• Care Response for Mental Health Crises in Cuyahoga County, Dr. Mark Hurst

• Talk to me like a regular person, not a criminal, Policy Matters Ohio and REACH

• Creating a Care Response Model in Cleveland for Those in Crisis, Mental Health Advocacy Coalition, Policy Matters Ohio, and Center for Community Solutions

• Care Response and Co-Response: A Brief Overview, Center for Community Solutions

• The Care Responders Campaign, Fountain House

• Civilian Crisis Response: A Toolkit for Equitable Alternatives to Police, Vera Institute
  
  

Glossary

988: A designated national mental health, suicide and addiction crisis hotline that provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people having a mental health or addiction crisis. 988 calls in Cuyahoga County are answered by FrontLine Service.

The ADAMHS Board: The ADAMHS (Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services) Board of Cuyahoga County is responsible for planning, funding, and evaluating the network of mental health and addiction prevention, treatment and recovery support services in Cuyahoga County.

Behavioral Health Specialist: A licensed professional trained in addressing a wide range of mental health and substance use issues, capable of providing therapeutic interventions, assessments, and planning for individuals in need.

Care Response Pilot Program: A new initiative, launching later this year in zip codes 44102 and 44105, designed to provide a compassionate, health-focused response to mental health and addiction crises, using teams of mental health professionals and peer supporters instead of police.

Care Response Workers: Trained individuals, including licensed behavioral health professionals and certified peer support specialists, who respond to mental health or addiction crisis situations as part of the Care Response Pilot Program.

Crisis Intervention Team (CIT): Specially trained police officers who respond to mental health crises, equipped with knowledge in mental health issues, de-escalation techniques, and crisis intervention. CIT officers are armed and uniformed and respond to calls in a police vehicle. If it is necessary to call 911 for a mental health or addiction crisis, callers can request a CIT officer. 

Co-response Model or Co-response Teams: A mental health crisis intervention approach where law enforcement officers partner with mental health professionals to respond to crises together, integrating police presence with mental health expertise. Co-response includes an armed, uniformed police officer.

EMS Calls: Emergency Medical Services calls; in this context, refers to calls made for emergency medical assistance to 911.

FrontLine Service: The designated crisis service provider in Cleveland that will be tasked with managing call dispatch for the Care Response Pilot Program due to its expertise and infrastructure in handling crisis calls. FrontLine Service answers calls to 988.

Mental Health or Addiction Emergency: A life-threatening situation where immediate response from law enforcement or medics is needed. A person may be actively trying to harm themselves or others. Situations may include: Active suicide threat in progress, threatening harm to self or others with a weapon, self-injury that needs immediate medical attention, and/or severe intoxication or apparent drug overdose.

Mental Health Crisis: A non-life-threatening situation where urgent intervention may be possible without an immediate response from law enforcement or medics. A person may be thinking about hurting themselves or someone else or may be extremely emotionally upset, distressed or displaying severe mental health symptoms. Situations may include: Talking about suicide or planning to harm oneself, talking about harm to self or others, self-injury that does not require immediate medical attention, overuse of alcohol or other drugs, extreme depression, anxiety or other mental illness symptoms (hallucinations, talking to oneself, not sleeping or eating, extreme mood swings).

Certified Peer Support Specialist: An individual with direct lived experience of mental health or substance use issues and recovery who is certified to provide support to others experiencing similar challenges.

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