H.R. 6601 — CARE for First Responders Act

This section expands eligibility for crisis counseling assistance and training under Section 416(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (i.e., grants to state mental health agencies to assist victims of major disasters in relieving mental and emotional stress) to include qualified emergency response providers responding to major disasters. The section also adds definitions to Section 102 of the act for (1) public safety telecommunicator (i.e., occupation 43-5031 in the Standard Occupational Classification Manual of the Office of Management and Budget issued in 2018, or any successor designation), and (2) qualified emergency response providers (i.e., emergency response providers as defined in section 2 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and public safety telecommunicators).

This section establishes, not later than two years after enactment, a comprehensive mental health program for qualified emergency response providers (i.e., emergency response providers as defined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002 and public safety telecommunicators) administered by the Secretary of Health and Human Services through the Assistant Secretary for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The program requires (1) 24-hour mental health care availability; (2) a confidential, toll-free hotline operated through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline staffed by trained personnel; (3) outreach and education programs for providers and families, with priority for those responding to major disasters (as defined in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act), to reduce mental illness stigma, promote treatment-seeking and coping skills, and address post-disaster readjustment; (4) a peer support counseling program using trained active and retired providers for assistance, outreach, and coordination with relevant entities including under Stafford Act training authorities; and (5) research on best practices for mental health services and suicide prevention, conducted in consultation with the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the United States Fire Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This section further establishes a competitive grant program, administered by the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, under which eligible entities may receive funds to create mobile health care delivery units providing linguistically and culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, short-term crisis services incorporating disaster behavioral interventions to qualified emergency response providers during major disasters, including mobile crisis response, triage, screening, stabilization, referral, crisis planning, consultation, and resilience training.