- Published: Wednesday, May 19, 2021 02:57 PM
SPRINGFIELD – State Senator Bill Cunningham passed legislation out of the Senate Behavioral and Mental Health Committee that would help promote mental health treatment for police officers and firefighters by providing better focus for the First Responder Suicide Prevention Task Force.
“First responders have difficult, stressful, important jobs,” said Cunningham, a Democrat who represents portions of Chicago and the southwest suburbs. “They need and deserve more mental health support.”
According to studies cited by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, firefighters consider and attempt suicide at a higher rate than the general population, and nationally, between 125 and 300 police officers commit suicide every year.