HR1902-119

What This Bill Does

The HERO Act builds a mental-health data and support package for emergency responders and health care workers. It lets HHS and CDC develop the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, collect suicide totals and rates by age, gender, state, occupation, volunteer or paid status, and active or retired status, protect anonymity, integrate with the National Violent Death Reporting System when appropriate, and publish biennial reports with intervention options. It also authorizes grants to nonprofits with fire and EMS health-and-safety expertise to establish or expand peer-support behavioral health programs inside fire departments and EMS agencies. A parallel grant authority lets hospitals, critical access hospitals, disproportionate share hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and other health care facilities create confidential support, wellness seminars, and peer-counselor training for health care providers. The U.S. Fire Administration must create mental-health professional education resources about fire and EMS culture, stressors, retired personnel, and evidence-based therapies, and HHS must assemble and update PTSD and co-occurring-disorder best practices for public safety agencies.

Who Benefits and How

Public safety officers benefit from suicide data that can identify risks by occupation, status, state, and active or retired service. Firefighters and EMS personnel benefit from peer-support grants and mental-health resources tailored to responder culture and trauma exposure. Health care providers benefit from confidential support services, counseling, wellness seminars, and peer-counselor training after stressful patient events. Survivors of deceased public safety officers benefit because suicide-reporting data cannot be used to deny life insurance or other benefits. Mental health professionals benefit from federal resources explaining fire and EMS stressors and evidence-based therapies.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HHS and CDC must develop, secure, maintain, and report on the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System. The U.S. Fire Administration must create and publish education resources for mental health professionals. Hospitals, FQHCs, fire departments, and EMS agencies receiving grants must operate peer-support, counseling, training, and materials programs. Federal privacy officials must protect anonymity and ensure the data cannot be used against families seeking benefits.

Key Provisions

• Creates the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System with occupation, status, state, age, and gender data.
• Authorizes peer-support behavioral-health grants for fire departments and emergency medical service agencies.
• Authorizes behavioral-health and wellness grants for hospitals, critical access hospitals, FQHCs, and other health care facilities.
• Directs USFA and HHS to publish mental-health education resources and PTSD best practices for public safety officers.