Title
Community Assistance Program (CAP) and Telehealth Program Update
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee with an update on the Community Assistance Program expansion implementation.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
In June 2021, the City Council approved $15 million in the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget to expand the Community Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a proven model to assist residents experiencing a traumatic event, behavioral health crisis, or other social welfare concerns. CAP consists of Crisis Response Units (CRUs), Behavioral Health Units (BHUs), and Behavioral Health dispatchers. CRUs continue to co-respond with police and fire on traumatic incidents to provide on-scene crisis stabilization. BHUs may respond as a singular unit to assist individuals experiencing a behavioral health or substance use concern or as a co-response unit. CAP is the foundation of our efforts to address those community needs that don’t expressly align with the mission of traditional emergency and public safety services. To meet these diverse needs, CAP staff continue collaborating with community partners and connecting individuals with appropriate resources.
The goal is for the CAP to increase the number of CRUs to ten and create nine Behavioral Health Units BHUs. A team comprised of staff from several City departments has been working to implement the numerous aspects of CAP expansion.
In March 2023, CAP and Human Resources staff partnered to complete five hiring events resulting in 48 new caseworkers. The new caseworkers were onboarded over the summer. The onboarding period comprised a six-week training investment followed by continual education. The increased staffing allowed the BHUs to increase from one unit to four units in service, with increased citywide coverage and response. Staffing also increased for the CRUs from five units to six units, resulting in increased citywide coverage and response. Over the summer of 2023, CAP added four new Behavioral Health Dispatchers, bringing the total to six dispatchers to be more available to connect callers with needed services. Additional Peer Support Specialists have been hired to meet staffing needs on the BHU teams. CAP and the contracted agencies are continuing to conduct interviews.
The City and Arizona State University School of Social Work entered into a contract in February 2023, to allow for CAP interns. In August, CAP conducted interviews and selected five Arizona State University School of Social Work interns, one bachelor-level and four master-level interns. The interns will begin onboarding in September and must complete 480 hours of service to meet their internship requirement between August 2023 and May 2024.
The City received the 23 vehicles ordered for CAP expansion in partnership with the Public Works Department. Additional materials have been ordered and will be delivered and installed before these units can be put into service. CAP continues operating units through the Public Works contract with Hertz Rentals to lease vehicles as needed until the purchased vehicles are put into service.
With the increase in new staffing and resources, the CAP expansion team has made progress on securing an additional Fire Department site for the placement of CAP units. Currently, CAP operates out of eight strategically placed facilities throughout the city. CAP staff continue to evaluate City-owned properties and community partnerships with stakeholders as opportunities for locating the CRU and BHU teams throughout the community. The various locations continue to operate with multiple schedules to meet community needs.
During the summer of 2023, CAP staff, with support from the Fire Department, implemented electronic patient care records (ePCR) and the use of iPads in the field. The new system allows CAP staff to provide services more efficiently to customers and track data and trends on service calls. As CAP continues to expand services to meet community needs, CAP is working with the City's contracted vendor, MD Ally, to offer telehealth services. With the recent implementation of ePCR, there is an opportunity to connect customers more seamlessly to telehealth services upon completion of staff training. CAP is preparing a training and communication plan for this next service expansion.
Since the first phase of the telehealth program launch in December 2022 with MD Ally, 296 patients have been served through August 30. The training of Alarm Room Headquarters dispatchers is complete. Monthly meetings continue to be held with Fire EMS, Fire Regional Dispatch, CAP and MD Ally representatives.
Additionally, the City is currently establishing a Community Mental Health Wellness & Safety Task Force. The Task Force will be a community-led group charged with examining the mental health wellness and safety needs of Phoenix residents, educating residents on existing programs and resources, reviewing the effectiveness of City mental health-related programs and services, and keeping an open dialogue between City leadership, staff, and communities. Applications are open until Sept. 15, 2023, for a three-year term.
Lastly, Attachment A provides the current status and performance metrics of the CAP program as of Aug. 1, 2023. Staff will continue its efforts to actively recruit, hire, and expand the City’s Community Assistance Program and related services.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Fire Department.