By Spectrum News NY1 New York | Aug. 06, 2024
“What we do and what we see is hard,” says Carlos Lizcano, a paramedic with the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).
Lizcano has worked as a paramedic for the city’s fire department for 30 years.
He says seeing so many deaths during the pandemic affected his mental health.
“I decided to seek therapy on my own, you understand, but it wasn’t just anything; the fact that the fire department gave me that meant that I had to seek it out myself,” says Carlos Lizcano.
But a bipartisan bill could change that.
The First Responders Wellness Act will provide $125 million over the next five years to provide mental health care and $50 million to offer telephone mental health counseling.
Would establish a program to expand mental health services with culturally competent professionals for law enforcement officers.
It would also direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a national mental health hotline for frontline workers.
Senator Kristen Gillibrand said:
“These funds and the helpline will be essential to expanding the mental health resources available to our frontline workers.”
She was the one who introduced the legislation along with Republican Senator Josh Hawley.
He added that the national line will function as the crisis number 988 and will have an option directed at these workers.
Oren Barzilay, president of the Fire Department Paramedics Union Local 2507 explains:
“It’s wonderful that state, federal and city officials want to help with the mental health care of essential workers.”
He added that since the pandemic, a dozen colleagues committed suicide.
According to Lizcano, financial stress is one of the biggest problems for his colleagues as salaries are very low and some even live in shelters.
“It is time for the fire department and the mayor’s office, the people who make the laws and everything, to start helping us and I am glad that it is happening now,” he added.
Senators hope to hold a vote on the bill next year.