Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand speaks in Watertown in summer 2020. (Provided photo — Sydney Schaefer, Watertown Daily Times)

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced a bipartisan bill to expand mental health care services for first responders.

In an announcement on Wednesday, Gillibrand said her “First Responders Wellness Act,” introduced with Sen. Joshua D. Hawley, R-Mo., would take meaningful, nationwide steps to address the high rates of mental illness among first responders.

“Our first responders put themselves in extremely challenging and life-threatening situations in order to keep us safe. Unfortunately, it takes a toll; first responders face higher rates of PTSD and suicide compared to the civilian population,” Gillibrand said.

The senator cited data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which shows that an estimated 30% of first responders, including police, firefighters and emergency medical services staff, develop some sort of behavioral health condition, compared to roughly 20% of the general population. Those conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and suicidal ideation.

A report from the Ruderman Family Foundation, a Boston-based, Jewish, family-run private philanthropic foundation, found that specifically police and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.

To address this prevalence of mental illness among first responders, Gillibrand and Hawley’s bill would direct a federal grant program for training mental healthcare providers so they can best serve law enforcement officers. It would direct $125 million over five years into the grant program.

The bill would also direct the development of a special telephone hotline for first responders in crisis, similar to the national 988 hotline that has been formalized in recent years. The secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to submit an annual report to Congress on the hotline, its use and implementation timeline. The program would be funded with $50 million over five years.

The bill has support from a number of national and New York police groups, including the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Association of Police Organizations and the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association.

“By creating programs to develop culturally competent mental health counselors and peer support specialists, we address a critical gap in the mental health resources available to those who serve on the front lines,” said Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National President Mathew Silverman. “The leadership of Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Josh Hawley in this initiative, along with the collaborative efforts of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, ensures that first responders will have access to a crisis hotline staffed by individuals who truly understand their experiences and needs.”