An Act amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in emergency responder mental wellness and stress management, further providing for confidential communications . . .involving emergency responders and providing for mental health evaluations for 911 dispatchers.
Summary
HB213 amends Pennsylvania’s emergency responder mental wellness and stress management provisions in Title 35. First, it broadens the confidentiality rule for peer support and related communications involving emergency responders by specifying that trained peer support providers, health care providers, or helpline operators may not disclose information about an emergency responder without consent, except when they reasonably believe there is a clear and present danger to the responder or others.
Second, the bill creates a new section requiring employers to provide 911 dispatchers, at no cost, with a mental health evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder by a licensed health care provider. The evaluation must be available either at the dispatcher’s request or upon recommendation of a direct supervisor. If PTSD symptoms are found, the dispatcher must receive treatment until the provider certifies in writing that the dispatcher can return to full duties, and the dispatcher must be assigned to administrative duty in the meantime.
Impact
The bill would add new statutory protections and procedures in Title 35 for emergency responder mental health, specifically expanding confidentiality protections and establishing an employer-funded PTSD evaluation and treatment framework for 911 dispatchers. It would affect emergency responder peer support programs, health care providers, helpline operators, 911 dispatch centers, and employers responsible for dispatch personnel, while creating a new administrative-duty requirement during treatment. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be framed as a supportive workplace mental health bill for first responders and dispatchers. Its structure suggests a generally protective and remedial intent, focusing on confidentiality, access to evaluation, and return-to-duty standards rather than discipline or liability. No contrary sentiment is documented in the available record.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the employer costs of providing free PTSD evaluations and treatment, the operational impact of removing dispatchers from full duty while they are under care, and the scope of the confidentiality exception for a “clear and present danger” determination. Another possible issue is how supervisors’ recommendations trigger evaluations and how those decisions would be implemented in practice. No specific objections or supporters are recorded in the provided committee or vote history.
In general provisions, further providing for definitions; in Commonwealth services, further providing fordefinitions relating to intrastate mutual aid; and, in emergency responder mental wellness and stress management, further providing for definitions.
In general provisions, further providing for definitions; in Commonwealth services, further providing for definitions; and, in emergency responder mental wellness and stress management, further providing for definitions.
In emergency medical services system, further providing for emergency medical responders, for emergency medical technicians, for emergency medical services vehicle operators and for advanced life support ambulances.
Establishing the First Responder Resilience Grant Program and the First Responder Resilience Grant Program Fund; and imposing duties on the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.