BOSTON, MA January 30, 2023 – The Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) is excited to announce the first guests of the new year for the nonprofit’s Partner Spotlight Series, a program launched one year ago, that highlights a deserving PAARI partner each month.
January’s Partner Spotlight Series will feature MD Bio and will highlight Courtney Powell, Program Manager, Matthew Gutwill, Police Officer & President of New England Narcotics Officers’ Association, Michael Cashman, Retired Special Agent with the DEA, and Greg Giuntini, Vice President, North American Safety & Security for DetectaChem. The presentation will cover life-saving technologies that are currently available to combat the opioid crisis. Individuals will learn about fentanyl and xylazine test strips offerings, their uses, and how folks can utilize them in their law enforcement agencies.
“Our team is grateful to PAARI for providing us with a platform to showcase our life-saving technologies. We are eagerly looking forward to engaging in conversation and sharing our impactful experiences with attendees” said Giuntini.
In February, PAARI’s Partner Spotlight Series will highlight the Denver Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) Program. STAR provides mobile crisis response to members of the community who are experiencing mental health crises, depression, poverty, homelessness, and substance use issues. Chris Richardson, Director of the Crisis Service Bureau, and Samantha Rabins, Director of Criminal Justice Services with Wellpower, will provide insight into the program. Operating as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Addictions Counselor, Richardson oversaw the creation and growth of the STAR Program back in 2020. Rabins currently oversees all sequential intercept points within the Mental health system, most notably with STAR.
“I am very proud of the work I have been involved in with Denver PD over the past years. I think we have some real insight and best practices that I am eager to share with PAARI’s partners next month,” said Richardson.
In March, PAARI will highlight Jeffersontown, Kentucky Police Department employees Amanda Chapman LCSW, Community Resource Supervisor, Tia Pank MSSW, REACH Community Resource Coordinator, and Police Chief Richard Sanders. The presentation will focus on Jeffersontown PD’s Respond, Evaluate, Advocate, Connect & Heal (REACH) program, which is their social worker-led deflection program. The program includes several deflection pathways including self-referral, officer-referral, and incident-based response.
“PAARI’s Partner Spotlight Series is a great way for PAARI partners to spread the word about their deflection model programs. Our team at Jeffersontown PD is extremely grateful to have been invited to present this upcoming March,” said Chapman.
To sign up for any of the Partner Spotlight Series presentations, click the link HERE.
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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 700 police departments in 45 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, and reshaped the national conversation about the opioid epidemic since its founding in June 2015. Learn more at paariusa.org.
ABOUT MD BIO: Launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, MD-Bio has already become a market leader and supplier of life-saving test kits. Our top priority is giving communities the ability to combat worldwide issues like the opioid epidemic or the COVID-19 pandemic with superior quality testing. Learn more at mdbio.com.
ABOUT DETECTACHEM INC: Established in 2005, DetectaChem is a Texas, USA-based developer and manufacturer of rapidly deployable, handheld, intelligent and easy-to-operate drug, explosive and bio identification and detection systems. DetectaChem products are utilized by first responders across the U.S. federal government and by thousands of law enforcement, bomb squad, hazardous material teams and related agencies in the U.S. and around the world. Learn more at DetectaChem.com.
ABOUT DENVER PD STAR: Launched on June 1, 2020, STAR is a partnership between the WellPower, Denver Health, Denver Police Department, Denver Department of Public Health and Environment as well as community stakeholders like Caring4Denver and more.
STAR provides person-centric mobile crisis response to community members who are experiencing problems related to mental health, depression, poverty, homelessness, and/or substance use issues. Learn more at wellpower.org/star-program.
ABOUT JEFFERSONTOWN PD REACH: The Jeffersontown Police Department’s REACH program is an innovative social worker led deflection program that Responds to community members experiencing victimization, behavioral health crises, substance use disorders and all other social service-related calls for service, to Evaluate for individualized care, Advocate for needs, and Connect to support & services, starting them on a path to Heal. Learn more at jeffersontownky.com/Angel-Program.
