Amid military suicides, Reps. Elaine Luria and Bobby Scott advocate for mental heath support

Amid a recent rash of suicides, two congressional representatives from Hampton Roads are pushing for sailors and marines to receive more mental health support.

In a joint letter last week, Reps. Bobby Scott and Elaine Luria urged Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to “expeditiously appoint” psychological health directors at every Navy and Marine Corps installation. The letter referenced a Naval aircraft carrier based in Newport News that recently had a string of suicides.

The letter asserts that the U.S. Department of Defense currently directs all military installations to include such a position — and that the Navy should have done it years ago.

“These regulations are already being implemented much more widely by the Army and Air Force, but for the last decade the Navy has remained noncompliant,” the letter states. “As recent tragedies connected to USS George Washington have highlighted, we cannot afford to wait when it comes to the mental health and stability of our men and women in uniform.”

Earlier this year, a Naval commander confirmed that six sailors assigned to the Washington had died by suicide in the last two years.

Before that, five crew members on the USS George H.W. Bush killed themselves in 2019 during a three-month span while the ship was at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

Psychological health directors perform a critical role in their units that cannot continue to be left vacant, Luria and Scott wrote. They support the mental well-being of the crew and connect those who are struggling to the appropriate resources.

“During various tours of USS George Washington by members of Congress in May and June, (members of command) spoke extensively about their commitment to suicide prevention and supporting sailors’ mental and behavioral health needs,” the letter states. “However, it is our belief that the Navy specifically could be doing more to ensure that our sailors are accessing the mental health services that they deserve.”

The representatives urged the Navy to move quickly to comply and asked to receive updates and details about its plans.

Katie King, katie.king@virginiamedia.com