HB 213 — 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.

PRINTER'S NO.   160

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 213
                                                Session of
                                                  2025

     INTRODUCED BY BOROWSKI, PROKOPIAK, KHAN, GREEN, SIEGEL, SANCHEZ,
        GUENST, VENKAT, PIELLI, McNEILL, KENYATTA, MALAGARI, GIRAL,
        OTTEN, HILL-EVANS, CIRESI, HOHENSTEIN, SCHLOSSBERG, DALEY,
        DEASY AND MADDEN, JANUARY 17, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 17, 2025


                                     AN ACT
 1   Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
 2      Consolidated Statutes, in emergency responder mental wellness
 3      and stress management, further providing for confidential
 4      communications involving emergency responders and providing
 5      for mental health evaluations for 911 dispatchers.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Section 75A10(a) and (b)(1) of Title 35 of the
 9   Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:
10   § 75A10.    Confidential communications involving emergency
11                 responders.
12      (a)     Disclosure.--Except as provided under subsection (b), a
13   trained peer support provider or coparticipant present during
14   peer support services, a health care provider or a helpline
15   operator may not disclose any information regarding an emergency
16   responder without the consent of the emergency responder.
17      (b)     Exceptions.--The privilege established under subsection
18   (a) shall not apply if any of the following apply:
 1            (1)   The trained peer support provider, health care
 2      provider or helpline operator reasonably believes a clear and
 3      present danger exists to the emergency responder or to other
 4      individuals.
 5            * * *
 6      Section 2.     Title 35 is amended by adding a section to read:
 7   § 75A12.    Mental health evaluations for 911 dispatchers.
 8      (a)     Evaluations.--Without cost to the 911 dispatcher, an
 9   employer shall provide a 911 dispatcher with a mental health
10   evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder by a licensed
11   health care provider:
12            (1)   upon request of the 911 dispatcher; or
13            (2)   upon recommendation of the direct supervisor of the
14      911 dispatcher.
15      (b)     Treatment.--If a licensed health care provider
16   determines during the mental health evaluation under subsection
17   (a) that the 911 dispatcher has symptoms of post-traumatic
18   stress disorder, the 911 dispatcher shall be provided with
19   treatment under a licensed health care provider's care until the
20   licensed health care provider determines in writing that the 911
21   dispatcher is able to resume full duties.
22      (c)     Administrative duty.--A 911 dispatcher shall be assigned
23   to administrative duty if the 911 dispatcher is experiencing
24   symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder as determined by a
25   licensed health care provider under subsection (a) and whom the
26   licensed health care provider has not yet determined is able to
27   resume full duties under subsection (b).
28      Section 3.     This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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