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Protecting the Health, Rights, and Privacy of our First Responders and Medical Workers is not just a duty—it’s an investment.

Prioritizing Mental Health for Safer Communities

We count on our First Responders and Medical Workers to take care of us on the worst days of our lives. But when tragedy is an everyday occurrence, the emotional toll can be overwhelming. Without proper mental health support, these dedicated professionals may struggle to cope with their experiences, leading to burnout, decreased effectiveness, and even personal crises.

Protective Measures Are Incomplete

We equip police with body armor to protect against bullets, provide gloves for paramedics to guard against disease, and supply firefighters with gear to shield them from flames. Yet, we do nothing to safeguard their mental health.

Preventing Tragic Encounters

Most, if not all, of the tragic encounters between first responders and citizens could be prevented or mitigated with better mental health treatment and support for both parties.

Practicing Proactive Care

Just as we conduct regular maintenance on our vehicles and equipment, mental health maintenance must be integrated into our support systems.

A Cost-Effective Investment

Ensuring the well-being of our First Responders and Medical Workers is far more cost-effective than replacing them. Let's prioritize their care to safeguard both their future and our community’s resilience.

“I believe in my heart that if we get organized, come up with a good plan, and then approach the lawmakers together, we can get significant funding and save many lives.”

– Joseph Mery, USMC, ret., OIF I & OIF II-II

Mapping a Path Forward

First Responders and Healthcare Workers, like our military, are exposed to extraordinary danger and human suffering on a regular basis. To cope in such environments, many learn to “turn off” their emotions and compartmentalize stressful, tragic, and gruesome events that they experience, witness or even hear about.

Allowing them to face these challenges alone is both irresponsible and unethical.

What they encounter on a daily basis, and the severity of the consequences, points to an urgent need for a comprehensive support system.

Our long-term vision is to create a unified care network for First Responders and Medical Workers across the country. As a crucial first step towards this vision, our immediate goal is to establish a federally funded “First Responder and Medical Worker Back-up Line” modeled after the Veteran Crisis Line.

What we’re already doing

Voices of Change

The Burden of Duty is a series of interviews led by Joseph Mery, SGT, USMC (ret), OIF I & OIF II-II with local Houston Community First Responders and Military Veterans focusing on PTSD, information, education, response, assistance and what our community can do to help.

Podcast episodes

Click to read more about the podcast or listen to all six episodes.