From left: Scott Allen, Dan Meloy and Mike Botieri of Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National at the Ohio Quick Response Team, Deflection, & Outreach Training Summit in Cincinnati in January. (Photo courtesy O2SL & QRT National) 
Dan Meloy of Operation 2 Save Lives (O2SL) & QRT National speaks at the Ohio Quick Response Team, Deflection, & Outreach Training Summit in Cincinnati in January. (Photo courtesy O2SL & QRT National)
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 second annual Ohio Quick Response Team, Deflection, & Outreach Training Summit in Cincinnati last month, with more than 340 people attending from nine states and the District of Columbia.
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 50 presenters appeared at the Jan. 26-27 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 Scott Allen, O2SL & QRT National chief operating officer 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 National partners from Connecticut, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia were also in attendance at the Summit.
At the event, the OQA board voted to change the group’s name to the Ohio Deflection Association (ODA), to emphasize its focus on the use of deflection.
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.
“Summits like the Ohio Deflection Association’s are valuable opportunities for QRT partners and those involved in deflection, outreach, public policy and more to come together to share information, successes and ideas,” Meloy said. “It’s great to hear about all of the successes stakeholders have seen in their communities, and we were grateful to have shared the work we’ve been doing at O2SL & QRT National with those in attendance.”
Ten awards were presented to quick response and deflection teams from across the country for their efforts in implementing deflection strategies in their communities. Read about the awards here.
Information on presentations from the summit can be found by clicking here.
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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