Spartanburg to Launch First-in-the-State Situation Table to Address Community Safety and Well-Being
SPARTANBURG, SC – On September 6th and 7th, over 50 local leaders, service providers, and public safety professionals gathered at the AC Hotel on West Main Street to participate in a transformative two-day Situation Table training. Delivered by instructors Walter “Larry” Sweeney and Maureen Cavanagh from Cordata’s Operation Save Lives (O2SL) and QRT National, the training is part of an effort to tackle the opioid epidemic impacting South Carolina using an innovative approach of enhancing community safety and health outcomes. The Situation Table is a rapid-response, multidisciplinary intervention model designed to address individuals and families facing acutely elevated risk (AER). Originally launched in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, in 2011 by the Global Network for Community Safety, the model has since expanded to over 160 sites across Canada and more than 30 sites in the United States. Spartanburg is now the first South Carolina community to implement a Situation Table, paving the
Cordata’s O2SL and QRT National Delivers Deflection Academy Training in Frankfort, Kentucky
FRANKFORT, KY — Frankfort Police Department, Recovery Café of Frankfort and Lexington, Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation, and New Vista, along with police social workers from several Kentucky police agencies gathered with community partners to learn essential deflection skills, participating in the two-day training program led by Cordata’s Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) and QRT National. The Deflection Academy took place from August 5th-6th and trained 43 professionals representing organizations from Frankfort, Lexington, and Marion County. The Kentucky Opioid Abatement Commission funded and supported the training. Deflection is an upstream preventative approach to substance use and mental health that offers pathways for a community-based response to occur before an event such as an overdose, arrest, or mental health crisis. Primary instructors included Karen Maline, Scott Allen, and Daniel Meloy of Cordata’s O2SL and QRT National. “We were excited to partner with O2SL & QRT National to bring law enforcement, clinicians, recovery
Recovery Café – Closing the Gap in Frankfort, Kentucky
When the Recovery Café opened its doors in the Church of the Ascension in January 2025, it filled a large void created by the loss of the local emergency shelter and a decline in available resources in Frankfort, Kentucky, In just over seven months, Recovery Café has positively impacted the lives of 72 people through recovery coaching, support groups, life skills classes, and spiritual and social engagement and empowerment. Frequent visitors of the Recovery Café obtain free membership, and with that, an opportunity to give back through community service at the café. Recently, the Recovery Café hosted Cordata’s O2SL & QRT National Deflection Academy training, a community-wide event to bring awareness to addiction and deflection initiatives. Recovery Café partnered with Frankfort Police Department (FPD), Wings of Hope Quick Response Team (QRT), Franklin County Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (ASAP), and Expree Credit Union to bring over 30 agencies together for