Gus Bilirakis, Tim Murphy to Tackle Mental Health and Drug Abuse

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., will hold a public event on Mental Health and Substance Abuse at Rasmussen College in Land O' Lakes next week and he will be joined by a congressman from Pennsylvania. Bilirakis announced on Thursday that U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pa., will be at the event on Tuesday.

Our solution-oriented discussion will focus on how to fix a broken system and ensure better outcomes, Bilirakis said on Thursday. One important aspect of this conversation are the treatment options available to our nations veterans as they grapple with Post Traumatic Stress and other invisible wounds. One size does not fit all, especially when it comes to an issue as sensitive as mental health.

I am honored to have Representative Murphy joining me he is the undisputed leader in Congress on this issue, Bilirakis added. The good work he is doing will undoubtedly offer substantial improvements in the way this important issue is viewed and the treatment options available to those with mental illness.

I thank Representative Bilirakis for taking up this legislative cause and for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me to help those who, for far too long, have been in the shadows of ignorance and despair, Murphy said. We will continue working to bring them into that bright light of hope, and it starts with the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act."

Other participants of the event include Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Leigh Massengill, the CEO of Medical Center of Trinity.