President Obama Signs Veterans Suicide Prevention Bill
February 13, 2015
President Barrack Obama signed the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
According to USA Today, the Clay Hunt Act will revamp veteran suicide prevention efforts by exploring new treatments and creating incentives for psychiatrists to work with veterans. This was the second bill the President has signed into law.
The bill is named after a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hunt suffered with post dramatic stress disorder and campaigned on behalf of veteran’s health care before committing suicide at the age of 28.
“Today we honor a young man who isn’t here, but should be here,” Obama said at the signing ceremony. “Part of what made him remarkable was he was able to name the problem. He understood it.”
The ceremony was attended by First Lady Michelle Obama, Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald, Hunt’s family and friends, and veterans.
“Hopefully we can come back in one or two years and count the lives that have been saved,” Jake Wood, who served with Hunt and lobbied for the bill, told USA Today.
