Staffed by a city paramedic, a medic and a Marion County mental health professional, the team will handle the high volume of 911 calls related to mental health challenges and substance use.<\/p>\n
The three team members received more than 30 hours in behavioral health training, specifically on calming crisis situations, providing care while preventing further trauma and referring people to\u00a0 community resources, according to an agreement between the two agencies.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, they engage individuals early, connect them with the right services and help break the cycle of repeated emergency calls,\u201d Salem Fire Chief David Gerboth said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Gerboth, who proposed the team last year, saw success in a similar program he oversaw while working as an assistant fire chief in San Diego, Salem Reporter previously reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n The city has been working with Marion County for several months to establish the partnership, and Marion County officials also spoke at the team\u2019s launch.<\/p>\n \u201cThe work we\u2019re talking about is not owned by any one department. It\u2019s something that we share. Across Marion County, we\u2019re seeing more people experience crisis in public spaces. These are moments that often involve mental health challenges, substance use and other unmet health needs,\u201d Debbie Wells, director of Marion County\u2019s Behavioral Health Crisis Services Division said. \u201cFor community members, these situations can feel frightening and frustrating \u2026 for individuals experiencing them, they\u2019re often moments of deep vulnerability. These situations are serious and often require a different kind of response.\u201d<\/p>\n Wells said the team is trained to \u201cde-escalate crisis situations,\u201d build rapport with people in the community and to connect those with behavioral health needs with ongoing support.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s success will be measured by the decrease in repeated 911 calls for the same person, according to Gerboth.<\/p>\n Other success measures include the number of emergency room visits by individuals and how many are placed in shelters or facilities, including Marion County\u2019s crisis center, he said. He also said the team\u2019s work could reduce the deployment of fire department machinery and allow for Salem\u2019s crews to be more readily available for other emergencies.<\/p>\n Gerboth is optimistic the team will exist beyond the six-month pilot, he said.<\/p>\n City officials are eyeing federal grants to extend the team\u2019s funding, Gerboth said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Salem City Councilor Vanessa Nordyke, who has long supported<\/a> bringing a crisis response team to the city, said that each team member will be saving lives through their work.<\/p>\n She told Salem Reporter that she hopes the pilot brings a \u201ccultural mindshift\u201d to Salem, where people can expect a follow-through response to crisis situations.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause even though we increase shelter, we increase case managers, we increase affordable housing, we found new pathways for people to end homelessness, something was missing from this equation, and that was the REACH team,\u201d she said at the launch.<\/p>\n Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell said she is grateful for the three team members who took on the job while working in an already taxed field of emergency response.<\/p>\n Contact reporter Madeleine Moore:\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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