HR2830-119

What This Bill Does

The Public Safety Officer Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury Health Act adds section 393E to the Public Health Service Act. HHS, acting through CDC, must collect and make public information on concussion and traumatic brain injury among public safety officers. That includes evidence-based practices, personal protective equipment recommendations, medical information about diagnosis, protocols for identifying and treating TBI, and measures to reduce TBI incidence among firefighters, law enforcement, and other public safety officers. CDC must update its traumatic brain injury website and disseminate information to medical and public health professionals, public safety employers and employee representatives, mental health professionals, patients and families, institutions of higher education, medical schools, public-health schools, and researchers. HHS must consult those groups while developing the website and may work with nonprofits, labor organizations, other governments, and media. The Secretary may also support model guidelines, protocols, and evidence-based practices through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.

Who Benefits and How

Public safety officers benefit because CDC information would focus on diagnosing, treating, and reducing concussion and TBI in their work. Firefighters benefit from public safety-specific guidance on traumatic brain injury risks from firefighting and fire protection activities. Law enforcement officers benefit from better information on protective equipment, protocols, and mental-health links tied to TBI. Medical professionals treating public safety officers benefit from CDC-curated information and model practices.

Who Bears the Burden and How

CDC traumatic brain injury staff must collect information, update the website, consult stakeholders, and disseminate materials. Public safety employers must absorb and apply new guidance on reducing TBI risk and improving care practices. Mental health professionals must integrate information on links between TBI, trauma, stress disorders, mood disorders, and suicidal ideation. Federal taxpayers bear any grant, contract, or cooperative-agreement costs used to support model guidelines and evidence-based practices.

Key Provisions

• Requires CDC to collect and publish concussion and TBI information for public safety officers.
• Directs CDC to update its traumatic brain injury website and disseminate information to medical, public-safety, mental-health, patient, family, and research audiences.
• Requires stakeholder consultation so website content fits public safety community needs.
• Authorizes support for model guidelines, protocols, and evidence-based practices through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements.