[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

[[Page S1425]]

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.

                          ____________________