MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – The interim study commission on PTSD in first responders met in Montgomery Tuesday morning to discuss how they want the state to address the mental health of Alabama’s first responders.
Education and prevention are the two things that were at the core of the ongoing discussion.
“There’s a lot of services out there. How do we corral all of that? How do we manage it? How do we see what’s working and not working?” asked Rep. Allen Treadaway (R-Morris), the chair of the commission.
Rep. Treadaway said there are resources around the state for first responders struggling with PTSD. However, there is not a ‘one-stop-shop’ to find them. He said the Alabama Department of Mental Health would be his pick for helping to facilitate that service.
The commission said they are focused on firefighters, police officers and they also heard concerns about dispatchers.
“[Dispatchers] are sometimes forgotten, and there is a big thing when you’re talking to someone on the phone on their worst day, and then you move on to the next call. There is something there,” said David Harer, president of the Professional Firefighters of Alabama.
Stigma is another hurdle to overcome; the group said they sent out a survey to get an idea of what barriers are preventing first responders from seeking help. They said they are worried about underreporting due to fear of being taken off of the job.
“It’s not if trauma’s going to happen to all of us in this room,” said Jason Smith, director of Veterans Program Development at Florida Springs Wellness and Recovery Center. “Trauma is going to happen. It’s how we are going to handle it.”
Rep. Treadaway also floated a potential bill that would help first responders suffering from debilitating PTSD to transition to other lines of work if needed. He said the bill would need $1 million in SEED funding. He said he is still open to feedback from commission members before officially prefiling the bill.
“We are tasked with working with the existing funding, but that doesn’t stop us from making recommendations [to the state legislature],” said Rep. Treadaway.
Anyone who is in need of crisis support can call the national hotline of 988. Veterans can push ‘1′ for direct access to specific assistance.
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