Albuquerque, NM (June 10, 2013) – Today, U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce held a town hall meeting with the Director and staff of the Albuquerque VA Hospital, to allow veterans to discuss their concerns and ideas for improving treatment for victims of PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury.
“Today’s meeting was a great success,” said Pearce. “Veterans have approached my office in increasing numbers with concerns about PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury, and it is of vital importance that we provide the proper care for those who have served. Real solutions are always accomplished by the kind of productive dialogue and discussion we had today. I thank the VA staff for working to improve service to our veterans, and I am especially grateful for all the veterans who took time today to talk about this difficult subject.”
Today’s meeting was the tenth town hall meeting held by Congressman Pearce to focus on veterans’ issues. Previous veterans’ town halls have had great success, and Pearce held today’s meeting specifically to address growing concerns over PTSD. Approximately 100 individuals attended the meeting, at which members of the Albuquerque VA Hospital staff, members of Congressman Pearce’s Veterans Advisory Council, and representatives from numerous veterans organizations were present.
Pearce, himself a veteran, voted last week to provide $7.7 billion dollars in new funding for PTSD treatment for veterans. Early this year, Pearce introduced the HEALTHY Vets Act, a bill to help improve the accessibility, convenience, and affordability of health care for veterans.