U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is pushing for more mental health providers in Oregon’s veteran’s clinics.
The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is recruiting 1600 new mental health clinicians to serve veterans nationwide.
But only five of those new hires are scheduled for the State of Oregon. Oregon is part of the VA Northwest Health Network that includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The region accounts for f5% of the nation's veterans population, but will only be receiving 1% of the new hires. Merkley is asking the head of the VA to explain the criteria determining who gets these new mental health providers.