Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue has announced a novel approach in response to mental and behavioral health needs.
On May 10 at CCFR Station 21, the district formally announced the start of the district’s pilot co-responder program. The program pairs a paramedic with a professional with experience in responding to calls to mental and behavioral health crises.
CCFR Chief John Nohr said the new unit is intended to address a gap in the district’s ability to address the jurisdiction’s needs. The district recently hired on a number of paramedics and emergency medical technicians, though it was missing support for other types of crises.
“They got a lot of great skill in helping out in medical emergencies, but what we don’t have the training or skill in is dealing with mental health emergencies,” Nohr said.
Historically, the district’s only avenue was to send patients to the hospital’s emergency department, or they would refuse services on scene, CCFR Community Risk Reduction Division Chief Mike Jackson said.
The paramedic is a CCFR staffer while the mental health professional is staffed by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, Jackson said. The overall program is funded by Carelon Behavioral Health, which administers behavioral health services for the region.
The pilot launched with 40 hours of staffing a week, which will increase to 80 hours by mid-June, Jackson said.
Jackson said the co-responder program was the next logical step for the district. Three years ago, they began their Community Assistance Referral and Education Services (CARES) program, which provides followup services and connection to community resources to keep CCFR’s emergency resources available.
“Now that next step with Carelon Behavioral Health and Sea Mar is helping to further that and meet folks at their more urgent time of need and their place of need throughout our district,” Jackson said.
Currently, the program usually has one to three responses per 10-hour shift, Jackson said. The program covers CCFR’s jurisdiction, which includes Woodland, Ridgefield, La Center and unincorporated areas of northwest Clark County.
Calls for the program come in through 911, Jackson said. In some cases, police have already arrived on scene and identified the need for the response, with the program team serving as a way to deescalate situations.
“A lot of times, it’s just helping folks navigate the systems that are out there,” Jackson said.
The reputation of the fire service also helps in providing a “calm, trusted voice” to help those going through a mental health crisis.
Having the co-responders allows CCFR to put their other response resources back in service quickly or keep them in service altogether, he said.
“For us, it’s critically important that we keep units in service to respond to critical calls, and this helps us do that,” Jackson said.
On the very first response by the team, another call came in, Jackson said. Because of the co-responder team, the other responding unit was able to handle the call CCFE had just received.
“We’ve already experienced some success,” Jackson said.
The co-response unit can provide connection to a detox center or the client’s care providers and can set up safety plans with loved ones until further resources are secured, he said.
“It’s really on a case by case basis, but having those folks with that expertise that can really help dissect those problems … is a new tool,” Jackson said.
The program is allotted just under $1 million, which funds staffing, equipment and response vehicles, Jackson said. The program began about six weeks prior to the formal launch and will last about a year.
As the regional behavioral health administrator organization, Carelon has responsibility for crisis services for Clark, Skamania and Klickitat counties, Account Partnership Director Leah Becknell said.
Most co-response units partnered with law enforcement, she said. Carelon was looking for the possibility of partnering with another type of agency for the resource.
“Many people with behavioral health challenges are triggered by law enforcement,” Becknell said.
Having a different partner agency could work toward keeping subjects of the response from inadvertently ending up in jail.
“Fire and rescue is not in that position. They’re not going to arrest you. That’s not their duty,” Becknell said.
Carelon found a partner in CCFR and Jackson, who had enough initiative to get a novel project up and running for the pilot, Becknell said.
“That’s why we started here, because we know we had somebody who was really passionate,” Becknell said.
Sea Mar had already started a co-response team with the Vancouver Police Department, John “Bunk” Moren, director of special projects for Sea Mar, said. He said the pilot program with CCFR will allow for a different model on which Sea Mar and Carelon can compare to see what’s effective.
“At the end of the day, after all these pilots are over … you can settle on what seems to make sense,” Moren said.
