VA Secretary Doug Collins and Kennedy signed a memorandum of understanding at VA headquarters implementing President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14401, which directs federal agencies to accelerate medical treatments for serious mental illness by expanding research, increasing clinical trial participation and improving coordination among agencies responsible for evaluating and delivering new therapies.
The agreement establishes closer collaboration between the two departments to expand clinical trials, train therapists and physicians, share research data with the Food and Drug Administration, and develop treatment protocols so veterans can more quickly access psychedelic-assisted therapies if the FDA determines they are safe and effective.
The memorandum calls for the departments to:
Nearly 6 million veterans live with mental illness or substance use disorders. About a million of them have serious mental illness, Kennedy said during the signing ceremony. These Americans answered our nation's call. Now it is our turn to answer theirs. They deserve more than sympathy. They deserve every opportunity to heal.
Kennedy said the administration intends to follow science rather than politics as it evaluates emerging therapies.
"Strong evidence, not ideology or politics, must guide our medical decision making in this country," he said. "These studies will help determine which therapies work, what the proper dosage is, which patients benefit, and how we can deliver these treatments safely."