September 7, 2012

REP. DILLON HAILS PRESIDENT’S COMMITMENT TO MILITARY FAMILIES
Rep. urges outreach to women and Latinos

State Representative Pat Dillon hailed President Barack Obama for his support of military families. President Obama recently issued an executive order to improve access to mental health services for veterans, service members and military families.

The order directs the federal departments of Veterans Affairs (VA), Defense, Health and Human Services and Education to expand suicide prevention efforts, fill vacancies for mental health jobs and widen outreach to service members and veterans and expand services to military families.

“Connecticut has been at the forefront of the battle to support soldiers, veterans and their families,” Rep. Dillon said. “I would urge outreach to women and Spanish-speaking military families in greater New Haven.”

Dillon noted that the first soldier killed in Iraq, Marine Lance Cpl Jose Gutierrez, was born in Guatemala.

Rep. Dillon developed Connecticut’s Military Support Program (MSP) that provides an array of behavioral health services to Connecticut’s National Guard members and their family members.

Since 2007, MSP has provided an array of behavioral health services to Connecticut’s veterans, citizen soldiers and their family members. The central feature of the MSP program is a statewide panel of over 425 licensed clinicians who provide free, confidential outpatient counseling services to veterans, National Guard and Reserve members and their families.