Since late 2024, a new program in Cleveland has been trying to provide health care-first approaches to people having mental health and substance use crises, rather than rely on law enforcement intervention.
The Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County, in partnership with FrontLine Service and the City of Cleveland Department of Public Health, launched the Care Response Pilot Program in mid- September 2024 in Cleveland’s 44102 and 44105 zip codes.
Program Overview
The Care Response team is composed of a licensed mental health professional and a peer specialist with lived experience in mental health or substance use recovery. These unarmed teams offer crisis intervention, counseling, and connections to support services. When the ADAMHS Board put out a call for care response members, approximately 70 people expressed interest in participating. According to Scott S. Osiecki, ADAMHS Board CEO, “We were originally thinking of a 12-13 member committee but because we had such a great response, we ended up with 19 members.”
The selection of zip codes 44102 and 44105 for the Care Response Pilot Program were recognized as having significant needs and the potential for impactful change. Both neighborhoods experience a high volume of emergency medical calls related to mental health and substance use, highlighting an urgent need for specialized support.
Residents in the designated zip codes can access the programs services by dialing 988, where they can speak to a dispatcher. If the dispatcher determines that the situation is a mental health crisis without safety risks, a Care Response team is dispatched. Care responders arrive in a gray Honda CRV marked with Care Response, FrontLine Service on the doors – these responders are unarmed, and police involvement occurs only if the situation becomes life-threatening. Osiecki said, “ The importance is the linkage to services, it’s important to de-escalate any situation that may be happening in the community and to make sure to link the person back to services.”
An integral part of this program was ensuring residents had the pertinent information to help them discern when it is appropriate to dial 988. To achieve this goal, the ADAMHS board launched a marketing campaign that included billboards, bus shelter signs and direct mail materials distributed to the 30,000 households that are within the 44102 and 44105 zip codes.
Currently, the program operates from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with plans to expand to 24/7 availability in the near future.
“Our plans are to expand beyond the two zip codes. Our hope is eventually that we’ll be able to expand it to all of Cuyahoga County,” Osiecki said. To help assess the program’s effectiveness, the ADAMHS Board will be enlisting the help of an independent evaluator. According to Osiecki, “During this pilot phase, which started in September of 2024 and will go through September 2025, we’re going to be using an independent evaluator to evaluate the program for us, to make sure that we offer the best program that is for expansion.”
The ADAMHS Board also provided a toolkit to their grassroots partners to help spread the word. Latoya Hunter Hayes, chief of External Affairs, Public Records manager, expands on what the toolkit includes, saying, “It has a quick summary paragraph about the program that they can include in the newsletters and background information about the program and encouraging them to use their channels to reshare.”
The program seeks to:
- Reduce police involvement in non-violent mental health crises.
- Resolve more situations directly within the community.
- Increase linkage to and utilization of mental health services and treatment.
- Decrease rates of unnecessary hospitalizations and incarcerations.
- Improve overall community safety and reduce crime.
- Offer a cost-effective solution to crisis intervention.
Tracking Progress
Tracking progress is crucial to assessing the program’s effectiveness.
“From September 1st, 2024, to December 31st, 2024, the total number of calls to Frontline’s call center, the 988, and their regular number, which is 623-6888, there were 3,500 total calls that were made during that time period,” Osiecki said.
In reference to the designated zip codes, there were a total of 164 phone calls within the first three months of the pilot program.
“What we have right now, with total assessments that were done for the clients in 44102 and 44105, were 22 folks,” Osiecki said. “21 of those callers required linkages to further assistance; 16 of those folks at Frontline had an appointment with Frontline for a psychiatric appointment and five were referred to the hospital; 15 didn’t reserve.”
Community Feedback and Future Plans
Residents can engage with the ADAMHS board through community engagement events where information is shared, questions are answered and feedback is sought.
Hayes said, “Highlighting community engagement is a really critical component of this, in addition to the peer committee we’ll have ongoing community meetings which will be occurring throughout the year.” These meetings include members from FrontLine Service and the ADAMHS board alongside Care Responders and a facilitator. These meetings occur quarterly and those interested can keep up with meeting information on the ADAMHS board feedback page and on their Facebook and Instagram social media pages. This input is vital for assessing the program’s effectiveness and guiding future improvements.
By prioritizing empathy and community connection, supporters believe the Care Response Pilot Program represents a significant shift toward a more supportive and understanding approach to mental health crisis intervention in Cleveland.
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