O’Rourke holds town hall to discuss veteran issues

Dozens of veterans shared their concerns at Congressman Beto O’Rourke’s town hall on Saturday at Coronado High School.

“We’re making progress on issues with the El Paso VA,” O’Rourke said. “Folks are waiting fewer days to get an appointment. We’re not having as much of a crisis in access to mental healthcare.”

Participants at the town hall were each given two minutes to ask a question or bring up a concern.

“I don’t have no problems with the congressman,” veteran Miguel Sotomayor said. “We don’t agree all the time but we have a good amicable relationship, and we work together for the sake of improving things for veterans.”

O’Rourke is a member of the House Veteran Affairs Committee. He said his main priority is preventing veteran suicide.

“Mental healthcare delayed becomes mental healthcare denied, (and that) leads to worse outcomes. In some cases unfortunately, suicide,” O’Rourke said. “That’s why it’s our number one priority, and that’s the work that we’re doing in hiring more mental healthcare providers.”

One woman pleaded with O’Rourke to help legalize medical marijuana in the state. She said her husband is a veteran, and he would benefit greatly from its legalization.

‘We need to make marijuana legal for the prescription from doctors within the VA for veterans who have earned that care,” O’Rourke said.

Sotomayor said his biggest concern is the fact that there’s a lack of doctors in El Paso.

“We don’t have a hospital, we have a clinic. There’s too many veterans. We don’t have enough doctors,” Sotomayor said.

O’Rourke agrees, and he said part of the problem is that people have the wrong impression of El Paso.

“When you have the president inciting fear of immigrants, and of Mexicans, and of our connection to Mexico and the border itself, it makes it very hard to attract the talent we need from other parts of this country,” O’Rourke said.

Saturday’s town hall was O’Rourke’s 75th as a congressman.