Bellingham Fire Department has deployed two Community Paramedic teams within the city limits. These teams are made up of a Firefighter Paramedic and an Intensive Case Manager focusing on the high utilizers of the 911 system. Together they make connections to medical and behavioral health care, accompany clients to appointments, and help manage their overall care. The benefit is two-fold: people are connected to medical and social services that better meet their needs and it creates capacity for the Fire Department to more quickly respond to immediate emergencies.

Chelan County in partnership with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, implemented the Behavioral Health Unit in 2021. The Behavioral Health Unit is a mobile co-response team, that provides law enforcement access to a Mental Health Professional or Case Manager, who provides direct referrals to available services and resources for individuals with behavioral health needs. This includes individuals in a behavior health crisis or at risk for crisis, individuals with a behavioral health issue who are at risk of arrest, and proactively dispatching to any call where a behavioral health crisis is suspected. The Behavioral Health Unit may prioritize cases involving individuals who are a danger to the community/and or pose a threat to officer safety, high utilizers of emergency services, and escalating behaviors.

Additional goals of the Behavioral Health Unit is to relieve routine patrol response and get officers back into service as quickly as possible, reduce the number of arrests and emergency department admissions, and identify treatment gaps in the County to promote new approaches to improve behavioral health and social services.

The City’s new Community Responder team of five trained Mental Health Professionals responds to 9-1-1 calls in coordination with Kirkland police officers and/or firefighter / emergency medical technicians when a call for service has an underlying behavioral health component. Although responding with public safety personnel, the innovative new Community Responder Program is housed in the City Manager’s Office. One of the objectives of program is to reduce over-reliance on police as a primary response to 9-1-1 calls involving community members in behavioral health crises. The Community Responder Program was initially funded in the City’s 2021-2022 budget as part of the Community Safety Initiative.

Eastside Fire & Rescue’s Mobile Integrated Healthcare (CORE Connect) is patient centered with a holistic approach focused on improvement of client outcomes. Our goal is to connect individuals with the most appropriate health and social services for their unique needs. The CORE team, a firefighter/EMT and social worker, identifies individuals with complex needs through firefighter referrals, who then follow up to conduct outreach visits and develop care management plans.

The Lakewood Police Department implemented a co-responder team in 2015 which pairs a Law Enforcement Officer with an embedded Mental Health Provider. The team is available to respond on-scene to 911 calls involving individuals with mental health and/or chemical abuse issues. The team also receives referrals from LWPD Officers, community providers, community members, family members and individuals who reside in Lakewood and surrounding areas. The team can assist with immediate crisis intervention, follow-up for coordination of services and other case-management needs, and developing strategies for chronic callers. The team provides education to community groups and members regarding the impact of mental illness and chemical abuse on individuals, families, and the community at large

In partnership with Snohomish County Human Services, the Monroe Police Department Community Outreach Team consists of a social worker working alongside a Monroe Police Officer. Established in 2017, this team serves our chronic homeless, mentally ill, and drug dependent populations, providing connections to resources, medical assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing, and rides to appointments. Their work improves lives and helps sustain Monroe as a vibrant place to live, play and recreate.

Started in 2017, the Outreach Coordination Program has one Mental Health Profession who engages with people without homes within the city and to MV citizens who over-utilize the 911 system to develop resiliency plans which include connections to other community agencies and individual caring community members.

Based off of the CAHOOTS model from Eugene, Oregon, the Olympia Police Department deploys a team of civilian first responders to calls for service due to poverty, behavioral health and substance use. The Crisis Response Unit (CRU) team responds to calls independently of law enforcement or with OPD officers. Additionally, the Olympia Police Department employs Outreach Specialists to engage with community members that have frequent contact with traditional first responders through their Familiar Faces program.

In 2019 Port Angeles Fire Department created a division of Community Paramedicine with the directive to reduce non-emergent usage of the 911 system and Emergency Services. Our goal is to identify individuals internally or through outside agency referral, engage with them in the field and provide medical care, and connect them with vital resources and services. Community Paramedicine employs three full-time paramedics who work directly with law enforcement, outreach services, and medical/behavioral health providers to meet these needs.

The City of Poulsbo and the Poulsbo Fire Department have been partnering to operate the Poulsbo Fire CARES program since January 2021. Poulsbo Fire CARES consists of a firefighter/crisis intervention officer and a behavioral health professional who respond to calls involving behavioral health issues and follow up after fire and police referrals.

The Poulsbo Police Department has had a co-responder program since 2016. They currently have one mental health professional who partners with officers in the field and provides follow up to high needs and at-risk individuals.