‘We want people to stay’: North Memorial EMS workers organize for better support

When Grace Gutlovics was 21 and newly employed as a paramedic, she experienced a “mental health crisis” that led her to spend 35 days at a treatment center for first responders.

At the time, Gutlovics had been working in emergency medical services for about three years, and needed help coping with the trauma associated with her job and deciding whether she could continue working in the field.

“I didn’t have a therapist, and mental health is relatively stigmatized within our field,” Gutlovics said. “A lot of people think that it's just part of the job … when you see something traumatic, that's just what you signed up for. But that doesn't mean that your brain was wired to process stuff like that.”

Through her union, she was referred to the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Center of Excellence, a behavioral health and recovery center for IAFF members. There, she found the support that shaped her p...