BOSTON, MA January 10, 2022 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) teamed up with Cordata Healthcare and Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL)/QRT National to host a virtual statewide convening among law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin. PAARI invited several law enforcement agencies currently practicing or constructing diversion and deflection programs, similar to PAARI models. Given the rising overdose deaths in the state, PAARI, Cordata Healthcare and O2SL/QRT National created the virtual space led by Chief Atkinson of Menomonie Police Department to share ideas, discuss barriers and promote available resources that can be used in the agencies’ current non-arrest programming.
The convening was attended by 38 people from Safer Community, University of Wisconsin Addiction Medicine, Wisconsin DHS Harm Reduction Unit, Marathon County Sheriff’s Office, Greenfield Fire, Superior Police Department, Sauk County, Wisconsin DOJ, Madison Police and Fire, North Central HIDTA Overdose and Response Strategy and Dunn County. To date, PAARI has fifteen agency partners from Wisconsin that are participating in PAARI model deflection and diversion programs.
“As we engage in this work on a state level, collaboration is key” said Eric Atkinson, Chief of Police at Menomonie Police Department, “We all have something to learn from one another. The information and resources shared today were invaluable. I’m looking forward to building on this initial collaboration and working together in the future”
“We thank Chief Atkinson, O2SL/QRT National, Cordata and our law enforcement partners for attending today’s convening,” says Zoe Grover, Executive Director of PAARI, “We hope that with efforts such as these, we can continue to create lasting change in the way substance use disorder is addressed by Wisconsin law enforcement agencies.”
“We have been so energized by our partnerships in Wisconsin,” said Michael Brooks Senior Vice President of Operations Cordata. “They have been ambitious and creative servant leaders. As they find new ways to support people with addiction, we hope that having comprehensive, real-time data will help them better advocate for the at-risk population they are serving.”
“We are always grateful to work with partners to broaden the reach of diversion and deflection tactics for those suffering from substance use disorder,” said Dan Meloy, Director of Operations at O2SL & QRT National. “We are excited to see how the agencies that attended today’s convening use what they learned and create lasting change in their communities.”
Written by: Isabella Nowak
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About PAARI: The Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help law enforcement agencies nationwide create non-arrest pathways to treatment and recovery. Founded alongside the groundbreaking Gloucester, Mass., Police Department Angel Initiative in June 2015, PAARI has been a driving force behind this rapidly expanding community policing movement. We provide technical assistance, strategic guidance, connection to training resources, and other capacity-building resources to more than 650 police departments in 40 states.
PAARI works with more than 130 law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts alone. PAARI and our law enforcement partners are working towards a collective vision where non-arrest diversion programs become a standard policing practice across the country, thereby reducing overdose deaths, expanding access to treatment, improving public safety, reducing crime, diverting people away from the criminal justice system, and increasing trust between law enforcement and their communities. Our programs and partners have saved tens of thousands of lives, changed police culture, reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic, and have placed more than 30,000 people into treatment since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
About O2SL & QRT National: Operation 2 Save Lives & QRT National provides a one-stop solution to address substance use disorders and behavioral health issues through shared community responses. We help create collaborative partnerships that include law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies, public health, behavioral health, recovery, and community organizations working to connect vulnerable populations, their family members, and loved ones to treatment, support services, and long-term recovery. Learn more at o2sl.com.
About Cordata: Cordata Healthcare Innovations is a Software as a Service (SaaS) company connecting communities and healthcare organizations to better serve at-risk populations by coordinating treatment and community resources. Cordata’s core technology platform provides specific solutions that improve outcomes for patients with complex diseases, individuals battling addiction or mental illness and children in foster care.
