Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2021, $516,813)
Lead applicant: The Providence Center (TPC)
Law enforcement (LE) partner: Providence Police Department (PPD)
Target population and plan to address problem: Individuals residing in the City of Providence who are experiencing a mental health incident (MHI), who are encountered by police as a result of a call-for-service to the PPD or statewide (Rhode Island) 911-dispatch entity, will be targeted for service. Providence is home to an economically and ethnically diverse population of approximately 179,000 individuals. An estimated (minimum) 8,400 “contacts” will be made by a co-response team (consisting of a TPC clinician and PPD officer) , including engagement with an estimated 1,200 individuals experiencing a MHI who will receive a full behavioral health (BH) assessment. It is anticipated this work will result in diversion of 95% of individuals-encountered from potential arrest, to mental health treatment and/ or referral. The proposed effort will expand an existing initiative which has been partially-funded by the Department of Justice between 2018 and 2020. The expansion (approximately double previous level) will occur as a result of (1) additional match-funding which has been secured (for at least Year 1) from the Providence City Council, and (2) a transition of focus from “high-utilizers” of police services (for MHI calls-for-service) which the partnership has determined is not the best use of resources, to a model which follows a “crisis response” model (serving all individuals experiencing a MHI, regardless of utilization-level). In addition, new DOJ funding will help to enhance the partnership/ project (which is in its 13th year) through improved training of dispatchers and police officers, and a recalibration of the codes and protocols used to track project metrics. An amount of $516,813 is being requested for this project, and the match either meets or exceeds the requirement for all years.
Priority areas to be addressed (annotated):
Promote effective strategies by law enforcement
Promote Mental health courts
Use validated assessment tools
Use of funds to benefit public health and public safety and active involvement of LE partner