provider Training Act is a part of Care Package, which is legislation that will help veterans get access to much needed health services.

Military families like the Keeslings have felt the repercussions of issues like PTSD first hand.

“Our son Chancellor died on June 19, 2009 in Iraq. At that time we didn’t understand Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress and the need for mental health that we do today,” Gregg Keesling said.

He said he was proud to stand alongside the senator for the unveiling of the Frontline Mental Health Provider Training Act.

“It is such an important thing for our leadership in congress to continue to push and as importantly for the American citizens to know how important it is to have,” Keesling said.

The legislation has the support of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“Nationally we lose 42,700 a year people by suicide,” Lisa Brattain said, “That includes our veterans and our military members and their families.”

Donnelly released new details on the third part of the bipartisan effort.

He says the newly drafted act would expand doctors’ availability to provide mental health evaluations to veterans and their families.

The bill follows reports of more servicemen and women dying of suicide than in the field.

Donnelly says, if passed, the new bill would allow physicians to deploy along with troops.

“It establishes a pilot program to train physician’s assistants on the specific psychiatric care needed by our service members,” Donnelly said. “It builds on the model of the Department of Defense, using psychiatric nurse practitioners to provide care. And it generates more mental health providers that can actually deploy side by side with the men and women they will care for.”

The whole mental heath care package for vets is currently under debate on the Senate floor.