Dear John,
Day in and day out, America’s service members make sacrifices to protect the freedoms and values that we cherish as a nation. On behalf of all Oregonians, I sincerely thank these brave Americans for their unwavering commitment to public service. Their jobs are strenuous, often coming with emotional and physical burdens, and months away from home and loved ones.
Too often, the men and women who serve carry with them physical and mental injuries when they separate from the Armed Forces. Given their sacrifices, it’s imperative that we put a wide variety of effective therapies for physical and mental health within reach for every veteran. While veterans’ hospitals and clinics provide irreplaceable care, many veterans groups have found that hiking, fishing, boating and other group outdoor activities also have positive therapeutic benefits for returning veterans.
That’s why I’m supporting the bipartisan Accelerating Veterans’ Recovery Outdoors Act, legislation that will create a task force dedicated to providing opportunities for medical treatment and therapy through the use of outdoor recreation on America’s public lands. The task force would work to expand access to these programs; identify barriers that exist to providing these services in order to address them; and consult veterans’ outdoor recreation groups to best implement plans and solutions.
Honoring and serving America’s veterans is one of Congress’ most important duties. Please know that I’m going to keep working to make every effective treatment, including outdoor recreation programming, an accessible resource for every veteran, and that I will be looking for more opportunities to support all who have served.
All my best, Jeff
|