WORCESTER, Mass. - Health leaders and first responders are partnering to bring awareness to firefighter mental health.

The Last Call Foundation gave UMass Chan Medical School a $200,000 grant for a new research and education program. 

Some of the grant money will be used to teach medical students about the occupational hazards associated with firefighting and the long-term effects it has on firefighters. 

Money will also be used for research on how to better improve firefighter care. 

The med school will also host several lectures about recognizing the stressors firefighters face, which they say can contribute to addiction and mental health crises.

"The firefighting community itself is well aware of their occupational hazards, and they know they're at that disproportionate risk for occupational cancers, mental health disorders” said Timothy Boardman, MD, assistant professor of emergency medicine at UMass Chan. “But part of the barrier is how to convey that information to health care providers who may not have the same knowledge.  And so, part of this lecture series is to help facilitate that conversation. You know, give firefighters and first responders the tools they need to interact with the medical community. But the same time, educating the medical community to be more receptive of that information."

The first lecture is this Friday from three to five in the afternoon in the Albert Sherman Center Auditorium at UMass Chan.

It's open to all firefighters, first responders, medical students and professionals.