Co-responder program launches at Ferndale Police Department

FERNDALE — The Co-Response Community Outreach Program, called “CoRe,” has launched in the Ferndale, Hazel Park, Madison Heights and Royal Oak police departments, as announced at a press conference Oct. 29 at the Royal Oak Police Department.

The four communities partnered with Oakland Community Health Network to provide two clinicians, Alyssa Waters and Sabrina Fallone, who are trained and certified to help when mental health or substance abuse comes into play during active duty.

Evan Ahlin, communications liaison for the Ferndale Police Department, told the Woodward Talk that clinicians will act as another tool for the police departments to use.

“A large majority of the population is facing mental health challenges now, or substance abuse issues,” he said. “This is another resource that the law enforcements can do. So if they get a call — regardless of what it is — they can make that judgment call to call dispatch and have one of those mental health providers come out and basically provide aid and whatnot. And depending on the situation, they can help deescalate, they can get that person help and resources, and it really just kind of frees up the whole system of having someone potentially end up within the criminal justice system that doesn’t need to be right now.

“It’s really filling that void that has been there and whatnot,” he continued. “Within the Ferndale Police Department, we’re extremely excited about having this resource here, as well as the partnership.”

According to a press release, “The two mental health clinicians hired for the CoRe program have received comprehensive training tailored to the specific needs of law enforcement.”

Training included familiarizing themselves with departmental policies, participating in officer ride-alongs, shadowing experienced co-responders and receiving safety training alongside law enforcement personnel, according to the release.

Waters and Fallone will cover all four communities.

“We have seen a lot of success out there,” Fallone said at an Oct. 28 Royal Oak City Commission meeting, referencing her previous work as a co-responder. “I’ve seen a lot of success with just being on the scene and offering alternatives to not only the officers, but also the people who we attend to in the community.”

The clinicians will be equipped with a radio, car and an indicator that they are a social worker and not a police officer nor bystander.

Ahlin led the press conference Oct. 29, outlining the program.

“This partnership of our four police departments and Oakland Community Health Network is more than just a service; it is a commitment to our communities,” he said. “Operating under the motto ‘Responding as One,’ it represents teamwork, progress, hope and a shared vision for the future.”

Trisha Zizumbo, chief operating officer for Oakland Community Health Network, spoke at the press conference highlighting OCHN’s role in the program.

Zizumbo said that the program began in 2021 in Auburn Hills, Birmingham and Bloomfield Township.

One million dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds allocated to the program by the Oakland County Board of Commissioners made it possible for CoRe to expand into Ferndale, Royal Oak, Madison Heights and Hazel Park.

“They (clinicians) provide crisis intervention to de-escalate, and provide resources, support and services to individuals in the community,” she said. “CoRe is a part of OCHN’s justice department. We are really fortunate to be one of the only community mental health resources in the state of Michigan that has an entire department focused solely on our intersection with the justice department.”

Zizumbo said that since 2021, the program has received more than 3,500 referrals from law enforcement agencies that they work with. It has also grown to serve 15 communities.

Each participating department will form a CoRe Team consisting of a CoRe team coordinator, CoRe liaison officer and a mental health clinician.

The clinicians will provide services such as case consultations, referrals to community resources and coordination of ongoing care. Co-responders will also play a vital role in training and assisting CoRe Teams so that law enforcement and mental health services go hand in hand.

Even before the introductory press conference, the clinicians had been on board working with the departments for two to four weeks, according to Ahlin.

They were slowly being integrated into the department and already have been called into Ferndale to help individuals.

Ahlin stated that during a Citizens Police Academy meeting, he heard from a resident about someone who was having a mental health problem and how the clinician was able to help the individual instead of an arrest being made.

“(The clinician) basically calmed the person down and completely deescalated the situation and got him the help that they need,” he said. “So having a resident experience that before Oct. 29 of us launching this, of actually seeing it physically in the process and the benefits of it, was an amazing thing to hear.”

For more information on the CoRe program, visit ferndalemi.gov/news/core_launch.