State Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor Township) testifies in the Michigan House Committee on Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security in Lansing on June 13, 2023.
LANSING, Mich., June 13, 2023 — State Rep. Jennifer Conlin (D-Ann Arbor Township), chair of the Michigan House Committee on Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security, testified in support of her resolution urging Congress, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve veterans’ mental health care.
“Veterans have made heroic sacrifices on behalf of our nation, and they bear both visible and invisible scars from their service,” Conlin said. “We need to research the full range of treatment options available and make sure we are providing veterans with the absolute highest level of care.”
The resolution focuses on “research and investment in non-technology treatment options,” which include easier access to service animals, outdoor therapy, buddy-to-buddy programs and the burgeoning area of psychedelic-assisted clinical therapy. The committee recently held a two–part hearing on the state of veterans’ mental health care, including presentations focused on the accessibility of care, the role of traditional clinical therapy, and new research from the University of Michigan on the role of psychedelic medicine in treating veterans’ mental illnesses.