CINCINNATI — The leadership team of Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National is pleased to share that several of its team members and partners shared their expertise and experiences at the third annual Ohio Quick Response Team, Deflection, & Outreach Training Summit in Cincinnati last month, with more than 325 people in attendance.
The Summit gathered stakeholders to discuss what’s working in prevention, treatment, interdiction and harm reduction, and consisted of plenary sessions, keynote addresses, breakout sessions, roundtable discussions and networking opportunities.
About 85 presenters appeared at the Jan. 24-26 event and spoke about a number of topics, including peer support and behavioral health; harm reduction and public health strategies; task force teams and outreach; and coalition building, public policy and program management.
Among the featured speakers were Mike Botieri, Retired Plymouth Police Chief and vice president of business development for O2SL & QRT National, with Brittney Garrett of the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative (PAARI) and Dan Meloy, president of the Ohio QRT Association (OQA) and director of operations for O2SL & QRT National.
O2SL & QRT’s Mike Botieri and Dan Meloy held a breakout session entitled “The Situation Table”. The instructors discussed integration of Community Safety and Well-Being with the Situation Table Model. Participants enhanced their theoretical knowledge and gained practical tools, applicable to real-world scenarios. They reviewed core terms and principles of the Situation Table including, Acutely Elevated Risk, Risk Factors and Risk Tracking Database.
O2SL & QRT National partners from 15 states including Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Washington DC were also in attendance at the Summit.
Deflection is the practice by which law enforcement, other first responders such as fire and EMS personnel, social workers and recovery support professionals connect individuals experiencing mental health and substance use challenges to community-based treatment and/or services when arrest would not have been necessary or permitted, or in lieu of taking no action. Deflection is performed without fear by the individual that if they do not “accept the deflection” they will subsequently be arrested.
“The Ohio Deflection Association Summit set the stage for stakeholders to harmonize and share transformative success stories about public health strategies that resonate with progress and collective impact,” said Meloy. “We appreciate these organizations and attendees for allowing us to share our work and our partners’ work.”
About the Ohio Deflection Association:
The Ohio Deflection Association delivers support around public safety for the health and well-being of those struggling with substance use and mental health disorder(s), through the development of deflection and pre-arrest diversion strategies, support tools, and facilitating the education of community partners providing outreach services. The Ohio Deflection Association focuses on real-life challenges with real-time solutions by providing communities with education, guidance, and resources. For more information, visit ohiodeflectionassociation.org.
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