Sept. 16: Cleveland City Council
Covered by Documenter Alicia Moreland (live tweets)
With additional details from the Sept. 11 Safety Committee meeting covered by Documenters Courtney Green (notes) and Bilal Hakeem (notes)
‘Quick response’ aims to address Cleveland’s opioid crisis
Cleveland wants to create a new emergency response team to help opioid overdose survivors and their families. City Council passed legislation Sept. 16 to allow the city to move forward with that plan.
Public Safety Director Wayne Drummond said in a Sept. 11 council committee meeting a $50,000 grant from the state would be used to create a new quick response team (QRT) that would be different from the existing law-enforcement QRTs. This team would be made up only of EMS, paramedics and EMTs. They would follow-up with survivors and families after an overdose to provide resources and Project DAWN kits. Money needed for the team would come from the Ohio Attorney General’s office.
EMS Commissioner Orlando Wheeler told the committee his team has responded to about 200 opioid-related calls a month so far this year.
Safety Committee Vice Chair Joe Jones asked where the cases and calls are higher. Wheeler said the South East side and lower Northwest Side have higher call rates.
Council Member Deborah Gray asked what impact the QRT would have. Nicole Carlton, assistant director of the Cleveland Department of Public Safety, said that getting Project DAWN kits in homes, including Narcan, could lessen the crisis.
Get the money to the grantees
The Safety Committee also discussed legislation to contract with the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland for managing the Community Police Commission’s grants program.
The CPC grants program gives nonprofits and community organizations money for crime prevention efforts.
In March, during Cleveland budget hearings, commissioners requested funding to hire a grants manager. Commissioners told Cleveland City Council members the work took up much more time than expected, in turn delaying other commission work.
While 26 grants were awarded last year, Commissioner Piet van Lier said in the Sept. 11 meeting that only 10 recipients have received their money.
City Council approved legislation for the United Black Fund contract Sept. 16. The contract is set to cost $110,000 for the first year and has a one-year renewal option.
Read the live-tweet thread from Documenter Alicia Moreland:
