Mental Health And The Line Of Fire: How To Respond To First Responders

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The biggest killers of police officers and firefighters in Colorado is suicide. Between 2004 and 2014, three times as many police officers took their own lives than in all other line-of-duty deaths, according to the state Department of Health and Environment. Rhonda Kelly, who spent 17 years as a firefighter and paramedic in Aurora, tells Colorado Matters about a new survey that reveals a serious lack of access to mental healthcare and a lot of stigma around getting help for these first responders. She's now the project manager for ResponderStrong, a partnership with the National Mental Health Innovation Center at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, which conducted the survey.