Yost urges House to focus on mental health
Del. Joseph Yost, R-Blacksburg, urged his colleagues in the House of Delegates today to focus on strengthening the mental health system and said the issue should not take a back seat to a more controversial debate about gun control.
In a morning hour speech, Yost said he was angered and saddened by what happened on the House floor Thursday, when Del. Joe Morrissey, D-Henrico County, held an assault rifle in the air while calling for a law to ban the sale of such weapons.
Yost reflected on the April 16, 2007 mass shootings at Virginia Tech and said that events such as last month’s shootings in Newtown, Conn., present legislators with “complex challenges that require complex solutions, and not political theater.”
“Where is the drive to seek solutions to our mental health system?” said Yost, who works in behavioral health. “To me, the conversation on gun control is nothing more than a political sideshow that, as it has done in the past, will get us sidetracked from the real issue at hand.”
Yost, who serves on Gov. Bob McDonnell’s school and campus safety task force, said he looks forward “to providing my background and experience on helping bring progress to this important issue.”
“But I also ask everyone to please remember and do more for the one in four who suffer from a mental health condition, because that one could be your mother, your father, your sister, your brother, or even you,” Yost said.
– Michael Sluss
January 18, 2013 - 7:59 PM
Joseph Yost is an outstanding public servant. His commitment to mental health issues is unquestioned. I pray for his work and God’s blessings on his efforts.
Yawn….he’s alright. He lost me when he introduced a bill that made whitetail deer a nuisance species. We will see if his NOVA sugar daddies will come through for him this time. His rhetorical skills have developed over the past two years.
Focus on responsible banning of dangerous people from our society.
As one who survived the miss-diagnosis, some 13 years of prescription medications that made me very ill mentally and physically ,and what I discovered is dismaying . Not one family member ever took an educated interest in my care. For 5 years as my health deterioration, and 21 years of a not participating partner, a mouthful of metal dental fillings , abuse abandonment, neglect, prepared me for the in home and social alienation…
So another 5 years , later I woke out of the daze and haze with a happy life event, and then 5 long years to dissemble, the grave error, for which there is no recourse, and to many, I am shunned, and brutalized for wishing to have a normal relationship with my kids and grand kids but they too have been alienated , so a mother less mother, who was never organically mentally ill… I say , Look for the OTHER reasons for behavior considered not normal and by all means be careful of just who is defining “normal” which can be inflammatory. There are no quick fixes when someone is having an emotionally stressful time.
Mental wellness would be a much better handle; no drugs or guns, just education, support and communication.. and after Tech, funds found were spend elsewhere… and clearly the message of non responsible professionals which is kinda the way of the world, for mow, anyway.
A Republican complaining about “Political Theater”….that’s as funny as it gets considering what’s going on with the GOP in Congress and the Virginia House…..
How about stop punishing law-abiding citizens and focus on the criminals who cause these problems? Stopping sales of certain guns, or ammunition does nothing to affect criminals. They do not care anything about what laws are in place, if they did, weapons would not be an issue. But to restrict law-abiding folks and think that somehow that will translate into stopping the criminal element is totally ludicrous.
We need a multi pronged attack to combat the violence in our society and assistantance for mental health is a big start. It is good to note that Virginia has led the way in adding those with MH issues to the gun registry to prohibit them from purchasing a gun. The days for grand standing are over, it is time to find money needed for mental health treatment
Find money? Like raising taxes! Hoo-rah for higher taxes!! Though this is what the Republicans have done, transferred more of the burden to the localities while keep tax rates the same. Hoo-rah for shifting the tax burden then patting yourself on the back and saying you balanced the budget! At least Democrats are honest about wanting to dig deeper in your pockets….Republicans play shell games.