U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced the bipartisan ‘First Responders Wellness Act ’ that would establish a grant program to expand professional mental health services for law enforcement officers.
The Ruderman Family Foundation issued a report documenting that police and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty and up to a quarter of all public safety telecommunicators have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. The “First Responders Wellness Act,” aims to help with the high rates of mental illness among first responders.
“Our first responders put their lives on the line every day for us. The least we can do is support them in the halls of Congress,” said Senator Hawley.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says that an estimated 30% of first responders, including police, firefighters, and emergency medical services staff, develop some sort of behavioral health condition, compared to roughly 20% of the general population. Those conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and suicidal ideation.
To address this prevalence of mental illness among first responders, Gillibrand and Hawley’s bill would direct a $125 million federal grant program over five years for training mental healthcare providers so they can best serve law enforcement officers.
“Our first responders put themselves in extremely challenging and life-threatening situations in order to keep us safe. Unfortunately, it takes a toll; first responders face higher rates of PTSD and suicide compared to the civilian population,” Gillibrand said.
The bill would also direct the development of a special telephone hotline for first responders in crisis. The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to submit an annual report to Congress on the hotline, its use, and implementation timeline. The program would be funded with $50 million over five years.
The Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations, the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, and many other state-wide and national law enforcement and emergency personnel groups support this legislation.
“Law enforcement officers routinely encounter highly volatile, chaotic, and dangerous situations that put them in physical jeopardy. There is also overwhelming evidence that the cumulative and corrosive effects of the mental stresses suffered by officers in the line of duty inflict ‘invisible injuries’ which can be just as disabling—or as deadly—as any physical injury,” said Fraternal Order of Police National President, Patrick Yoes.