GRPD and Network 180

We are joined by Eric Winstrom, GRPD Police Chief, Sgt. Daryl Howard, Co-Response Supervisor and Krissy Rutkauskas, Network 180 Clinician to discuss a partnership serving the community in times of mental health crises. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is West Michigan's Morning News. It's Steve Kelly and
our friend Laurence Smith here as well. In joining us
on the liveline to talk about a pretty special collaboration
in its third year, are three folks. Chief of the
Grand Rapids Police Department, Eric Winstrom, thanks for joining us today.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Thanks STEF.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
Sergeant Darryl Howard here as well. Hey, good morning, and
Chrissy Ratkowskis is with us, first clinician to join this team.
Earlier this month, JRPDA Network one eighty mark the three
year anniversary of a mental health coresponse program. Chief, let's
start with you. It kind of reminds me of alternative
medicine or some of the alternative courts we see in

(00:40):
the state of Michigan. Talk to us about this collaboration.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
I can't believe it's been three years. And first thing
that I think of when I think at July of
twenty twenty two is when this started, and really it's
why didn't we do this sooner? It's an amazing collaboration.
You know, word name of one is sort of the
default call for for many things in our society, and
mental health crisis being one of them. So for years

(01:05):
I've been responding to nimomon calls a mental health crisis
and our options are calling Amy once or take the
person to jail and das expanded. Now we're getting so
much better at this and what a special relationship, building
trust with the community, building better outcomes for patients. So
this has just been a wonderful program for three years

(01:27):
and getting getting bigger and doing more.

Speaker 4 (01:30):
You talk about that building trust with the community, and
Sergeant Howard, you've said it's a definite culture shift. This
is helpful to officers, but break down some of these
numbers you talk about. Before it was, you know, a
trip to the emergency room or a trip to jail.
That looks different now, right, Sergeant.

Speaker 2 (01:46):
It absolutely does. So we've got three social workers now
and one that works night. We've got Christy who's here
on the line, and we also have Harry and Maddie
who works nights in their fantastic social workers Master's. The
Greek clinicians and officers love it because we get we
see a lot of the same call. We get nine
to one to one to the same place or the
same family member reaching out for help. And like Chief said,

(02:09):
we used to be pretty limited on the resources or
tools we can apply. I mean tie up an emergency
bed at one of our emergency departments or possibly jail,
and neither one of those outcomes would fit for some
of these you know, people in crisis, people that are
calling out for help. They called nine to one one
because it was a bad day. So this program allows
officers who want to solve the problem, that opportunity and

(02:33):
that partnership. So we're very fortunate here in West Michigan
and Grand Rapids to have our partnership with Network one
eighty and the officers enjoy it because it completes the
call positive outcome for the whole community.

Speaker 1 (02:45):
Forty two hundred responses, eleven hundred emergency room diversions, seventeen
hundred ambulance diversions, five hundred jail diversions, three hundred and
fifteen patient intakes. When you get a hold of them, Chrissy,
talk to us a little bit about the difference that
you can make and the services that you can provide.

Speaker 5 (03:06):
Yeah, so what we can do whenever an officer and
I are dispatched to a call, typically on the way
to a call, we will look up the individuals see
if they have any services available, see if they're connected,
see if they've missed any appointments, and my partner and
I we can almost kind of determine on the way
they're okay, these are what some of the treatment options
are going to be when we get to the call.

(03:27):
You know, obviously we can help de escalate the situation,
and then we can give the individual different options and
different choices on what they want to do. And a
lot of those options include avoiding an ambulance ride and
avoiding you know, sitting in the emergency department for hours.
We can get them directly to a treatment provider and
kind of skip all those other extra unnecessary steps.

Speaker 1 (03:51):
So, Chief, you started this conversation with better outcomes for
those that you respond to. Its great for your officers
as well. Got to make them feel better knowing that
they're making a difference. And as Sergeant mentioned, this culture shift,
you guys are getting it right. So walking alongside a
clinician is helping an officer become more efficient?

Speaker 3 (04:11):
Yeah, absolutely, I mean it's an additional tool for the officers.
As Sergeant Howard often wisely says, you know, a lot
we all got into this profession. We love to solve problems.
We love to make people's lives better, and when we're
called for a problem that we're not equipped to handle,
that's frustrating for us. And so this is such a
big issue in our society in our city, and we

(04:35):
get called to mental health crisis close all the time,
and having the actual tools to make better outcomes for
people just is so empowering for officers and it leaves
you feeling like you're really having that positive impact that
you got into this profession for.

Speaker 1 (04:52):
That is Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom, Sergeant Darryl Howard,
and Chrissy Ratkowskis. Thank you all so much for your
time today. Great job, Thanks Neo

Speaker 3 (05:00):
Thanks Lord, thank you