HAYS COUNTY, Texas — The Hays County EMS Association just succeeded in expanding mental health resources for its medics.
Since last September, the fairly new union has been working out its first collective bargaining agreement with San Marcos Hays County EMS. On Aug. 7, the union reached a stand-alone agreement that will expand access to mental health resources post-employment. It went into effect immediately.
“Now employees will have access to not only our peer support team, but our contracted therapist for a period up to 180 days, if needed, after employment, regardless of the terms of separation,” Zack Phillips, president of the Hays County EMS Association, said.
Phillips said timeouts will also be allowed after critical calls for peer support teams to mentally debrief crews. More mental health days off are also included.
He said it’s all in honor of an old friend.
“It really stemmed from a buddy of ours four years ago that worked for the company,” Phillips said. “Shortly after leaving the company, he ended up taking his own life.”
On the outside, Hayden Henshaw's friend and ambulance partner, Dylan Thompson, said you wouldn't have guessed Henshaw was struggling.
“He was just always positive. Loved helping people and made patients laugh all the time,” Thompson said.
Thompson met Henshaw in 2014 when they went to paramedic school, then got jobs at Hays County EMS together.
But Phillips said the work can get to people.
“We have to be ready at a moment's notice for the worst things that people see,” Phillips said. “So, that doesn’t always just stop when you clock out.”
Phillips said 80% of all first responders will report some type of mental trauma throughout their career. He also said one in three first responders experience PTSD. That number is one in five in the general population.
While mental health struggles aren't new to medics, Henshaw's death came as a shock to his coworkers.
“It was devastating to us,” Thompson said. “I think when something like that happens to someone so close to you, I mean, a part of you kind of goes with them.”
Thompson said after Henshaw’s death in March 2020, peer support teams with therapists and resources were established for Hays County EMS.
He said help can still be hard to ask for, so the union wants to expand resources even more.
“I think it needs to be more of an open conversation,” Thompson said. “I know in EMS, there's been a huge stigma with getting help and that's something that we need to break. We need to kill the stigma because the stigma is killing us.”
Phillips said the union's goal is to prevent deaths like Henshaw’s from happening again. He said they hope to eventually take this emphasis on mental health resources for first responders nationwide.
In the short term, Phillips said the union plans to start lobbying to bring legislation advocating for it in the next session.