CCC Advisory | Rapid Response Emergency Addiction and Crisis Teams Go Mobile

Media Advisory

Rapid Response Emergency Addiction and Crisis Teams Go Mobile

Council funds the purchase of two new vehicles to increase first responders "RREACTion" times


Who:
Councilmember Mitchell J. Brown
Columbus Division of Fire Chief Kevin O’Connor
Assistant Chief Jeffrey Happ, Columbus Division of Fire
Lt. Dennis Jeffrey, Columbus Division of Police
Lt. Matt Parrish, Columbus Division of Fire

When:
Thursday, November 14, 2019 
1:00 pm

Where:
Columbus Division of Fire Station 17
2250 W. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43223

What:

Earlier this year, Councilmember Mitchell J. Brown allocated funding to support the purchase of two new vehicles for the Rapid Response Emergency Addiction and Crisis Team (RREACT). Initially piloted in 2017, RREACT consists of a paramedic from the Columbus Division of Fire, a law enforcement officer from the Columbus Division of Police Crisis Intervention Team and a Southeast Healthcare outreach specialist. This team provides an emergency secondary response to residents struggling with an addiction crisis throughout the Columbus community, in effort to connect them with services and treatment.

“The RREACT program is an innovative response to the complex opiate problem,” said Councilmember Brown. “I commend our first responders from the Division of Fire, Division of Police, ADAMH board, Southeast Healthcare, Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging, the Maryhaven Addiction Stabilization Center and the Central Ohio Hospital Association for combining efforts to combat this crisis in our community and provide compassionate care to those struggling with addiction.”

These vehicles will empower our first responders to transport those in crisis and their families to the addiction recovery services they need.

The press conference is available WCBZ Channel 22.6, live stream on the CTV website and broadcast on Spectrum, Channel 1024; WOW, Channel 3 and AT&T U-verse, Channel 99. The video will be posted on the City of Columbus YouTube channel following the event.

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