    [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2025)]
    [Senate]
    [Pages S1424-S1425]
    From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

               RECOGNIZING THE JOLIET EMS/FIRE DEPARTMENT PROGRAM

      Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, earlier this month, I had the pleasure of
    meeting with leaders from Joliet, IL--including Mayor Terry D'Arcy,
    city manager Beth Beatty, fire chief Jeff Carey, deputy chief of health
    services Aaron Kozlowski, emergency management coordinator Dr. John
    Lukancic, and Sister Mary Francis Seely.
      I take dozens of meetings every week in my office here in Washington,
    but I was struck by the remarkable work underway in Joliet. Joliet is
    the third-largest city in Illinois, and like all communities, it faces
    its share of challenges. But over the past few years, Joliet has
    launched an incredible program to address mental health and addiction
    among its residents.
      Starting in 2020, Joliet noticed that mental and behavioral health
    calls accounted for a growing percentage of the 9-1-1 calls. The fire
    department was spending less time putting out fires--and more time
    responding to people in mental health crisis. Some residents were
    dialing 9-1-1 regularly--several times a week--because they were facing
    underlying mental health needs. This cost the city money. It strained
    resources. But most of all, it meant residents of Joliet were
    suffering. So they decided to do something about it.
      Joliet began by training 200 firefighters and paramedics in ``crisis
    first aid,'' to be able to respond appropriately to callers in mental
    health distress. You see, after experiencing trauma--like witnessing a
    shooting or seeing their home destroyed by a fire--people can suffer.
    Exposure to trauma can harm the brain, changing the way people see and
    interact with the world.
      We know that young people who experience trauma have a shorter life
    expectancy, are more likely to misuse drugs, attempt suicide, commit
    violence, or not graduate from high school. By providing Joliet
    firefighters with the tools to help individuals facing trauma, these
    first responders are able to recognize the signs of stress, and plant
    the seeds of a healthier tomorrow. It also helps the firefighters
    understand their own mental health needs from the strains of the job,
    so we can keep them healthy, too.
      Additionally, after being dispatched to one of these serious calls,
    the Joliet Fire Department pays a follow-up visit within 48 hours.
    These visits help to show residents that someone cares and is looking
    out for them; it helps calm them down and can help provide referrals to
    additional services the residents may need.
      In less than 3 years, the Joliet Fire Department has provided more
    than 2,000 Joliet residents with these mental health services. Think
    about this for a moment: Rather than just throwing up their hands and
    saying, ``Sorry, we just fight fires,'' Joliet is taking ownership of
    the community's needs and preventing future 9-1-1 calls.
      But they are not stopping there. Of course, not every patient's
    mental health needs can be addressed by first responders; some
    individuals require specialized treatment from a professional. But in
    Joliet, like most places across the country, there is a shortage of
    counselors and psychologists, causing waitlists that can last for
    months until the next available appointment. And what Joliet had
    realized was that, if a patient couldn't see a mental health provider,
    they were resorting to calling 9-1-1 and taking an ambulance to the
    emergency room.
      It is similar to a problem that the University of Illinois Hospital
    in Chicago was seeing: where 48 individuals accounted for more than 776
    visits to the emergency room in a single year. The reason? They were
    homeless. That hospital realized they could save money and better treat
    these patients, by paying for supportive housing.
      Joliet is applying a similar lesson. They have partnered with the
    local hospital and a mental health company to offer free mental health
    services with a clinician, usually within 24 hours. Whatever insurance
    won't cover, the city has set up a fund to pay the co-pays and other
    out-of-pocket expenses for the mental health care of its residents.
      What has been the result of this effort? Well, in the year before the
    program launched, Joliet area high schools experienced 12 teenage
    suicides. But in the last 2 school years, there have been zero teen
    suicides. Across all ages, citywide suicides have decreased by 50
    percent. That is lifesaving work. It is being recognized, too. Joliet
    recently received the Congressional Fire Service Award for Excellence.
      I hope to support this effort in any way I can. Illinois recently
    received Federal approval to use Medicaid to cover preventive mental
    health services in the community, which can reduce costs down the line.
    And with Senator Capito, I have worked on Federal legislation to
    increase funding for trauma-informed care in schools and with first
    responders, to help break the cycle of mental health challenges.
      I applaud the city of Joliet's efforts, which are serving as a new
    national model for emergency medical services and using first
    responders to address the root causes of suffering in the community. I
    look forward to working with them to identify additional Federal
    resources and opportunities to grow this project.
      But to do that, my Republican colleagues need to understand a few
    things: We must fund the Federal Government and the critical programs
    that pay our first responders--and not allow

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    Elon Musk to decide what he thinks is worthwhile spending; and Medicaid
    is the insurance program that pays the largest share of mental health
    services; we cannot slash the Medicaid program to pay for billionaire
    tax breaks.
      These may sound like distant debates in Washington, but when it comes
    to preventing suicides in Joliet, IL, it is a critical investment. And
    I will work every day to defend these programs.

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