Appropriate Responses Initiative
Many people assume that a 911 call will always dispatch law enforcement, fire fighters or emergency medical services. However, not all calls require these traditional responses. Many calls that come into the Emergency Communication Center (ECC) involve situations where traditional responses do not have the right tools or training to provide the best help. There are, however, other professionals such as mental health and substance-use experts, conflict resolution specialists and community support services that may be better suited to assist.
The Appropriate Responses Initiative (ARI) looks to divert individuals from the criminal justice system by providing appropriate response options. With the 911 ECC as the intervention point to get wellness and community centered services, ARI enhances ECC protocols, public wellness systems (Social Services and Public Health) and will engage community institutions to provide a wider range of options for responding to people in need.
Through a collaborative process, ARI proactively shifts responsibility for violence prevention and safety from being primarily the responsibility of traditional responses to partnerships with mental health, public health, and community.
Key outcomes
Ramsey County’s focus on justice system transformation is centered in community and wellness, where changing the system is rooted in partnerships with community and system stakeholders that align with community values. Our Black and American Indian communities in Ramsey County are burdened by significant disparities across life outcomes, including rates of arrest and incarceration. ARI seeks to disrupt these disparities by finding new ways to keep neighborhoods safe, disrupt pathways to incarceration, and empower community.
ARI aims to achieve several key outcomes for our Black and American Indian communities by:
- Improving the well-being of communities.
- Reducing the engagement of communities with the justice system.
- Lowering incarceration rates.
- Reducing financial obligations to the justice system.
- Decreasing crime and victimization rates.
Call structure
With ARI, the 911 call structure was adjusted to support the needs highlighted by community and system partners.
Call flow
The Emergency Communications Center (ECC) and Social Services Department partnered to place Embedded Social Workers (ESWs) in the 911 call center to work alongside Telecommunicators (TCs) and Dispatchers to help determine what type of response is most appropriate to support the caller in 2023.
The ECC Embedded Social Workers (ESWs) are trained mental health professionals and practitioners that can support individuals with chemical and mental health needs, complete assessments, and analyze situations to make informed decisions for support. They are located inside of the ECC with Telecommunicators (TCs) and Dispatchers and only respond via the phone.
TCs are transferring 911 calls to an ESW when a mental health and/or substance-use related response is needed. The ESWs complete a secondary set of questions to assess whether a Mental Health Crisis Responder or Public Health Responder needs to be sent out, provide referrals, conduct assessments, and/or support the caller over the phone.
Response Types
- Learn more about Ramsey County’s Mental Health Crisis Response.
- Public Health Responders (PHRs) were launched in Feb. 2024 and have different experiences and education that they use to respond to substance-use related calls with a focus on harm reduction, safe use education and access to resources in various cities throughout Ramsey County. They are not an emergency medical service, so they do not respond to overdoses or medical emergencies.
- Community Response has not yet been launched; however, the goal is for this response to be community-involved and be able to support community members in immediate access of resources and longer-term services.
Timeline
- Summer 2023: Embedded Social Workers staffed in the Emergency Communications Center.
- Winter/Spring 2024: Public Health Response phased roll-out started.
- Spring 2024: open solicitation for Community Responders.
- Summer 2024 to present: contract negotiations for Community Responders.
Background
Arrest data shows Black and American Indian communities in Ramsey County are burdened by significant disparities across life outcomes, including rates of arrest and incarceration. ARI seeks to disrupt these disparities by finding new ways to keep neighborhoods safe, disrupt pathways to incarceration and empower community.
ARI was created through a co-design process where stakeholders were brought together from across the county including Ramsey County community members, internal staff, police departments (including the Ramsey County Sheriff’s office), city officials including a suburban city representative and police and fire representation from St. Paul and suburban Ramsey County. Co-design members also showed representation across community through youth, cultural, faith, service provision organizations, advocacy and lived experiences.
Co-design was used to discuss the ways the system was currently working and opportunities that were seen for changes. In regard to public safety, members found:
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Law enforcement needed help and support in responding to calls that they did not have specialized training in.
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The individuals answering the 911 calls needed a deeper set of resources to be able to meet the complex and nuanced needs of the people on the other end of the phone.
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Community members needed responses that centered wellness, invested in community institutions, and helped people get the core of their needs met.
ARI in the News
- Newly-Remodeled Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center Embeds Social Workers at the Center
- Ramsey County adds 40 positions dedicated to violence prevention (Star Tribune, Dec. 21, 2021)
- New team of 911 responders in works as Ramsey County plans overhaul (Star Tribune, Oct. 23, 2021)
- Mental health worker to partner with Maplewood police (Star Tribune, Feb. 2, 2021)
- Ramsey County tries new approach for some 911 crisis calls (Pioneer Press, Feb. 29, 2016)
Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice
April 16, 2024
The Appropriate Response Initiative team was been selected as the recipient of the National Association of Social Workers Minnesota Chapter prestigious Paul & Sheila Wellstone Award for Social Justice. This award is a testament to the tireless dedication and innovative efforts to create a 9-1-1 system with more robust options to meet the diverse needs of the Ramsey County community. ARI's intentional focus on serving the needs of Black and American Indian communities exemplifies the commitment to equity and social justice.
This award is for the entire team of Ramsey County employees and community members that is working to design, implement, and evaluate the Appropriate Responses Initiative (ARI). With the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Center (ECC) as the intervention point to get wellness and community centered services, ARI enhances ECC protocols, public wellness systems (Social Services and Public Health) and community institutions to provide a wider range of options for responding to people in need. Transforming a system like this one is not easy, and although there are challenges along the way this team continues to show up, work through challenges, and dismantle barriers standing in the way of centering community and wellness in the justice system. With an intentional focus on Black and American Indian communities this team is leading the way for how local governments can center racial equity, and share power with community.