Badges & Behavior: Vehicles on the Frontline 🚘️

Today’s Brief:

• Ritter Center Unveils New Behavioral Health Van (3-minute read)

• Wheeling Police Department’s Crisis Response Team (4-minute read)

• Cleveland Police Co-Responder Team Vehicle (1-minute read)

• Bonus Brief! (1-minute read)

The Ritter Center in San Rafael introduced a new mobile health care van to provide mental health and substance use treatment across Marin County. The van, funded by a $750,000 grant from Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, aims to expand access to care and address issues like overdosing. Equipped with substance use counselors and supplies like Narcan, the van will operate alongside the center's medicine van to build connections with vulnerable residents. The goal is to improve health outcomes and guide individuals towards recovery through personalized support and education on treatment options.

Wheeling officials are using a portion of the state’s opioid settlement grant to purchase vehicles and radios for the Wheeling Police Department’s Crisis Response Team. The team, funded by a $463,633 grant, includes civilian staff members like Peer Recovery Support Specialists and mental health social workers. The vehicles purchased are not police cruisers but will be used by the team for crisis intervention. The portable radios purchased will enable communication during mental health calls. These programs aim to divert individuals from the criminal justice system and provide necessary support. City Councilman Ben Seidler plans to propose using more opioid crisis funding for programs from Northwood Health Systems. Wheeling City Council is set to meet next Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.

The Cleveland Division of Police has introduced new vehicles for their Co-Responder Team program, which pairs officers with licensed clinicians to assist individuals in crisis situations. The program, which now has seven full-time teams, aims to provide the highest level of service to citizens in need. The vehicles, Toyota RAV4s, are intentionally designed to look different from traditional police vehicles to create a positive impression on those in crisis. Police Chief Dorothy Todd expressed pride in the program's development and commitment to building one of the best Co-Responder Programs in the country. With two vehicles already in use and eight more to be deployed soon, the department continues to focus on handling crises with empathy and professionalism.

BayCare Opens Florida's First Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center

For over 50 years, BayCare Behavioral Health has provided compassionate, evidence-based care for individuals facing mental health and addiction challenges. It now celebrates the opening of its new behavioral health urgent care center, the first of its kind in Florida.