Bill > H3136

This bill proposes to amend Chapter 115 of the General Laws by adding a new section that establishes an advisory committee composed of representatives from various veteran and mental health organizations, including Team Red, White and Blue, the Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program, Wounded Warriors Project, Mass Mentoring Partnership, the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, and the Massachusetts Psychological Association, to study and recommend ways to improve services for returning veterans. The committee's primary focus will be on reducing veteran suicide rates and mitigating the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, by investigating factors such as the impact of community peer liaisons on reintegration into civilian life, the connection between isolation and suicide, and the influence of peer support on mental health symptoms. The committee is mandated to report its findings and recommendations to the state legislature by January 1, 2016.