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Creates a federal effort to improve mental health supports for 9‑1‑1 public safety telecommunicators by (1) directing the Secretary to develop and update evidence‑based best practices and educational resources on PTSD, suicide risk, and related conditions for telecommunicators and clinicians who treat them, and (2) establishing a new HHS grant program to help emergency communications centers and eligible nonprofit/public‑safety organizations start or strengthen behavioral health, wellness, and peer‑support programs. The bill defines eligible telecommunicators and emergency communications centers and requires consultation with public‑health and clinical experts when producing guidance.
The bill would expand evidence-based mental-health guidance and grant-supported programs to improve care and resilience for public-safety telecommunicators, but benefits may be uneven and could shift implementation costs and administrative burdens onto small, rural centers, local governments, and taxpayers.
Public-safety telecommunicators (e.g., 911 dispatchers and call-takers) will gain access to evidence-based guidance and funded behavioral-health programs to identify, prevent, and treat PTSD and related conditions, improving access to appropriate care and reducing job-related trauma impacts.
Mental-health clinicians treating telecommunicators will receive targeted resources and training about emergency communications center culture and stressors, improving the effectiveness of care for this workforce.
Emergency communications centers can use grant funds for training materials, instructors, and peer-support program development, strengthening workforce capacity and enabling earlier intervention for staff mental-health needs.
Smaller and rural emergency communications centers may lack capacity to implement guidance or to apply for and administer grants, so telecommunicators in those communities could be left without improved services.
If implementation of the guidance is not federally funded, states and local emergency communications centers could face additional costs to train staff or adopt new programs, creating fiscal pressure on local budgets.
If Congress funds the grant program, federal spending (and thus taxpayer burden) will increase without specified offsets.
Introduced April 17, 2025 by Robin L. Kelly · Last progress April 17, 2025