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Independence started a new co-responder program in March 2023 that aims to take stress off the city's vital emergency services — and the early returns are promising.
ARCH, or Alternative Response for Community Health, is a partnership between Independence Fire and Health departments.
It pairs community paramedics, a special certification for first responders, from the Independence Fire Department with licensed clinical social workers from the Independence Health Department.
Since its inception, ARCH has responded to more than 1,200 calls for service, which has resulted in more than 1,000 police, fire and EMS crews being released early from a scene, canceled en route or not dispatched in the first place.
ARCH, which works with a variety of service providers, has saved community members experiencing a mental-health crisis more than $300,000 in ambulance rides and prevented roughly half of those transports from landing in Independence-area emergency rooms.
"Our greatest benefit is we have time, lots of time, so we get to sit, talk with the community member, figure out what would be the best resource in the moment," Jon Borel, a community paramedic with the ARCH Program, said. "Then, we also have the time to connect them to that resource."
When Independence police or fire crews receive an emergency call for service, ARCH co-responders have the option to respond if they think they can help a person in crisis.
"We’re meeting them where they’re at, helping them with what they’ve got going on, connecting them to the most-helpful resources, trying to figure out what’s going to serve them well long-term," Justin Newkirk, a licensed clinical social worker with the ARCH Program, said.
That last part is key.
ARCH co-responders don’t handle crime or medical emergencies, but they can help with a range of issues that police, fire and EMS crews aren’t best-equipped to manage.
"We’re kind of filling in the gaps," Newkirk said. "Anything related to mental health, substance use, houselessness, suicidal ideation, quality of life — we’re responding to that kind of stuff and we’re freeing up the other emergency responders."
They’re also following up intently with the community members they serve to help them stay connected with appropriate support services.
"We kind of take it to the next level," Borel said. "We’ve seen some follow-up cases last weeks and months as we kind of help that individual navigate the resource environment."
Borel said he’s seen ARCH’s impact in a reduction in frequent 911 callers.
"We have a lot of cases that we got involved with individuals who relied on 911 to meet their immediate needs and, in several cases, that was because they didn’t have any other place to rely on,” he said. "ARCH took that 911 call volume on, worked with other partner agencies and eventually got them to a place where they were stable without having to call 911."
That effort keeps dispatchers available for emergencies.
Newkirk said there also have been instances when the relationships ARCH staff build with community members through repeated interactions helps them accept help.
“I’m thinking of a guy who had some significant substance-use concerns,” he said. “We kept showing up for him and, because we did that, we were able to get him connected to some long-term support that I think are really going to be beneficial to him.”
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