Help the Helpers

Engagement #9A: 
Provide support to individuals with occupational exposure to secondary trauma from working in the justice system, crisis response, and as first responders and their families.

Sponsored by:

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Project Information

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IBHC Help the Helpers Update Narrative 2026 Q1

The IBHC Help the Helpers Team began with a summit to conduct a mapping session where they identified 13 priorities. The team members voted on their top priorities, which eventually were combined into 5 action items below.

1. Research and review other state and local practices to explore successful models for addressing behavioral health and mental wellness for first responders/helpers and their families, and report findings and recommendations back to the implementation team.  The members of this action item team reviewed a comprehensive article on statutes, policies, and programs in other states, using it as a starting point to explore different models.  They eventually determined that Utah’s enacted legislation provided a good model for Idaho to follow.

• Educate stakeholders about the needs of first responders and make needed statutory changes.  The team reviewed existing Idaho for potential changes, and IDOC proposed draft changes to Idaho Code 9-208 to expand the definition of first responders to include adult and juvenile correctional officers, and adult and juvenile probation and parole officers. The legislative changes were prepared for the 2026 legislative session, however they were rescinded due to potential budget impacts. The purpose of including these occupations in the definition is to allow them access to mental health treatment as part of workers’ compensation. The action item’s other objective is to educate stakeholders about the needs of first responders, including those in the newly expanded definition. This group intends to host an information session for legislators prior to or at the beginning of the 2027 legislative session.

• Create a joint task force or organization at the state level to support the behavioral health and mental wellness of first responders long-term. The team first met to determine whom to recruit for the task force. After initial outreach, they regrouped to clarify the purpose of the task force. They developed a list of talking points to help them get buy-in from the various occupational groups.

• Implement a statewide first responder wellness app and provide resources and identify long-term sources of funding. IDOC and ISP each maintain beneficial first responder wellness apps, albeit different brands. The goal is to make a wellness app available to all first responder agencies in the state. The team members identified opioid settlement funds as an allowable source of funding for the app.  They met with the Idaho Military Division as a potential recipient of state funds, and their Bureau of EMS agreed to be the administrative entity for the app. They were not successful in securing funding before the 2026 legislative session, so they plan to try again in 2027.

• Promote credentialing or specialized training for working with first responders to behavioral health educators, graduate programs, professional associations, and licensing boards. The team members met to identify requirements for an Idaho-specific credential but has taken a hiatus due to other professional and personal obligations.