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Friends,

Any soldier knows the risks you face on the battlefield don't always end when you come home.

When you're a soldier overseas, most of the things that threaten your life tend to be pretty clear. If you are fortunate enough to come home, those risks stay behind.

But some of those wounds don’t heal and never go away. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have not ended, and far too many soldiers still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

This isn't just hypothetical for me. As a veteran who served four tours, I have seen too many friends who could never leave the battlefield behind and fell into substance abuse, depression, and -- most tragically -- suicide.

On this Memorial Day, I remember and celebrate the service and sacrifice of all who served, including those who died after suffering from PTSD and mental illness.

But honoring them and their families also means working to prevent more soldiers from suffering the same fate. That's why, as governor, I will fight to make sure that Iowans who served our country receive the highest quality care available, including mental health services.

I'll work to ensure Iowa provides more proactive and ongoing outreach to the National Guard and military families both before and after deployment, including critical information about mental health and the services available to address them.

I'll ensure that mental health clinicians are embedded directly with National Guard units to provide support to those about to deploy and direct those who need help to the best available local mental health providers.

And I'll push for more outpatient counseling referral services and community case management to provide better care to meet each individual's unique needs and ensure fewer servicemembers slip through the cracks.

We can cover the cost by ending the failed Reynolds Medicaid privatization program. Simply put, we cannot afford not to do whatever we can to save the lives of those who have sacrificed so much already.

I never left a fellow soldier on the battlefield, and as governor, I will continue to do everything I can to support our servicemembers, honor those who have fallen, and save the lives of our veterans. I hope you will join me in this fight.

Today, as you celebrate with family and friends, please make sure to take time to remember those who gave so much. And every day, let us commit ourselves to protect our veterans and honor the sacrifice of those we've lost.

Thank you,

Todd


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| Paid for by Todd Prichard for Governor |
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Todd Prichard for Governor
PO Box 1803
Des Moines IA 50305 United States

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