O2SL & QRT National’s Dan Meloy Featured at the White House Announcement State Model Law to Expand Programs that Deflect People with Addiction to Care

O2SL & QRT National’s Dan Meloy Featured at the White House Announcement State Model Law to Expand Programs that Deflect People with Addiction to Care

“As I read through the deflection model law, I find myself smiling… and thinking back through the years to the times when other law enforcement, fire/EMS chiefs, and city managers asked me, ‘Why do you do this work?’ or ‘Why do you partner with that social service agency?’ The ‘this’ and ‘that’ was our reaching out to experts who understood the ‘Science of Addiction’ and asking for their help! We asked if they would work alongside police, fire and EMS and educate us on how we make a positive impact on our people and families within our community,” said Dan Meloy, retired Police Chief of Colerain Township, Ohio.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) announced the release of the Model Law Enforcement and Other First Responders Deflection Act, a resource for states that encourages the development and use of deflection programs across the country. These programs are needed because first responders, including law enforcement, often do not have good options when encountering people with substance use and/or mental health disorders. In a growing number of states, public safety and public health partnerships “deflect” people with these disorders away from traditional criminal justice programs and connect them to evidence-based treatment, harm reduction, recovery and prevention services. These approaches save lives and reduce the burden on first responders. This state model law would expand access to these programs across the country.

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