12-4-14 IAVA holds day of action for passage of the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America issued the following:

IAVA to deliver 57,000+ petition signatures to Senator Reid calling for immediate Senate vote  

PRESS CONTACT

Gretchen Andersen

Press Secretary

Tel: 212-982-9699

press@iava.org

WHAT: Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization representing post-9/11 veterans and their families, will hold a day of action on Capitol Hill, calling for Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to immediately bring the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Bill to the Senate floor. IAVA veteran members will deliver a petition of more than 57,000 signatures urging Congress to help reverse the trend of 22 veterans dying by suicide every day.

Media is encouraged to attend the press event, which will begin at noon at the Upper Senate Park Fountain before delivering the petition to Senator Reid’s office in the Hart Senate Office Building.

Since early 2014, IAVA has led the fight for lawmakers to address veteran suicide and improve access to mental health care. According to IAVA’s 2014 Member Survey, 47 percent of respondents know at least one Iraq or Afghanistan veteran who has attempted suicide, while 40 percent of respondents know someone who has died by suicide, up three points from 2013.

WHO: IAVA Legislative Director Alex Nicholson
Post-9/11 veterans

WHEN: Thursday, December 4, 2014 at noon

WHERE: Upper Senate Park Fountain, between Delaware Ave., NE, and Constitution Ave.

Note to media: Email press@iava.org or call 212-982-9699 to speak with IAVA CEO and Founder Paul Rieckhoff or IAVA leadership.


Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (www.IAVA.org) is the nation's first and largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization representing veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan and has nearly 300,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide. Celebrating its 10th year anniversary, IAVA recently received the highest rating - four-stars - from Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.

veterans