SummitStone’s Co-Responder program helps Loveland police provide mental health support to people in need

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SummitStone’s Co-Responder program has been in Loveland since 2016 and has been a valuable resource for the Loveland Police Department to help build community trust and ease the strain on law enforcement.

“As sweeping protests against police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s death have led to a national conversation about policing, many communities are discussing the possibility of having additional resources that could be brought to bear along with or instead of law enforcement in certain situations.”

Two of SummitStone Health Partners clinicians are embedded in the Loveland Police Department and respond to calls along with officers to help people who are in crisis and help to avoid unnecessary use of emergency services as well as mental health holds.

“The pair receives referrals from police officers out in the field and they also listen to radio traffic to determine calls that they should respond to. Depending on the situation officers either remain at the scene with the clinician or leave to respond to another call while the clinician stays with the person to provide more in-depth assistance.”

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Image:  June 17, 2020: SummitStone clinician Jesse Boyd, left, Loveland Police Officer Hannah Gleditsch and clinician Sue Dokter pose with Gleditsch’s police vehicle outside the Loveland Police and Courts Building on Wednesday. Dokter and Boyd work with Gleditsch and the department’s other officers through SummitStone Health Partners’ co-responder program, which embeds counselors into the department to respond to calls in which people are experiencing mental health crises. (Craig Young / Loveland Reporter-Herald)