'No reason for them to turn him away': Marine's suicide inspires new federal law
On a wall lined from floor to ceiling with photos and mementos, one framed image still stands out to Beverly Kittoe.
"This is probably the most meaningful picture that we have," Kittoe said as she pointed it out.
Against the backdrop of a bright orange sunrise or sunset - Kittoe isn't sure which - are the silhouettes of five Marines in uniform. You can't make out any faces but Kittoe knows her son, Brandon Ketchum, is in the middle.
Five years after his death by suicide, Ketchum's story was at the center of a push this summer to provide greater mental health services to veterans, particularly those in rural areas. Ketchum's 2016 death caught the attention of Rep. Cindy Axne, a Democrat who represents the southwest corner of Iowa.
27 News detailed how, in July 2016, Ketchum sought a fourth inpatient stay at a VA center. When he asked to be placed in a specific unit at the Iowa City VA, Ketchum, who'd served tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was told there were no beds available in that unit.
A report from the facility said Ketchum stormed off before a doctor would complete a suicide risk assessment. Without the placement he sought, Ketchum posted on social media, "Not only did I get a ‘NO’, but three reasons of no based on me being not f***** up enough."
Within hours of leaving the VA campus, Ketchum, 33, had shot and killed himself.
https://www.wkow.com/news/digging-deeper/no-reason-for-them-to-turn-him-away-marine-s-suicide-inspires-new-federal-law/article_ea9d57e3-a08b-56d6-8e7d-aed694e7f124.html
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Not nearly enough. My son was having to wait 3 weeks for a bed when he killed himself in 2015. Shame on the VA!
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