By Kaitlin Durbin
cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio 鈥� When Parma and Parma Heights residents call 911 in the midst of a mental health or substance use crisis, they鈥檒l now be met by a team that includes a licensed social worker, not just police and fire personnel.
County Executive Chris Ronayne announced Wednesday the expansion of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Crisis Response Program to the county鈥檚 largest suburb, saying it 鈥渋s sure to result in better care for more of our residents.鈥� The program embeds a social worker as part of the first responder team to assist on calls.
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鈥淛ust think, if you had a family member in need that was suffering from a mental health challenge and had a crisis 鈥� had a breakdown 鈥� and something happened that put them in the throes of law enforcement, how much you would appreciate if also they had a mental health specialist and social worker,鈥� Ronayne said at a news conference held at Parma Fire Station No. 2.
The initiative launched in Shaker Heights early last year and has . In that time, teams have responded to more than 2,000 calls involving mood disorders, substance use, trauma, suicide attempts, physical health issues, and psychosis. Many clients were immediately connected to treatment.
Shaker Heights Police Chief Wayne Hudson touted one example of the program鈥檚 early success involving a resident who called 911 at least 177 times in one year, tying up two law enforcement officers and three firefighters each time. Since their co-responder program, called First Call, launched, however, 鈥渨e don鈥檛 receive those calls anymore,鈥� he said.
Officials agreed the need is just as urgent in Parma and Parma Heights. Parma Fire Chief Mike Lasky cited 102 overdose calls, 659 psychological emergencies, 65 suicide attempts, and 192 alcohol-related cases in the last 18 months.
Parma Heights Mayor Marie Gallo pointed to alarming national statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health that estimate one in five adults experience mental illness each year, and one in six youth have a mental health condition, yet only about half receive treatment. Suicide remains a leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 64, she noted.
Recent data from the Medical Examiner鈥檚 office in recent years, especially in the Black community.
鈥淥ur firefighters train extensively to provide lifesaving care, but some of these emergencies need a different type of expertise,鈥� Lasky said. 鈥淏y embedding a licensed clinician alongside our first responders, we鈥檙e not only improving how we manage the situation in the moment, but we鈥檙e creating a path of long-term support for these individuals.鈥�
Parma and Parma Heights are helping fund their programs, with some start-up money expected to come from the county. Ronayne is seeking to set aside $3.5 million from the Opioid Mitigation Fund to support the effort and help expand the program countywide over the next five years, if County Council agrees. The administration is expected to share that vision at a council committee meeting next week.
The ask follows other recent county investments in mental health resources, such as the in parts of Cleveland that sends a team of licensed social workers and peer counselors 鈥� without police 鈥� to handle crisis calls made to the 24-hour hotline. Ronayne also asked council to consider investing $7 million in opioid funds to create at the former St. Vincent medical campus downtown.
The co-responder program expansion already has support from Cuyahoga County Councilman Mark Casselberry, who represents Parma and Parma Heights and has been personally affected by suicide.
鈥淚t reduces strain on our jails, emergency rooms and our officers, it builds trust between the public and those sworn to protect them, and it ensures our most vulnerable don鈥檛 fall through the cracks,鈥� Casselberry praised. 鈥淚 want to thank everyone that knows how important this is.鈥�
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