First appearance on FOXTwo senators, one Democrat and one Republican, are pushing new legislation to address growing mental health issues among emergency medical personnel.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Wednesday jointly introduced the First Responders Wellness Act, which would create a grant program to provide mental health resources and services to police officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel and public safety dispatchers. It would also establish a mental health hotline to support first responders.
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Gillibrand and Hawley have partnered to address mental health issues among emergency responders. (Getty Images)
“I am proud to work with Senator Hawley on this important legislation and look forward to seeing it become law,” Gillibrand said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “First responders put themselves in extremely difficult and life-threatening situations to keep us safe. Unfortunately, it comes at a cost: First responders experience higher rates of PTSD and suicide than the general public.”
“We must support the men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting ours. The bipartisan First Responder Health Act would create a new grant program to provide specialized and culturally competent mental health services to law enforcement officers and establish a mental health hotline for the first responder community,” she added.
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Lawmakers cited a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration that noted emergency responders are essentially “at great risk of exposure to potentially traumatic situations that put them at risk of harm to themselves or those under their care.” (Beata Saurzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“I am proud to work with Senator Gillibrand on another important bill,” Hawley said in a statement. “First responders put their lives on the line for us every day, and supporting them in Congress is the least we can do.”
The bill would allocate $125 million over the next five years for the new grant program, with another $50 million over the same period to set up a support hotline.
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SAMHSA concluded that emergency medical personnel are at high risk for mental health issues. (iStock)
The lawmakers cited a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that noted that emergency responders are inherently “at great risk of exposure to potentially traumatic situations that put them at risk of harm to themselves or those under their care.”
“This poses significant risks to emergency responders’ behavioral health, putting them at risk for stress, PTSD, depression, substance use, suicidal thoughts and attempts,” the SAMHSA report said.
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Those who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11 suffered significant and lasting physical and mental health effects for decades after the terrorist attacks. (Getty Images)
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Gillibrand represents New York, the city where the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history took place on September 11, 2001. Hijackers deliberately crashed two passenger planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers struggled to regain control.
In total, the attacks killed approximately 3,000 innocent people and injured approximately 6,000. Many of the emergency responders and law enforcement personnel who responded to the World Trade Center on 9/11 have suffered significant and lasting physical and mental health damage for more than two decades since the terrorist attacks.
