Clinician will assist police with mental illness calls

Matt Bower
Posted 11/13/14

The Warwick Police Department and The Providence Center (TPC), the largest community mental health center in Rhode Island, have recently teamed up to assist officers responding to calls where mental …

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Clinician will assist police with mental illness calls

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The Warwick Police Department and The Providence Center (TPC), the largest community mental health center in Rhode Island, have recently teamed up to assist officers responding to calls where mental illness is a factor; by assigning a clinician to the department.

“The ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental illness early is known to enhance timely access to care and treatment,” Chief of Police Stephen McCartney said in a press release. “This team intervention model will improve timely access to care and treatment while building public trust and confidence in police and community mental health services.”

It was announced that Maureen Gouveia from TPC will serve as a diversion clinician and provide professional consultation to Warwick officers to find available resources to assist officers and the community and connect individuals to treatment and avoid, “inappropriate, costly, and ineffective involvement with the criminal justice system.”

Gouveia has worked in corrections, criminal justice, and mental health for more than 10 years. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling from Springfield College in Manchester, NH, and a bachelor’s in psychology and law from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. She recently served as substance abuse therapist for TPC at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.

Prior to joining the officers, Gouveia participated in an accelerated version of the police department’s training for recruits.

“There is a real benefit for public safety when we can intervene early and connect people to treatment and get them the help they need,” said Patrol Captain Joseph Coffey. “With the addition of a clinician to our team, we will have greater professional expertise on hand to diagnose conditions, defuse tensions, and help a situation end in a positive way for all members of the community.”

In the same release, Mayor Scott Avedisian said, “This innovative partnership will not only benefit those relying upon police in times of crisis, but it will also benefit our neighborhoods by further enhancing public safety. We are very fortunate to have organizations like The Providence Center, which continue to help strengthen our community.”

During a phone interview Tuesday, Coffey said he and TPC, have envisioned a partnership, including a joint response with clinicians on the road with officers.

“This came to fruition over the summer, when the funding became available,” he said.

Coffey said TPC has agreed to fund the arrangement with hopes of sustainability and success.

Coffey said Gouveia will be deployed with mental health crisis response team (CRT) members, a subset of the department with special training in responding to calls dealing with mental illness.

“She understands the safety parameters and will arrive on scene to assist officers in determining the best course of action, with treatment as the focus,” he said. “She can help recognize the signs and symptoms of metal illness to more appropriately determine the [proper] course of action, evaluation, referral, or family intervention.”

Coffey said having a clinician in the field responding to calls with officers is important in connecting respondents to care.

“Having a qualified mental health professional capable of evaluations and emerging applications and certifications on scene is a great asset and helps build rapport and trust with the [individual] as well as family members observing the outcome,” Coffey added that family members would be more likely to call police if something happens. “The clinician can also provide reliable information gathered at the scene to other agencies they are working with to provide continuity of care, which improves the relationship between the clinical side, behavioral health practitioners and police.”

Coffey said that helps to eliminate frustrations and improve training. The goal is to minimize officers returning to the same person repeatedly and reduce the time spent on those types of calls he said.

According to the release, the partnership is modeled on an identical program with the Providence Police since 2012.

“At The Providence Center, we believe in responding to community need wherever and whenever we can make a difference,” Dale K. Klatzker, president/CEO of The Providence Center, said in the release. “We know this program works. It will improve public safety, save money, increase the effectiveness of officers, and provide better treatment for people in need due to mental illness.”

Coffey said Gouveia will be assigned to Warwick on a full-time basis.

“Monday and Tuesday she’ll be on the day shift, she’ll have a split shift on Wednesday, and on Thursday and Friday she’ll be on the second shift,” he said.

He said Gouveia will also aid and assist with specialized units, such as hostage negotiation.

“She won’t participate in negotiations, but she can offer helpful assistance if individuals on scene are demonstrating signs of mental illness,” he said.

The department will seek grant funding to continue, and possibly expand, the initiative.

“Ideally we would like to increase it, but we need evidence of success,” Coffey said. “We encourage the public to take advantage of this service, as well as the services of the CRT members of the department.”

Serving more than 13,000 people a year, TPC is Rhode Island’s largest community mental health organization and operates with an annual budget of $44 million. The agency employs 700 staff.  Its services are provided statewide through 13 locations in Providence, Burrillville, Cranston, Pawtucket, and Warwick.

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