Bill > HR3671

This bill, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act, aims to improve the detection, prevention, and treatment of mental health issues among public safety officers. It has several key provisions: 1. It establishes the Public Safety Officer Suicide Reporting System, which will collect data on suicide incidence among public safety officers, including firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, and 911 dispatchers, to facilitate the study of interventions to reduce suicide in this population. 2. It authorizes grants to establish or enhance peer-support behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and emergency medical service agencies, using trained peer counselors to provide confidential support services. 3. It authorizes grants to establish or enhance behavioral health and wellness programs for healthcare providers, including confidential support services and peer counseling training. 4. It requires the development of resources to educate mental health professionals on the culture, stressors, and common mental health issues of firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. 5. It directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop and update evidence-based best practices and resources to identify, prevent, and treat post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in public safety officers.