|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
At a time when our first responders and their families, our Heroes, are dealing with professional and personal challenges that they haven’t faced before, the State of Florida and the Department of Child and Families are answering the call and collaborating with 211 Broward and 211 Palm Beach and Treasure Coast to launch Hero4Hero, a 24/7 confidential comprehensive peer support line.
Hero4Hero serves current and former first responders, including 911 Dispatchers, Corrections/Detention Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Firefighters, Paramedics, Law Enforcement, and their families. The support line is staffed by former first responders (First Responder Peer Support Specialists) who are extensively trained to provide comprehensive peer support to other current and former first responders and their families.
Hero4Hero provides toll-free access to regional, statewide, and national resources that can help address the behavioral health needs of first responders and their families. First responders and their family members can reach the support line at 866-760-HERO (4376) or learn more at www.Hero4Hero.org.
The repeated exposure to stressful and disturbing events can take a toll and create mental health challenges and PTSD for both responders and/or their family members. More than half of first responders surveyed described their stress levels as acute, episodic, or chronic, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families and Division of Emergency Management. But while firefighters, police officers, 911 dispatchers, corrections officers and emergency service personnel are the first to respond to emergencies, they are sometimes the last to ask for help.
The new Hero4Hero support line helps target the complex needs of first responders and their family members who are coping with stress, trauma, depression, thoughts of suicide, and other pressures from daily life. Hero4Hero aims to transform system-wide suicide prevention to save lives in the first responder community by facilitating access to community resources, emotional support, crisis support, trauma-informed care, care coordination, mental health and substance use treatment, and suicide prevention.
Here are some additional statistics on first responders’ mental health, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health:
- Law enforcement officers and firefighters are more likely to die by suicide than in the line of duty.
- EMS providers are 1.39 times more likely to die by suicide than the public.
- Between 17% and 24% of public safety telecommunicators have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and 24% have symptoms of depression.
Calls to the Hero4Hero support line are confidential and can be anonymous. For example, the support line is not affiliated not affiliated with first responders’ employers, insurances, or employee assistance programs.
This support line is supported by the Southeast Florida First Responder Support Coalition, a partnership between 211 Broward, 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, Group Victory, Public Safety Chaplaincy, Southeast Florida Behavioral Health Network, and United Way of Broward County.
First responders and their families are there for us. Hero4Hero is here for them. There is strength in reaching out.
Like us or follow Hero4Hero on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hero4Hero_
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/
About 211 Broward:
The mission of 211 Broward is to provide a 24-hour comprehensive helpline and support services to individuals and families in our community seeking crisis intervention assistance and/or information and connections to health and human services in Broward County. To connect with 211 Broward, dial 2-1-1 or 954-537-0211, download the app and/or text zip code to 898211. For more information regarding 211 and how you can help, please contact Tracy Schuldiner, Chief Advancement & Community Relations Officer, at 754-551-4172 or visit www.211-broward.org.
About 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast:
The mission of 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast is to save lives through crisis intervention and by connecting people to health, mental health, and wellness services 24 hours a day every day. To connect with 211 Palm Beach/Treasure Coast, dial 2-1-1 or 561-383-1112, text your zip code to 898211 or email help@211pbtc.org.
