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Mental Health in Aviation Act builds on efforts by UND, which continue to spread internationally

This year, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., introduced the Mental Health in Aviation Act, the Senate companion to H.R. 2591, referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, University of North Dakota began addressing pilot student mental health and created a task force after FAA medical-certification scrutiny; Beth Bjerke said that was "kind of the gut punch".
The Aviation Mental Health Symposium became international this year on Nov. 10, and state funding earlier this year allocated $250,000 to establish the North Dakota Center for Aerospace Medicine.
Lawmakers say the bill encourages pilots and air traffic controllers to seek care and aims to reduce stigma and prolonged uncertainty in the FAA special-issuance medical certification process.
Demand from other programs suggests the University of North Dakota model could expand nationally, as other collegiate aviation programs seek peer supporters and collaboration with industry partners and mental health professionals.

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Mental Health in Aviation Act builds on efforts by UND, which continue to spread internationally

GRAND FORKS — When Sky Overbo began her work as an embedded aviation psychologist at the University of North Dakota, it was a “fast and furious” learning experience going through regulations and training, she said. Her hiring is one of multiple steps the university has taken to improve mental health care for aviation professionals like pilots and air traffic controllers. What Overbo found was surprising. “It was a shell shock — a culture shock f…

2 days ago·Cherokee County, United States

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