RICHMOND HILL – As part of her three-day campaign tour in South Georgia, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms made a stop in Richmond Hill on Friday to discuss veterans’ issues, with a special focus on veterans’ healthcare needs.

She was joined at the roundtable by other statewide Democratic candidates – some of whom are veterans themselves – and local veteran community leaders.

“We are gathered to have some really important conversations, and not just for me to talk but most importantly for me to listen,” Bottoms said.

Owing to the presence of Fort Stewart, Bryan County is home to one of the largest veteran populations in the state, alongside neighboring Liberty and Effingham counties.

Pat Wilver, a U.S. Army veteran and former candidate for the U.S. House 1st District seat, appreciated Bottoms’ focus on South Georgia during her campaign tour

“There’s a lot of criticism that politicians never make it out of Atlanta, so I think the fact that they held this roundtable here in Richmond Hill, that they’re holding the convention (in Savannah) means a lot,” said Wilver.

Roundtable participant spoke out on issues such as long wait times at VA hospitals, the need for Medicaid expansion in Georgia and better mental health support and jobs for veterans.

Bottoms has made Medicaid expansion a central part of her campaign, a move that many at the roundtable believe is the right call to help veterans currently without health insurance, particularly in rural counties.

“Since Georgia has not expanded Medicaid, you have almost 400,000 people not covered, and the GREAT (Georgia Rural Enhancement and Transformation of Health) Help program that Georgia had put in place, right now is only covering about 17,000,” said Pam DeLancy, a retired U.S. Army colonel and Democratic nominee for Georgia's 10th U.S. House District.

“Georgia is not a veteran-friendly state,” said Shawn Harris, Democratic candidate for Georgia's 14th Congressional District, to applause from the crowd. A retired brigadier general, Harris described his difficulties with getting his mental health treatments covered by insurance.

“I pull up (to the facility], and the lady says to me, ‘We don’t take TRICARE anymore,’” Harris said.

Harris said what he thinks about is if he were a corporal and didn’t have anyone to call.

“E4 Harris would have been probably been dead,” he said. “This is why I’m getting the hell in this thing called politics.

“When we talk about mental health, it’s not always (about) the access, it's about those of us that do not get the access and no one knows it.”

The issue of jobs also came up, with speakers citing the link between poor mental health and poor employment outcomes for military veterans entering the civilian workforce.

“Mental health is a barrier to a lot of veterans getting good jobs”, said Nikki Porcher, Democratic nominee for state Labor Commissioner and U.S. Air Force veteran. “There’s a lot of disabled vets who are unable to actually work in the workplace.

“So when we’re talking about mental health, I don’t want to talk about just staying off the street, but also getting a job and getting a job that we feel valued in. A lot of us are going into the service and we’re not able to transition our service skills into the civilian world,” Porcher continued.

Paul Manley, a Vietnam vet and local builder based in Richmond Hill, said that the trades could be a good option for veterans looking for work after serving.

“There’s a need for highly skilled, trained people for the trades,” he said. “And trade unions are willing to train people and pay them if they’re being trained.”

Outreach was cited as a priority, with U.S. Army veteran and Bryan County NAACP chairperson Clyde Shepherd citing the veterans’ resource fair hosted in Richmond Hill by the Bryan County NAACP as an example to follow statewide.

Toward the end of the hour-long roundtable, Bottoms touched on her experience as Atlanta mayor in helping homeless veterans, with the city often working in conjunction with nonprofits such as the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation.

“But I know, that is not something that is being replicated in communities across the state,” she said.

The pressing desire to see better support for Georgia’s veterans and their families was shared throughout the room at Friday’s roundtable, motivating those running for office to drive change if they get elected.

“Right now, there are more young people in the Middle East earning the title of veteran. The reality is that we’re obligated to do something, because there is a whole ‘nother wave that’s coming,” Harris said.