Mental health care for 911 dispatchers gets boost with new law

A new state law classifies 911 dispatchers as first responders, expanding their access to mental health care and other wellness services. The law addresses the mental health challenges they face due to the routine but often disturbing calls they handle. Matthew Brown, chief of Allegheny County Emergency Services, said dispatchers deserve recognition and support for the difficult moments they help people through. Jon Jaso, a dispatcher from Sharpsburg, said the mental health services are needed after a fellow dispatcher was pushed to self-harm twice in as many years. Coverage will be provided for incidents that result in serious injury or death, involve minors, or pose an immediate threat to life.

The law also includes mental health supports and stress management resources. Gene Good, deputy director at Westmoreland County Department of Public Safety, said the legislation is long-deserved and on par with services provided to police, fire, and EMS personnel. In the state Senate, the bill was sponsored by Senator Katie Muth, D-Berks, and had bipartisan support from Senators Doug Mastriano, R-Adams; Michele Brooks, R-Lawrence; and Tracy Pennycuick, R-Berks. A companion bill in the House, sponsored by Representative Jessica Benham, D-Pittsburgh, passed unanimously.

Allegheny County dispatcher Michael Steinmiller was moved by the reclassification, which honors every voice behind the headset, every life saved, and every dispatcher who has ever answered a call. About 300 workers handle 1.5 million calls a year at the Allegheny County 911 Communications Center in Moon Township. In Westmoreland County, the Emergency Communications Center staffs about 60 people who process up to 52,000 calls a year. Brown said dispatchers are the first ‘first responders’ and that this recognition has been a long time coming.

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