Two new bills in the Alabama Senate and House of Representatives aim to create a healthcare system in the state for U.S. Military veterans and their families.
“This bill would put veterans’ care in the hands of veterans,” John Kilpatrick, founder and CEO of Vets Recover, a nonprofit in Mobile that provides mental health care primarily for veterans, first responders and their families. Kilpatrick is president of the Alabama Council of Chapters of the Military Officers Association of America.
The bills, introduced last month and awaiting review in their respective committees of origin, would task the state Department of Veterans Affairs with creating and implementing a healthcare system that would provide primary care, behavioral health care and social services to veterans and their immediate family.
State Sen. Andrew Jones (R- Centre), chair of the senate Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Safety Committee who filed the senate version of the bill, says he hopes to spotlight the need for veterans’ mental health in the state with this bill.
“Mental health needs are already amplified because of the situations they’ve served in,” Jones said. “We want to shine a light on the needs of veterans, because they can get lost in mental health and addiction conversations.”
Kilpatrick says that the system is needed to “fill in the gap” between the federal U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and state-authorized mental…
